China vs. Philippines in South China Sea: The Only Thing You Need to Know

National Interest

Manila can sue Beijing all it wants, but in the end it seems Chinese leaders already know how they will respond. . .

June 17, 2016

In just a few weeks the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague will render its verdict in a case filed by the Philippines to challenge China’s longstanding maritime claims in the South China Sea. While the result of that arbitration remains unknown, Beijing has already telegraphed how it will react should the court rule in Manila’s favor. Tiếp tục đọc “China vs. Philippines in South China Sea: The Only Thing You Need to Know”

Mỹ Trung thăm dò lẫn nhau

VNY – 16 thg 5, 2016

Sau chuyến tàu Mỹ tuần tra gần đá Xu Bi thuộc quần đảo Trường Sa năm ngoái, 8/4 vừa qua TQ liền cho tàu chiến ra gần đá Xu Bi tập trận. Gần 1 tháng sau khi TQ tập trận, Mỹ tiến hành cuộc tuần tra lần thứ 3 vào vùng lãnh hải 12 hải lý quanh đá Chữ Thập – nơi TQ xây dựng đảo nhân tạo rất lớn ở Biển Đông.

A Return to the Rule of Law in the South China Sea?

The UNCLOS tribunal’s ruling that it has jurisdiction in the case brought by the Philippines will likely improve prospects for the rule of law in the South China Sea – and it is in China’s interest to contribute to this development.
DigitalGlobe high-resolution imagery of the Subi Reef in the South China Sea. Photo via Getty Images.DigitalGlobe high-resolution imagery of the Subi Reef in the South China Sea. Photo via Getty Images.

Chathamhouse – China has been on a diplomatic charm offensive last week to improve its relations with  neighbours who have a stake in the stability of the South China Sea (SCS), reaching out to Vietnam and Japan and  culminating in the historic meeting with Taiwan’s leader Ma Ying-jeou on 7 November. This followed on from recent setbacks for its ambitions in the SCS . First, the United States sent its warship USS Lassen within 12 nautical miles of the Chinese controlled Subi Reef to challenge China’s claim to the feature. Then, on 29 October an arbitral tribunal established under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and hosted by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) at the Hague found that it has jurisdiction to hear the claims put forward by the Philippines in a case against China concerning maritime rights in a part of the SCS claimed by both. Tiếp tục đọc “A Return to the Rule of Law in the South China Sea?”

Tòa Trọng Tài tuyên bố có thẩm quyền tài phán cho vụ kiện Phi Luật Tân kiện Trung quốc ở Biển Đông

Ngày 29/10 vừa qua Tòa Trọng Tài, thiết lập theo Phụ Lục VII của Công Ước Liên Hợp Quốc về Luật Biển 1982, đã ra phán quyết về thẩm quyền tài phán của tòa đối với vụ kiện Phi Luật Tân kiện Trung quốc trong các vấn đề về Biển Đông. Toà xác nhận tòa có thẩm quyền tài phán trong 7 vấn đề Phi Luật Tân nêu lên, và 7 vấn đề còn lại thì tòa chỉ có thể xác nhận được thẩm quyền khi cứu xét giá trị pháp lý của các vấn đề này sau này, 1 vấn đề khác thì tòa yêu cầu Phi Luật Tân làm rõ hơn và thu hẹp lại

Đây là một chiến thắng lớn cho Phi Luật Tân cũng như các quốc gia trong vùng và cộng đồng quốc tế trong các nỗ lực đối phó với những bất ổn ở Biển Đông.

Trước khi nói đến chi tiết của Quyết Định của Tòa Trọng Tài, chúng ta cần làm rõ chức danh và bản chất của Tòa này, vì rất nhiều người hiểu lầm. Tiếp tục đọc “Tòa Trọng Tài tuyên bố có thẩm quyền tài phán cho vụ kiện Phi Luật Tân kiện Trung quốc ở Biển Đông”

Philippines v. China – Documents in PCA Case Repository

Case name The Republic of Philippines v. The People’s Republic of China
Case description

On 22 January 2013, the Republic of the Philippines instituted arbitral proceedings against the People’s Republic of China under Annex VII to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (the “Convention”), “with respect to the dispute with China over the maritime jurisdiction of the Philippines in the West Philippine Sea.” On 19 February 2013, China presented a Note Verbale to the Philippines in which it described “the Position of China on the South China Sea issues,” and rejected and returned the Philippines’ Notification. The Permanent Court of Arbitration acts as Registry in this arbitration.

Name(s) of claimant(s) The Republic of Philippines ( State )
Name(s) of respondent(s) The People’s Republic of China ( State )
Names of parties
Case number 2013-19
Administering institution Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA)
Case status Pending
Type of case Inter-state arbitration
Subject matter or economic sector – Other –
Rules used in arbitral proceedings – Other –
Treaty or contract under which proceedings were commenced Multilateral treaty
Treaty: UNCLOS
Language of proceeding English
Seat of arbitration (by country) Netherlands
Arbitrator(s) Judge Thomas A. Mensah (President)
Judge Jean-Pierre Cot
Judge Stanislaw Pawlak
Professor Alfred H. Soons
Judge Rüdiger Wolfrum
Representatives of the claimant(s) Agent
Solicitor General Florin T. Hilbay
Office of the Solicitor General, Makati, Republic of the Philippines Counsel
Paul S. Reichler
Lawrence H. Martin
Foley Hoag LLPProfessor Bernard H. Oxman
University of Miami School of Law

Professor Philippe Sands QC
Matrix Chambers

Professor Alan Boyle
Essex Court Chambers

Representatives of the respondent(s) China has not appointed an agent. In a Note Verbale to the PCA on 1 August 2013, China reiterated “its position that it does not accept the arbitration initiated by the Philippines.”
Representatives of the parties
Number of arbitrators in case 5
Date of commencement of proceeding [dd-mm-yyyy] 22-01-2013
Date of issue of final award [dd-mm-yyyy]
Length of proceedings Pending
Additional notes
Attachments – Other –

Award or other decision

Press release

Transcript/Minutes

CSIS: AMTI Brief – July 15, 2015


The Battle of The Hague: Philippines v. China in the South China Sea

The Philippines’ lawfare (legal warfare) against China has reached a critical juncture. More than two years after initiating compulsory arbitration against China, the Southeast Asian country faces the crucial task of proving that the Arbitral Tribunal, formed under the aegis of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), has the mandate to exercise jurisdiction on the South China Sea disputes. Unless the Philippines manages to overcome the jurisdictional hurdle, which many legal experts consider  a formidable obstacle, it will not be able to meaningfully leverage international legal regimes to alter China’s calculus in the South China Sea. What is at stake, however, is not only the peaceful resolution of an increasingly intense maritime jostling in one of the world’s most important sea lines of communications (SLOCs), but also the very credibility of international legal instruments as the ultimate arbiter of interstate relations. [Read more from Richard Javad Heydarian]

Tiếp tục đọc “CSIS: AMTI Brief – July 15, 2015”