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MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte affirmed the Philippines’ referee victory over China over the South China Sea on Wednesday before the United Nations General Assembly.
“The award is now part of international law, beyond commitment and beyond the reach of governments in approval to dilute, diminish or abandon it,” he said in a speech that was prerecorded at the Malacañang Golf Clubhouse in Manila and broadcast on Wednesday. early.
“We firmly reject attempts to undermine it,” he added.
He noted that the Philippines’ engagement in the disputed part of the South China Sea was in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration of the Netherlands.
China has consistently refused to acknowledge the 2016 ruling that invalidated its claim across the South China Sea.
Its recovery and militarization activities in the heavily contested area have also raised concerns about peace and stability in the region.
Meanwhile, the president also thanked the countries that supported the Philippines’ referee victory.
“We welcome the growing number of states that have endorsed the award and what it represents: the triumph of reason over recklessness, law over disorder, friendship over ambition. This, as it should be, is the majesty of the law, ”Duterte said.
Recently, the UK, France and Germany rejected China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea through a joint note verbale sent to the UN.
It was Duterte’s first time addressing the UN.
Duterte was the twelfth speaker during the first block of high-level debates after leaders from the United States, Russia, China and the Republic of Korea, among others.
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