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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte speaks at the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly via video – Photo: ABS-CBN News
“Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte made history on September 23 (Philippine time) using a United Nations session to signal a legal victory over China on the South China Sea issue” – news Rappler from the Philippines wrote this morning of September 23rd.
Specifically, at the inauguration of the United Nations General Assembly (this year online due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic), President Duterte reaffirmed his legal victory over China. in the South China Sea ruling.
In 2016, the Arbitration Tribunal was established under Appendix VII of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), ruled in the South China Sea case presented by the Philippines.
The court’s ruling has denied China’s claim of sovereignty in the South China Sea, including the “nine-line line” (yellow dock line) she drew to claim sovereignty and that the so-called historical sovereignty en There is no legal basis.
“This ruling is now part of international law, beyond commitment and beyond the reach of governments to be waived or removed,” President Duterte said in his speech. it was taped in advance and broadcast in early September 23 while attending the United Nations session.
The Philippine leader added: “We strongly oppose efforts to undermine this ruling.”
Mr. Duterte emphasized the Philippines’ commitments in the South China Sea pursuant to the 1982 UNCLOS and the 2016 decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration of the Netherlands. He said that the Philippines remained committed to the peaceful settlement of its disputes.
In the past, China’s illegal recovery activities, along with its militarization activities in the South China Sea, have caused many concerns in countries inside and outside the region.
In mid-September, the Foreign Ministry of Great Britain, France and Germany jointly sent notes to the United Nations, contradicting the seven earlier Chinese notes. The joint note that emphasized the direct baseline claims that China’s “historical rights” made were absurd under UNCLOS in 1982.
Mr. Duterte also thanked the countries for their support of the 2016 ruling. “We welcome more and more countries to support it. It represents the victory of justice over ignorance, of the law over chaos ”- he said.
Per page The inquirerThis is the first time that Mr. Duterte has addressed the United Nations since he assumed the presidency of the Philippines.
