South China Sea Dispute, Duterte to China: Obey the Law!

MANILA – President Filipina Rodrigo Duterte told the Minister of Defense China Wei Fenghe bahwa the South China Sea dispute (LCS) must be resolved using international law, including the agreement used as the basis for an international arbitral tribunal ruling in 2016 denying China’s claims to the territory.

Duterte met with the Chinese high official on Friday night.

“President Duterte stressed that disputes must be resolved amicably in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and other international instruments,” the office of the Philippines president said in a statement. Bloomberg, Saturday (12/9/2020).

The Philippine leader also said that every country must play a stabilizing role in the South Chin Sea, as he pushed for a code of conduct in the disputed region.

South China Sea tensions have escalated, with China firing missiles into the area last month as the United States took action against Chinese firms helping to set up outposts in the disputed territory. (Also read: China Fires Aircraft Killer Missile, Warning to US)

President Donald Trump’s administration has formally rejected China’s expansionary claims to the South China Sea, a major route to commercial maritime traffic and home to trillions of dollars worth of untapped oil and gas reserves.

Southeast Asian countries this week called for self-restraint at sea which is an important trade route and keeps oil and natural gas reserves. (Also read: Pompeo to ASEAN: Don’t Let the Chinese Communist Party Trample Us)

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