10th Anniversary of South China Sea Ruling: 14 Countries Including US and Japan Declare "No Legal Basis for China's Territorial Claims"

2016 Ruling: "No Legal Basis for Territorial Claims"

China Maintains Its Claims... Ongoing Tensions with the Philippines

On the 10th anniversary of the historic ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) on the South China Sea territorial dispute between China and the Philippines, 14 countries—including the United States, Japan, and the Philippines—have declared that China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea are unfounded.

On July 12 (local time), the 14 countries issued a statement reaffirming, “We reiterate that the arbitral tribunal’s ruling found no legal basis for China’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea.”

These nations described the 2016 ruling as “an important milestone, final and legally binding, and conclusive.”

Four U.S. and Philippine Air Force aircraft are flying in formation over the South China Sea. Photo by Yonhap News Agency, U.S. Embassy in the Philippines

They also reiterated their strong opposition to any actions—whether through force, coercion, or unilateral moves—that threaten peace and stability in the region by causing unrest.

The statement also directly targeted China. The countries criticized, “We strongly oppose actions that threaten the safety of personnel and fishermen and gravely undermine regional peace and security, such as interfering with, obstructing, or intimidating other countries’ lawful operations at sea or in the air by using coast guard, military, or maritime militia forces.”

In July 2016, the PCA in The Hague, Netherlands, ruled under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) that China’s claims to historical rights over various resources in the South China Sea beyond its territorial waters have no legal basis.

However, China has ignored the ruling and maintained its territorial claims, continuing confrontations with the Philippines and others by deploying naval warships, coast guard vessels, and maritime militia ships to various parts of the South China Sea.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.