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What should we do now as a willing and complicit victim who has fully embraced our great northern neighbor who clearly acts as a tyrant, a great larcenist and an international outlaw?
Editor's note: Former Philippine Foreign Secretary, Albert del Rosario, delivered this speech at a forum organized by the Albert del Rosario Stratbase Institute on July 12 this year. The forum marked the second anniversary of the Philippines' legal victory over China in The Hague.
I have the honor to welcome you as we celebrate the second anniversary of the decision of the arbitral tribunal of the UNCLOS Philippine Sea
The court decision was of a great importance for our country and for all peace-loving peoples who believe in a common vision of regional prosperity, peace and the rule of law.
of our victory, we should seize this opportunity to re-examine what has happened in our common sea and lead us to what we are today. We would also like to characterize not only the behavior of China, but also the actions of our own country.
Diversion of a Whole Sea
China's plans to dominate the South China Sea began in 1947. Its purpose was, and still is, the South China Sea as a sovereign territory and exploits its resources to feed its people, fuel its economy and become the new regional superpower. With a pencil, China's planners looked at a map and drew 9-line lines to mark a vague perimeter around the South China Sea. Previously, it started with 11 dashes, then it became 9, then 10, and then again 9.
Clearly, the accuracy was not important for the purpose of illegally dominating about 3, 5 million square kilometers of one of the most important shipping lines and the most critical marine resources of Southeast Asia on which depend millions of people for their food and their livelihoods.
With nine small lines, southern China becomes China's "indisputable sovereignty".
Invalidating China's Claim on the Nine Line
The Philippines has unsuccessfully challenged China's baseless claim through diplomatic channels. As a last resort, we turned to the sensitive path of arbitration. Before an international panel of neutral experts, we presented the facts and our prayer for the rule of law.
Our overwhelming victory at the Arbitral Tribunal is a claim against China's illegal expansion program, and its results are now an integral part of international law. The decision confirmed the need for a rules-based order on the waters of the South China Sea. He argued that any claims not based on and supported by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea should be denied.
However, our hope that the clarity of the decision on maritime rights would lead to constructive areas of cooperation has been arrogantly ignored by China, which continues to exert strong muscle against its small neighboring states.
Continuing illegal activities
We are all aware of China's continuing illicit activities. These include preventing our fishermen from making a living in our exclusive economic zone, blocking the development of the natural resources of the Philippines, destroying elements of the marine environment, erecting military installations. and confront our president directly with the threat of war.
It is therefore of the utmost importance that today, the Philippines once again recalls the favorable decisions decided by the Arbitral Tribunal, whose main gift to the totality of of our region and the community of law-abiding nations was the invalidation of line 9.
The historic international decision should encourage Filipinos to be even more confident in a principled stance on the sea of Philippines from the West.
In the deep disarray of our people However, our government has persisted in allowing China to deprive our citizens of what belongs to us by continuing to postpone the trial. We are still succumbing to threats of force, including the threat of war. Surprising as it may seem, according to Amitav Acharya of the American University, war is not even a good option for China. Its economy is heavily dependent on global trade, including its fuel supply, which requires open sea routes such as the Strait of Malacca and the Indian Ocean dominated by US naval power.
It may not be necessary to reduce the Chinese threat
Reputation costs for China and the Philippines
With regard to the international character of One country, we can say that the current positions of the Philippines and China are less than acceptable. For China, continuing its momentum presents great risks to the reputation of its people.
It might be useful to think carefully about specific questions that could lead us to call a cat, a cat. We then have 3 questions
First question: what should we call someone who uses muscle to deprive others of their rights?
Answer: A BULLY
Second question: What should we call someone who is illegally taking
Answer: A GREAT LARCENIST
Third question: What should we call the one who refuses the rule international law?
Answer: AN INTERNATIONAL EXTENSION
Let's turn now to our own country. The result of our arbitration has not only benefited the Philippines, not only the countries that rely on the law of the sea, but all states determined to maintain peaceful relations by engaging them. to respect international law.
The Philippines has had two years to take advantage of its position to develop and gain support from many countries whose principles are aligned with ours and with which our own voice could be amplified. Unfortunately, however, this has not been done.
In this context, we must also take into consideration the character of our own country, because we have been a reliable defender of international law. Should we ask how we see each other now and how others see us? For a balanced vision, we must do it. Again, we ask 3 questions
First question: what can we call the one who acquiesces in abuses against her?
Answer: A VOLUNTARY VICTIM
Second question: What can we call the one who defends an aggressor in
Answer: ONE ABLET
Third question: What can we call the one who GAMBLEES THE LAW PATRIMOINE OF ITS FUTURE GENERATIONS for improbable gains in the present?
Answer: Sorry, I can not help you. It's up to each of you to think
Going Forward
Where Are We Going From Here? What should we do now as a willing and complicit victim who has fully embraced our great northern neighbor who clearly acts as a tyrant, a great larcenist and an international outlaw?
We must believe that it is still time for us country to do what is good for our people. Although we have missed more than one opportunity, the Philippines still has opportunities to promote the rule of law. Whether through multilateralism at the UN or with ASEAN, or through our bilateral commitments with other states, or a total effort to pursue all of the above, the way to get the support of the community of responsible nations remains. For the sake of our children and our grandchildren, this is the way we must follow
In conclusion, we reaffirm our position that coercive diplomacy has no place in an international order based on rules. Our common goal is peace and prosperity without sacrificing our sovereignty and our sovereign rights. The way we choose to affirm our rights and our dignity as a nation today will be the legacy that the next generations of our country will have to live.
As Filipinos, we must express our feelings to our government and exercise our right to manifest our indignation. Against China
Finally, we need ALL of our friends in the community of nations who believe in the rule of law to help us. But before we can hope for help, we must first demonstrate that we deserve to be helped. – Rappler.com
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