MANILA, Philippines — Beijing, through its embassy here, slammed the European Union (EU) for allegedly trying to interfere in the maritime disputes between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea.
“The EU is not a party to the South China Sea disputes and therefore has no standing to interfere in maritime disputes between China and the Philippines,” the embassy said on Thursday.
In a statement, the embassy’s spokesman said that the EU has no right to criticize China’s “legitimate efforts to safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.”
Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo and EU High Representative/Vice-President Kaja Kallas met on June 2 for a high-level dialogue reaffirming the strong and growing partnership between the Philippines and the EU.
In a joint statement, Manalo and Kallas expressed their concerns about China’s illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive measures against Philippine vessels and aircraft conducting lawful maritime operations in the South China Sea.
They reaffirmed their commitment to respect freedom of navigation and overflight as provided for in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
They also reiterated their commitment to upholding international law, particularly UNCLOS and the 2016 South China Sea Arbitration Award, which is final and binding.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in July 2016 nullified China’s expansive claim in the South China Sea which encroached on the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. China rejected the ruling.
The embassy criticized them for their “erroneous statement” concerning China during the EU-Philippines diplomatic meeting.
“We urge the EU to respect China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea and to refrain from actions that could escalate tensions,” the embassy said.
“We also call on the Philippines not to bring external forces into the South China Sea disputes with China and to return to the right path of managing differences through dialogue and consultation with China,” it added.
The embassy said the disputes between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea “were fundamentally a matter of territorial sovereignty, which falls outside the scope of the UNCLOS and therefore is not subject to its interpretation.”
It also said that the PCA violated the principle of state consent, exercised its jurisdiction ultra vires, and rendered an award that disregards the law, .
“As such, the award is unlawful, null and void, and entirely without legal effect. China does not accept or recognize the award and will not accept any claims or actions based on it,” the embassy said.
“The situation in the South China Sea remains generally stable recently, and freedom of navigation and overflight in this area has never been an issue,” it added.
