Published February 13, 2024
The DFA has chided a Chinese consul for allegedly “misrepresenting facts” on the 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated China’s massive claims in the South China Sea.
China’s Consul General to Cebu Zhang Zhen has been quoted as saying at a Feb. 8 press conference in Iloilo City, that the ruling of the arbitral tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands was “illegal, null, and void” and that China “has and will never accept it.”
“We note the statement made by the Chinese Consul General last 08 February 2024. We take serious exception to China’s continued misrepresentation of the law and the facts,” a Department of Foreign Affairs statement said.
The 2016 ruling upheld Philippine sovereign rights in its Exclusive Economic Zone under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of UNCLOS and declared as illegal China’s expansive territorial claims in the disputed waters. The DFA said China should respect the tribunal’s decision.
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SOURCE: www.gmanetwork.com
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FILE PHOTO: The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) hits the claims of Chinese Consul General Zhang Zhen belittling the arbitral ruling that favors the Philippines’ position on the West Philippine Sea. INQUIRER FILES
Published February 13, 2024
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) criticized the claims of Chinese Consul General Zhang Zhen belittling the arbitral ruling that favors the Philippines’ position on the West Philippine Sea.
“The Philippines and China are both parties to UNCLOS [United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas],” it pointed out in a message to reporters, as it stressed that it takes “serious exception” to the diplomat’s remark.
The DFA also emphasized that the Chinese official’s statement was a “misrepresentation of the law and the facts.”
“We have and will consistently call on China to act responsibly and abide by its obligations under UNCLOS and the final and binding 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea,” it added.
