G7 Foreign Ministers express support for the Philippines sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea.
This affirms that the new allies of the Philippines over the West Philippine Sea dispute firmly reject “China’s baseless and expansive claims," calling for China’s illegal activities to stop.
“The Philippines welcomes the G7 Foreign Ministers’ reiteration of their collective commitment to the rule of law and to the rules-based maritime order anchored on the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), as well as their commitment to sustainable and inclusive economic development as expressed in their “Statement on Addressing Global Challenges, Fostering Partnership,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) wrote in their statement available on their social media.
Having that in mind, the Philippines reaffirms its firm commitment to the Arbitral Award on the ownership of the country on the West Philippine Sea in 2016 and the maintenance of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific Region.
“The Philippines is firmly committed to UNCLOS and the binding Arbitral Award in 2016. Respect for international law, particularly for the recognized maritime entitlements of coastal states in the South China Sea and the freedom of navigation enjoyed by the international community, is essential to ensuring global prosperity, peace, and stability. These are fundamental values that benefit not only the Indo-Pacific region but the wider community of nations,” DFA further wrote in their statement.
The G7 also condemns China’s use of their coast guard and maritime militia to patrol the Philippine Seas, perform dangerous maneuvers, and use water cannons on Philippine vessels.
On the other hand, the Philippines and G7 also intended to have “peaceful management and resolution of differences at sea.”
“We want to see a South China Sea (West Philippine Sea) of peace, stability, and prosperity, and the cessation of interference, obstruction, and harassment of the Philippines’ legal activities within our recognized maritime entitlements,” DFA further wrote.
Members of the G7 are the states and countries with the largest economic power, including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as the European Union.
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