The Task Force Kaligtasan sa Karagatan (TF KsK) of the @coastguardph has achieved another milestone in securing the West Philippine Sea. They have successfully installed five navigational buoys on critical areas - Patag Island, Balagtas Reef, Kota Island, Panata Island, and Juan… pic.twitter.com/Ge3riQDqXK
— Jay Tarriela (@jaytaryela) May 14, 2023
Teodoro López Locsin Jr.: Compliance in good faith with the award would be consistent with the obligations of the Philippines and China under international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to which both parties are signatories. The Philippines, as a law-abiding, peace-loving and responsible member of the international community, reaffirms on this occasion its adherence to the award and its enforcement without any possibility of compromise or change. The award is non-negotiable.
ANTONY JOHN BLINKIN: We also reaffirm that an armed attack on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft in the South China Sea would invoke US mutual defense commitments under Article IV of the 1951 US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty.
#OnThisDay in 1951, the Mutual Defense Treaty between the Philippines and the United States of America was signed in Washington, D.C. The Treaty states that both countries would support each other if either the Philippines or the U.S. were to be attacked by an external party. pic.twitter.com/9OY7abJti9
— DFA Philippines (@DFAPHL) August 30, 2019
ANTONIO TIROL CARPIO: ,,,so, a tiny rock in the Middle of the South China Sea is very valuable.
Is this a UFO?🛸— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) October 17, 2019
No. It's a Chinese armed helicopter named "Super Great White Shark", designed for the future digital battlefield and on display at an airshow in north #China's Tianjin pic.twitter.com/rzJ1jusGQe
And yet, there they are. Two @USNavy aircraft carriers operating in the international waters of the South China Sea. #USSNimitz & #USSRonaldReagan are not intimidated #AtOurDiscretion https://t.co/QGTggRjOul— Navy Chief of Information (@chinfo) July 5, 2020
SOFIA TOMACRUZ: Experts including retired Philippine Supreme Court associate justice Antonio Carpio and internationally-renowned lawyer Paul Reichler had pointed out that like the Philippines, countries should invoke the Hague ruling and call out China's expansive claims. This, they said, was one of the best ways to enforce the award.
The ruling has been regarded by maritime law experts as one of the best and most effective arguments under international law to thwart China's encroachment of Southeast Asian countries' exclusive waters.
NARUSHIGE MICHISHITA: Rising powers have a tendency to go out of control. It happened to Japan in the 1930s. Unfortunately, when Japan was rising rapidly and losing control of itself, nobody was there to stop Japan.
RODRIGO ROA DUTERTE: Now, plenty of critics, both sides, claim about nothing has been done to retake forcefully or physically the South China Sea. China is claiming it. We are claiming it. China has the arms, we do not have it. So, it is simple as that. So what can we do? We have to go to war and I cannot afford it. Maybe some other president can, but I cannot.
Wilson Lee Flores: ,,,We should not forget that we have an ancient friendship with China
Yen Nee Lee: More than five years on, Beijing-friendly postures have hindered Philippine oil exploration efforts in the sea.
JEREMIAH JACQUES: Many Americans today may not believe that the country’s will to use its power is breaking, but the U.S.’s allies in Asia, such as the Philippines, can see it plainly. As a result, some of these Asian states are preparing to realign with China.
JEREMIAH JACQUES: The Trumpet takes a keen interest in this shift because it is furthering three prophetically significant trends: The deterioration of U.S. power, the coalescing of “the kings of the east,” and the rise of China.
MICHAEL RICHARD POMPEO: The PRC cannot lawfully assert a maritime claim – including any Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) claims derived from Scarborough Reef and the Spratly Islands – vis-a-vis the Philippines in areas that the Tribunal found to be in the Philippines’ EEZ or on its continental shelf. In line with the Tribunal’s legally binding decision, the PRC has no lawful territorial or maritime claim to Mischief Reef or Second Thomas Shoal, both of which fall fully under the Philippines’ sovereign rights and jurisdiction, nor does Beijing have any territorial or maritime claims generated from these features.
Bradley Devlin: Expanding and cementing control over the South China Sea will also increase China's control over the region's massive energy reserves.
习近平: Human History will keep surging forward like a River with moments of calm waters and huge waves.
Providing peace and stability to the Atlantic Oceanhttps://t.co/s6n8vjljjU
— RT (@RT_com) December 7, 2021
Hal Brands: China could use swarms of small drones, launched from container ships, to hit targets on the U.S. West Coast or Hawaii.
