The
Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague, the Netherlands, rejected
China's claim in the territorial dispute in the South China Sea on Tuesday
(12/7). Indonesia is encouraging all relevant parties to respect the ruling and
prioritize peace in the region.
The
Foreign Ministry in its statement encouraged all parties to maintain stability,
restrain themselves and respect international law, including the 1982 UN
Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
In its
ruling, the PCA stated that China's historical claim over the South China Sea,
signified by its nine-dash line claim, had no legal foundation. The court ruled
that China's historical claim over the maritime region was nullified due to
inconsistencies with UN-regulated exclusive economic zones (EEZ).
The
ruling was in response to an objection submitted by the government of the
Philippines in 2013. The Philippines objected to China's claim and activities
in the South China Sea. The Philippines accused China of entering its maritime
region and conducting a number of activities, especially fishing and reclaiming
coral reefs to develop manmade islands.
The
court ruled that China had violated the Philippines' sovereign rights and
reaffirmed that China had caused environmental damage by developing manmade
islands, the development of which did not entail any rights whatsoever for the
Chinese government. The ruling is based
on UNCLOS, which has been signed by both the Chinese and Filipino governments.
The ruling is binding, however, the arbitration court has no power to enforce
it.
In its
complaint, the Philippines argued that China's claim over the South China Sea
as signified by the nine-dash line conflicted with the Philippines' sovereign
region and international maritime law. In total, the Philippines submitted 15
objections to the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
Joyful
People
in the Philippines greeted the ruling with joy. A number of parades were held
across Manila, where people cheered, erected banners and the national flag. One
of the posters stated "The Philippines' sovereignty is
non-negotiable".
The
Filipino government also responded positively to the ruling. The Philippines'
foreign minister, Perfecto Rivas Yasay Jr, said that the international court
had made a historic ruling with significant contributions to resolving maritime
conflict in the region.
"The
Philippines reaffirms its stance and commitment to seek a peaceful resolution
with a view of promoting and improving peace and stability in the region,"
Rivas said in Manila.
In
contrast to the Philippines, China's president, Xi Jinping, in Beijing said
that China would not accept any position or act based on the arbitration
court's ruling made on the Philippines's claim. However, China would continue
to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea.
In its
statement, China's foreign ministry said that the court's ruling was null and
void and had no binding force. China neither accepted nor recognized it.
"China's
territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China
Sea shall under no circumstances be affected by this ruling. China opposes and
will never accept any claim or action based on this ruling," the statement
reads.
The
South China Sea is a major international trade route with a total annual trade
value of Rp5 trillion (US$382.5 million). Regarding the ruling, Indonesia -
which is not an involved party in the South China Sea dispute - requested all
parties uphold peace, friendship and cooperation. The Indonesian Foreign
Ministry has issued a statement that Indonesia encourages the development of a
peaceful, free and neutral zone in South East Asia and for all disputant
countries to continue peaceful talks in line with international law.
The
ruling received a positive response from many countries. Japan's foreign
minister, Fumio Kishida, said that Japan had consistently promoted the
importance of law enforcement and the use of peaceful and non-violent ways to
resolve maritime disputes. Due to the final and binding ruling, the Japanese
government encouraged both the Chinese and Filipino governments to abide by it.
"Japan
truly hopes that all relevant parties will abide by the ruling and this will
lead to a peaceful resolution to the disputes in the South China Sea,"
Kishida said.
Vietnam,
which along with the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei, is involved in a
maritime dispute with China in the South China Sea, responded positively to the
ruling. The Vietnamese foreign ministry's spokesperson, Le Hai Binh, said that
Vietnam supported a peaceful resolution for the South China Sea dispute.
However,
in line with Beijing, the Taiwanese government also rejected the ruling as it
was deemed to potentially affect the country's territorial rights.
House
of Representatives' Commission I member Meutya Hafid said that the court ruling
clarified all the disputes in the South China Sea, including the nine-dash line
claim, that had been questioned by Indonesia. She claimed that the ruling could
be referred to in future negotiations. "We don't need to be doubtful or be
afraid to defend our marine territory from any foreign country," she said.
Regarding
illegal fishing in the Riau Islands' Natuna waters, China claimed that part of
the area was the country's traditional fishing ground. It used the nine-dash
line claim as a basis for this argument.
University
of Indonesia professor of international law Hikmahanto Juwana also positively
responded to the court ruling saying it was seen to be in line with the
Indonesian government's position of not recognizing China's claim on its
traditional fishing grounds.
According
to Hikmahanto, Indonesia could be more confident about upholding the law
against fishing boats bearing Chinese flags operating in Indonesia's EEZ.
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