Handout / Philippine Coastguard / AFPTHE United States, European Union, and Canada reaffirmed their support to the 2016 international arbitral ruling on the South China Sea (SCS) which favored the Philippines. The Philippines commemorated on Monday the 5th anniversary of the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) on the SCS that invalidated China's massive sea claim that extended to the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Blinken said China and the Philippines, pursuant to their treaty obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), are "legally bound to comply with this decision." Meanwhile, the EU stressed that "what happens in the SCS matters to the EU, the Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and the whole world." Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines Peter James MacArthur called on all parties to comply with the ruling.

Source: Manila Times July 12, 2021 05:48 UTC