MANILA — The Philippines’ foreign minister said on Friday that a 2016 South China Sea arbitral award on the South China Sea was an “unshakable permanent anchor” of the rules-based international order.
Maria Theresa Lazaro in a speech said the Philippines, which has been in a long-running dispute with China, keeps lines of communication open and will use the award as a basis to pursue completion of a South China Sea code of conduct between the regional bloc ASEAN and Beijing.
This weekend is the 10-year anniversary of the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s decision, which in its findings concluded that China’s sweeping maritime claims were not valid under international law.
—Reporting by Mikhail Flores; Editing by Martin Petty