MANILA, Philippines — Fourteen nations, including the United States and United Kingdom, came together Sunday to reaffirm that China’s broad territorial claims over the South China Sea have no legal standing, citing a 2016 international arbitration decision.
The countries released a joint statement rejecting what they described as “destabilizing” actions in the contested waters that put regional peace at risk.
The declaration marked the anniversary of a July 12, 2016, ruling handed down by a tribunal formed in The Hague under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The signatories described that ruling as “a significant milestone and is final, legally binding and definitive.”
China refused to participate in the arbitration process, which was launched by the Philippines in 2013 following a tense maritime standoff the previous year — a confrontation that ended with Beijing effectively taking control of a disputed shoal.
Beijing has rejected the 2016 decision and continues to assert control over nearly the entire South China Sea, a critical global shipping corridor that has long been considered one of Asia’s most volatile flashpoints. The region has seen repeated territorial clashes involving China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan.
“We reaffirm the Arbitral Tribunal’s decision that there is no legal basis for China’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea, including those based on ‘historic rights,’” the joint statement read.
The tribunal had largely sided with the Philippines, determining under the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea that “there was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to resources” in the South China Sea beyond the territorial zones recognized under the convention.
That convention, widely considered the governing treaty for the world’s oceans, entered into force in 1994 and has been ratified by more than 170 countries and parties — including both China and the Philippines.
Beyond the U.S. and Britain, the nations signing Sunday’s statement were the Philippines, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Germany, Italy, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, and Slovenia.
“We reiterate our strong opposition to any destabilizing or unilateral actions including by force or coercion that threaten peace and stability in the region,” the statement declared.
The group also voiced firm opposition to the use of coast guard vessels, military forces, and maritime militia to “harass, obstruct, intimidate lawful operations by other states at sea or in the air,” warning that such actions endanger lives and undermine regional security.
The nations called for freedom of navigation and overflight to be upheld in accordance with the 1982 U.N. convention, and urged that all territorial disputes be resolved through peaceful means.
China did not issue an immediate response Sunday. However, through its embassy in Manila, Beijing had previously stated it would never accept the 2016 ruling, calling it “illegal, null and void.”
“The award will not alter the historical and factual basis for China’s sovereignty over the islands of the South China Sea and their adjacent waters,” the Chinese embassy in Manila said, adding that the ruling “will not weaken China’s resolve and determination to safeguard its sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.”
Tensions in the disputed waters have escalated in recent years, especially between Chinese forces and those of the Philippines and Vietnam. Chinese coast guard ships have deployed powerful water cannons, military-grade lasers, and dangerous blocking maneuvers against Philippine personnel and fishermen from competing claimant nations, resulting in collisions and high-risk aerial encounters.
Washington has repeatedly pressed Beijing to abide by the arbitration ruling. Both the former Biden administration and the current Trump administration have warned that the U.S. is treaty-bound to defend the Philippines — its oldest treaty ally in Asia — if Filipino forces, ships, or aircraft face an armed attack in the disputed waters.
