Southeast Asian nations observing PH arbitration case vs China

Philippine delegation to the United Nations Arbitral Tribunal in The Hague. Photo from the Department of Foreign Affairs

Several Southeast Asian countries will be closely watching the arbitration proceedings of the maritime dispute between China and the Philippines before the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS).

“After receiving written requests from interested States, and having sought the views of the Parties, the Arbitral Tribunal has permitted the Governments of Malaysia, the Republic of Indonesia, the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, the Kingdom of Thailand and Japan, to send small delegations as observers,” the United Nations (UN) arbitration court said in a statement.

The tribunal previously decided that the hearings which began July 7, will not be open to the public.

The Philippines has sent a powerhouse team for the oral arguments in The Hague, the Netherlands, lead by Foreign Affairs secretary Albert Del Rosario.

BACKSTORY: PH power team to The Hague; UN tribunal to rule first on jurisdiction

Also joining the delegation are Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, Undersecretary Abigail Valte and Undersecretary Emmanuel Bautista, executive director of the Cabinet cluster on security, justice and peace.

Also members of the delegation are Supreme Court Justices Antonio Carpio and Francis Jardeleza and Sandiganbayan Justice Sarah Jane Fernandez.

Senate President Franklin Drilon and House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. are also joining the delegation, the Inquirer has learned.

The Philippines has filed a case before the tribunal challenging its nine-dash line claim that covers nearly the entire South China Sea including parts of the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Satellite images have shown China’s massive land reclamation projects in the Spratly Islands, turning reefs into artificial islands capable of hosting military buildings, equipment, and personnel.

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