Carpio confident of PH win if sea dispute with China is brought to UN

Retired Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)

As China continues to assert its claim over the South China Sea, it may be time for the Philippines to bring the issue to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to let Beijing “feel the international pressure,” according to retired Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio.

“We must sponsor a resolution, submit it to the General Assembly that China must comply with the arbitral award of July 12, 2016. That will be put to a vote. I think we will win there,” he said during an online forum of 1Sambayan on Monday.

Earlier, Carpio was asked whether the Philippines should campaign among UN member states for support for the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling that rejected China’s claim to most of the South China Sea.

According to Carpio, other countries like the European Union, the Group of Seven (G7), South Korea, as well as India and Japan which also have their own territorial disputes with Beijing will most likely vote for the Philippines.

“Remember, the majority of the members of the UN General Assembly are coastal states. They are afraid that their big neighbors might seize their exclusive economic zones.

They don’t want their big neighbors to follow [China’s example]. They don’t want China to establish a precedent just to seize the exclusive economic zone of their smaller neighbors,” Carpio said.

‘International pressure’

He added that supporting the Philippines’ cause would also mean supporting the individual nation’s own interests, saying that with UNGA reflecting the “world’s opinion,” it would be the perfect instrument for China to “feel international pressure.”

“We have to win there and I think we will win there,” Carpio said.

“We need world opinion on our side because China has to feel the pressure that it is isolated because if China thinks that nobody cares about what’s happening in the South China Sea, then China will use force. So it’s time,” he continued.

A senior foreign service official who asked for anonymity, however, cautioned that the Philippines might end up losing due to China’s influence over other countries.

“The problem is that it will entail a campaign for each government to really support the issue. Since China has already a strong influence on some, we may not be able to get the required number of nations [that] will support our cause,” the official said.

RELATED STORIES

Chinese buoys in WPS assert ‘sovereignty,’ says embassy

Año: PH buoys in WPS provocative? Laser pointers are the real provocateurs

Coast Guard bares new tack vs Chinese harassment in WPS