EU supports binding SCS Code as group currency seeks Batanes for Chinese scholars

The European Union (EU) on Monday renewed its request for a legally binding Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (SCS) based on international law, while a Philippine research team warned that the claim of Chinese academics over Batanes reflects a broader effort by Beijing to expand its territorial narrative despite a resolution to dispute it in 2016.

“The EU reiterates its support for the ongoing efforts of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and China to finalize an effective, concrete and legally binding Code of Conduct in the South China Sea that will comply with UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea),” the 27-member bloc said in a statement marking the 10th.^th the year of the arbitral award.

The EU also confirmed that disputes should be resolved peacefully under UNCLOS, supported the implementation of the 2016 arbitral award, and opposed collective actions that undermine regional stability.

“The EU is deeply concerned about the escalation of conflicts and dangerous incidents in the South China Sea and strongly opposes any collective actions that threaten to undermine regional stability and the international order based on international law and rule of law,” it said.

Meanwhile, Stratbase Institute President Victor Andres “Dindo” C. Manhit dismissed as “baseless” the claims of Chinese scholars that Batanes belongs to China through Taiwan, saying that this assertion “has no basis in history, international law or fact.”

“Having failed to gain international acceptance of its illegal claims in the West Philippine Sea following a landmark compensation award in 2016, China now appears intent on pushing the limits of its revised narrative,” he said in a statement.

He said the claim appears to be part of Beijing’s broader use of “law enforcement” and has implications for efforts to normalize territorial claims that are rejected under international law.

“No academic meeting, no matter how it is organized, can rewrite history or change the borders known to the whole world,” he said. “School lectures should promote truth and understanding, not as a tool to promote national ambitions.”

Mr. Manhit urged Manila and the international community not to dismiss the claims as mere academic discussions, warning that they could gradually shape public opinion and legitimize positions that have no legal basis.

Political analyst Edmund S. Tayao said this BusinessWorld the Batanes claim should be viewed as an act of “bullying” that could reflect Beijing’s broader strategic ambitions in the region.

“This is just bullying, and it’s officially Chinese,” said Mr. Tayao via Facebook Messenger. “With China’s unprecedented growth and emergence as a world power, it has assumed that it can take whatever it wants to take.”

He said the claim could also be linked to Beijing’s ambitions involving Taiwan or its long-term effort to expand control over the nearby seas after facing opposition in the South China Sea.

‘HISTORY’
Cooperation for International Development and Security President Chester B. Cabalza also said that the issue will not change the Philippine sovereignty over Batanes or reduce the country’s legal victory in the 2016 arbitration case.

“Beijing can make all the fake history it wants, but Batanes remains part of the Philippines, and no narrative trap will erase our legal victory in 2016,” he said in a Messenger interview.

China’s embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a Viber message seeking comment.

The EU statement followed a joint declaration issued on Sunday by the Philippines and 13 partner countries confirming that the 2016 arbitral award is final and legally binding.

Australia, Canada, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, New Zealand, Romania, Slovenia, the UK and the US have joined the Philippines in calling for peaceful settlement of disputes under international law.

Also on Monday, the Presidential Palace said the government will continue to assert Philippine rights in the Philippine Sea through dialogue rather than military confrontation.

“The President’s goal is to fight for our rights through means of expression,” said Palace Press chief Clarissa A. Castro in a press conference in Filipino.

“We do not want every Filipino to be a coward in fighting for our rights, but we are not saying that we should advance in the war,” he added.

Ms. Castro said the Marcos administration used a different approach than its predecessors, noting that former President Rodrigo R. Duterte had described the 2016 arbitral award as “a simple piece of paper that can be thrown in the trash.”

He also said plans to build shelters for Filipino fishermen in Sandy Cay were abandoned during the previous administration and that Chinese ships were allowed to patrol the area.

As an example of the Marcos government’s policy, Mrs. Castro cited the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. of September 2023 ordering Philippine authorities to remove floating barriers installed by the China Coast Guard near Scarborough Shoal.

He said the move is aimed at protecting the lives of Filipino fishermen while fighting for the country’s maritime rights without tension.

A 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague rejected China’s claim to the “nine-dash line” in the South China Sea and affirmed the Philippines’ maritime rights under UNCLOS.

Ms. Castro said public support for the government’s policy remains strong, citing an OCTA Research study showing that 66% of Filipinos support efforts to uphold an arbitral award.

He also quoted the words of Mr. Marcos later during the reception of the officials, where he described the law as “the great balance of all nations.”

Separately, Group List Representative Antonio L. Tinio opposed proposals to increase Philippine defense spending to 4% of gross domestic product, arguing that the plan would divert resources from education, health care and housing and advance US strategic interests in the region.

“On time [Defense Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro, Jr.] he wants more funding for missiles, warplanes, warships and submarines, our youth are studying in overcrowded classrooms without books or the Internet, many Filipinos still lack adequate health care, and the poor remain without decent housing,” he said in a statement written in Filipino.

He urged the government to prioritize social services instead of spending more on the military. – Kaela Patricia B. Gabriel, Pexcel John Bacon again Erika Mae P. Sinaking