Philippines Wins Round One in Case Against China in UN Tribunal

The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague rejects China’s strongest argument against the Philippines: that the tribunal has no right to hear the Philippines’ case.

In a statement dated October 29, the tribunal unanimously decided it has the right to hear Manila’s historic case against Beijing.

“The award does not decide any aspect of the merits of the parties’ dispute. In its award, the tribunal has held that both the Philippines and China are parties to the (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) and bound by its provisions on the settlement of disputes,” the statement said.

“The tribunal has also held that China’s decision not to participate in these proceedings does not deprive the tribunal of jurisdiction and that the Philippines’ decision to commence arbitration unilaterally was not an abuse of the convention’s dispute settlement procedures,” it added.