00:00The Philippines and 13 other countries call on China to abide by the 2016 Arbitral Award
00:06on the South China Sea on its 10th anniversary. This as China continues to reject the awards
00:11even if it is considered final and binding. Joining the Philippines in this call are Australia,
00:16Canada, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, New Zealand, Romania,
00:23Slovenia, United Kingdom, and the US. They express strong opposition to quote any
00:29destabilizing or unilateral actions, including by force or coercion, the threat in peace and
00:34stability in the region. On July 12, 2016, an arbitral tribunal constituted under the United
00:40Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea handed down an award that affirmed the integrity of the
00:44Philippines' exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea, part of the larger South China Sea.
00:50Solicitor General Darlene Berberabe highlights the importance of the award as she speaks at
00:54the DFA's event to mark the anniversary. She pays tribute to maritime agencies who patrol the
01:16West Philippine Sea, and diplomats who filed protests against China's aggression.
01:21The Philippines asks of the law only what it gives. We claimed our rights and in the same breath
01:28honored everyone else's. That is the conduct of a state that believes in the system it involved.
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