UN chief calls on East Sea dispute parties abide by law
Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon on July 12 called on parties concerned in disputes in the East Sea to abide by international law and avoid taking actions that could fuel tensions.
Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon (Source: AFP)
New York (VNA) – Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon on July 12 called on parties concerned in disputes in the East Sea to abide by internationa🌌l law and avoid taking actions that could fuel tensions.
The UN chief was responding to the final ruling on the Philippines’s lawsuit against China over a dispute in the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea) issued on July 12.
At a regular press conference in the UN headquarters in New York, the US, the spokesperson for the UN Secretary General Stephane Dujarric said the UN chief has repeatedly called on the parties to settle disputes in a peaceful and amicable manner and in conformity with international law, including the UN Charter.
The UN Secretary General stressed that while dialogues are underway, the involved parties should stay away from activities that would provoke tensions.
He expressed his hope that the on-going consultation on a code of conduct in the East Sea (COC) between ASEAN and China that is based on the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) will help promote mutual understanding between the parties.
The arbitral tribunal under Annex VII to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) concluded that there was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to resources within the sea areas enclosed by the "nine-dash” line.
There was no evidence that China had historically exercised exclusive control over the South China Sea waters or their resources, said the five member tribunal of maritime affairs experts at The Hague in the ruling over the case filed by the Philippines to contest China’s claims and activity in the South China Sea.-VNA
The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) on July 12, ruled that China violated the Philippines’s sovereign rights in exploring resources surrounding the Reed Bank in the East Sea.
“Vietnam welcomes the arbitration tribunal’s issuance of the final ruling on July 12 and will issue a statement on the ruling’s content,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Le Hai Binh said on July 12.
The US has affirmed that the ruling of the Hague tribunal on the Philippines’s lawsuit against China’s claims in the East Sea is an important contribution to the shared goal of a peaceful resolution.
Singapore’s Foreign Ministry has issued a statement calling on parties in the Philippines’s lawsuit against China's claims in the East Sea to fully respect legal and diplomatic processes.
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Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon (Source: AFP)
