ASEAN Beat

In UN Speech, Duterte Stiffens Philippines’ Stance on the South China Sea

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ASEAN Beat | Diplomacy | Southeast Asia

In UN Speech, Duterte Stiffens Philippines’ Stance on the South China Sea

After four years of flip-flopping, the Philippine President voiced strong support for a Hague ruling rejecting most of China’s claims to disputed waters.

In UN Speech, Duterte Stiffens Philippines’ Stance on the South China Sea

The BRP Gregorio del Pilar, a former U.S. Coast Guard cutter, on patrol in the South China Sea in December 2011.

Credit: Flickr/Philippines Department of National Defense

President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines has taken an outspoken position on disputes in the South China Sea, describing a 2016 arbitral tribunal award that struck down virtually all of China’s claims in disputed waters as “beyond compromise.”

In a pre-recorded speech delivered to the opening of the 75th session of the General Assembly on September 22, Duterte reaffirmed the outcome of the case, which was issued by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague.

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