Latest news with #Unclos
The Star
14-07-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Philippines asserts arbitral win at Beijing forum
MANILA: Representatives from the Philippine Embassy in China attended a July 10 forum in Beijing where they reaffirmed the 'legal authority' of the 2016 arbitral ruling in favour of the Philippines' exclusive sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). In a statement on Sunday (July 13), the embassy said the forum organised by a Chinese think tank was held two days before the ninth anniversary of the landmark ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, where the Philippines brought its case against China in 2013. The forum 'claimed to bring together scholars, legal experts, and policymakers to engage in in-depth discussions on the historical and legal dimensions of the South China Sea,' the embassy said. But embassy representatives who attended that gathering noted the 'predominant criticism of the [arbitral] award and of Philippine policy and actions in the [South China Sea] region.' The embassy is headed by Ambassador Jaime FlorCruz, a veteran journalist who had reported extensively on Beijing. During an opportunity for an intervention, the Filipino officials asserted before that audience that the ruling, along with its annexes, 'proves the validity and legality of Philippine claims and they are available for everyone to study and read.' They also rejected the notion that the Philippines was the 'troublemaker' in the South China Sea and was refusing to engage in proper dialogue with China. 'We disagree with the notion that the Philippines is not willing to engage with China. In fact, even with the arbitral award, the Philippines has continued to make efforts to keep lines of communication open, maintain proper dialogue, and engage positively with China as well as other claimant states, both bilaterally and regionally, within the context of our legally settled claims in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) and international law,' they told the forum. 'We hope China's actions demonstrate genuine willingness to engage and to produce constructive and positive outcomes,' they said. The Hague ruling also dismissed China's nine-dash-line claim as having no legal basis, noting that Unclos 'superseded any maritime entitlements based on historic rights in excess of the limits imposed' by that international treaty. Meanwhile US Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement on July 12, the anniversary of the landmark ruling, urging Beijing 'to abide by the 2016 arbitral ruling and to cease its dangerous and destabilising conduct' in the South China Sea. He also called out China for its continued defiance of the ruling, its assertion of 'unlawful and expansive maritime claims,' and aggression against its neighbours. 'Beijing's expansive claims directly infringe on the sovereign rights and jurisdictions of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia, and undermine peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific,' Rubio said on Saturday. He pointed out that the 2016 arbitral ruling was a 'significant milestone and useful basis' to resolve disputes over the South China Sea. He said the United States supports a 'free and open Indo-Pacific,' as it aims to maintain peace and stability and prioritize freedom from maritime disputes. 'We seek to preserve peace and stability, uphold freedom of navigation and overflight, maintain the free flow of trade, and oppose coercion to settle maritime disputes,' Rubio said. Foreign Secretary Teresa Lazaro on Friday also expressed concern over China's continuing rejection of the ruling, emphasising that it 'persists with illegal, coercive, and aggressive actions under cover of a revisionist, self-serving interpretation and application of international law, particularly Unclos.' She said the government continues to assert the sovereign rights of the Philippines, uphold international law and utilise the bilateral consultation mechanism on the South China Sea as well as the bilateral consular consultations mechanism with China to maintain dialogue and diplomacy at appropriate official levels. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
Asia News Network
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Asia News Network
Philippines asserts 2016 arbitral win in critical Beijing forum
July 14, 2025 MANILA – Representatives from the Philippine Embassy in China attended a July 10 forum in Beijing where they reaffirmed the 'legal authority' of the 2016 arbitral ruling in favor of the Philippines' exclusive sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea. In a statement on Sunday, the embassy said the forum organized by a Chinese think tank was held two days before the ninth anniversary of the landmark ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, where the Philippines brought its case against China in 2013. The forum 'claimed to bring together scholars, legal experts, and policymakers to engage in in-depth discussions on the historical and legal dimensions of the South China Sea,' the embassy said. But embassy representatives who attended that gathering noted the 'predominant criticism of the [arbitral] award and of Philippine policy and actions in the [South China Sea] region.' The embassy is headed by Ambassador Jaime FlorCruz, a veteran journalist who had reported extensively on Beijing. Not the troublemaker During an opportunity for an intervention, the Filipino officials asserted before that audience that the ruling, along with its annexes, 'proves the validity and legality of Philippine claims and they are available for everyone to study and read.' They also rejected the notion that the Philippines was the 'troublemaker' in the South China Sea and was refusing to engage in proper dialogue with China. 'We disagree with the notion that the Philippines is not willing to engage with China. In fact, even with the arbitral award, the Philippines has continued to make efforts to keep lines of communication open, maintain proper dialogue, and engage positively with China as well as other claimant states, both bilaterally and regionally, within the context of our legally settled claims in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) and international law,' they told the forum. 'We hope China's actions demonstrate genuine willingness to engage and to produce constructive and positive outcomes,' they said. The Hague ruling also dismissed China's nine-dash-line claim as having no legal basis, noting that Unclos 'superseded any maritime entitlements based on historic rights in excess of the limits imposed' by that international treaty. US call to China Meanwhile US Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement on July 12, the anniversary of the landmark ruling, urging Beijing 'to abide by the 2016 arbitral ruling and to cease its dangerous and destabilizing conduct' in the South China Sea. He also called out China for its continued defiance of the ruling, its assertion of 'unlawful and expansive maritime claims,' and aggression against its neighbors. 'Beijing's expansive claims directly infringe on the sovereign rights and jurisdictions of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia, and undermine peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific,' Rubio said on Saturday. He pointed out that the 2016 arbitral ruling was a 'significant milestone and useful basis' to resolve disputes over the South China Sea. He said the United States supports a 'free and open Indo-Pacific,' as it aims to maintain peace and stability and prioritize freedom from maritime disputes. 'We seek to preserve peace and stability, uphold freedom of navigation and overflight, maintain the free flow of trade, and oppose coercion to settle maritime disputes,' Rubio said. 'Self-serving interpretation' Foreign Secretary Teresa Lazaro on Friday also expressed concern over China's continuing rejection of the ruling, emphasizing that it 'persists with illegal, coercive, and aggressive actions under cover of a revisionist, self-serving interpretation and application of international law, particularly Unclos.' She said the government continues to assert the sovereign rights of the Philippines, uphold international law and utilize the bilateral consultation mechanism on the South China Sea as well as the bilateral consular consultations mechanism with China to maintain dialogue and diplomacy at appropriate official levels. /cb
Observer
22-06-2025
- Business
- Observer
Arctic ownership and sustainability issues
The Arctic is the northernmost region of the Earth, centered at the North Pole. It is a vast polar region at the top of the world. Unlike many individual geographical regions, it is not a country or a continent but an extensive area of the Arctic Ocean and the northernmost part of several continents, such as North America, Europe, and Asia (specifically Russia). The Arctic is divided among countries like Canada, Denmark through Greenland, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the USA through Alaska. All these countries have coastlines in the Arctic Ocean. They can claim an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) extending up to 200 nautical miles from their shores according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos). The ongoing conflict goes beyond these 200 nautical miles and is entangled in aspects of the seabed and resources beneath the Arctic Ocean. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, which is surrounded by land and is approximately 14.5 million square kilometers. The region has a vast tundra, permafrost, glaciers, sea ice, and a unique ecosystem. The Arctic region holds both reserves of promise and peril. It is estimated that 13% of undiscovered oil, 30% of the earth's undiscovered gas, and minerals like zinc and nickel offer an opportunity for resource exploitation despite the Paris Agreement of the 1.5 °C goal. The ownership struggle for the Arctic is multi-layered and complicated, with national security issues, resource rights, and geopolitical influence. Russia has invested heavily in Arctic militarisation. Meanwhile, Norway has approved the development of 19 new oil and gas fields, investing over $18.5 billion to extend fossil fuel production despite its public climate commitments. The Arctic region is shared and contested, with no single owner, but a deep tapestry of national jurisdiction and unresolved international claims. This escalating claim and dispute among nations for the ownership of the Arctic is critical because unprecedented climate change, geopolitical competition, and unregulated commercialisation pose an alarming threat to global ecosystem stability and cast a shadow of uncertainty on the existence of indigenous communities. The Arctic is warming up two to four times faster than the worldwide average. This is causing an unprecedented ice melt. The Arctic region acts as the Earth's refrigerator. It helps by cooling the planet and reflecting sunlight with ice and snow. Rapid warming of the Arctic region could disrupt the polar vortex, the key atmospheric system, creating extreme weather changes worldwide. Permafrost thawing can release more carbon, damage infrastructure, and destabilise the landscape. Most of these environmental changes are irreversible within the human time scale, making it urgent. Increasing shipping, oil and gas extraction, and mining could exacerbate the situation. Suppose the commercialisation of the Arctic is not stopped. It could result in environmental degradation, which will lead to an ecological debacle with catastrophic ramifications, such as the risk of irreversible oil spills, noise pollution, release of toxins, an increase in sea level, extreme weather, and destabilisation of global weather patterns. This could disrupt the livelihood of local indigenous communities. It could also lead to food insecurity and fear of encroachment in their habitat. The Arctic region remains fluid and fragile, with unresolved political and legal issues further exacerbated by climate change. More awareness must be created about protecting the Arctic, as it plays a key role in global climate stability—the Arctic's fragile ecosystem demands urgent collective action to prevent its commercialisation and militarisation. We should not allow short-term profits to take precedence over immediate health and ecological safety as a society. It is our responsibility to preserve this region for the sustainability of future generations. Dr Mythili Kolluru The writer is an assistant professor at the marketing and management department of the College of Banking and Financial Studies in Muscat.
Straits Times
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
S'pore seeks to play constructive role in global efforts on ocean-related issues: Vivian
Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan delivering Singapore's national statement at the Third United Nations Ocean Conference, on June 10. PHOTO: MFA NICE, France – Singapore is a small island state, and the oceans and seas are 'inextricably tied' to the nation's survival and well-being, said Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan on June 13. 'That is why we have always sought to play a constructive role in global efforts on oceans-related issues,' he said in an e-mailed statement to The Straits Times on the final day of the United Nations Ocean Conference. The event in Port Lympia in Nice, France, is held from June 9 to 13. 'The oceans enable maritime trade, food and energy security, and support livelihoods,' said Dr Balakrishnan. 'These are vital to Singapore as a country with trade about three times our GDP and one which depends on imports for our energy and food resources.' Maritime transport moves more than 80 per cent of goods traded worldwide. Other than being a source of seafood and recreation, the ocean also generates 50 per cent of the oxygen people need, absorbs 25 per cent of all carbon dioxide emissions, and captures 90 per cent of the excess heat generated by these emissions. As a small low-lying island with no buffer, Singapore is also highly vulnerable to the impact of climate change on the oceans such as sea-level rise, coastal degradation or marine pollution, he added. The minister said Singapore has been participating actively at the UN Ocean Conferences. Singapore served as one of the vice-presidents of the conference. Dr Balakrishnan had also chaired a plenary session at the event. This year's summit, which gathers representatives from 193 countries, is in its third iteration . Its aim is for countries to adopt an 'action-oriented and inter-governmentally agreed declaration', dubbed the Nice Ocean Action Plan, according to the United Nations. Various issues were discussed at the conference and its side events, including how to better finance marine conservation, such as through new financing instruments like coral reef bonds, and the importance of developing countries being given assistance to build capabilities to study their marine environments. Previous editions of the UN Ocean Conferences were held in 2017 and 2022. Korea will host the fourth one in 2028. Dr Balakrishnan said the summit is an important platform where countries mobilise action for the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources. 'This includes reaffirming the international community's commitment to uphold the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos),' he said. Unclos sets out the legal framework for all activities carried out in the oceans and seas. In 2023, Singapore helped to broker an agreement under Unclos on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity outside national jurisdictions. Among other things, the treaty paves the way for marine protected areas to be established in waters outside national jurisdictions, which cover over two-thirds of the ocean. The High Seas Treaty, officially called the Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, will enter into force after 60 countries ratify it. Singapore ratified the agreement in September 2024 – one of 51 countries to have done so, so far. Dr Balakrishnan said the summit helps to advance collective efforts to protect the oceans, including getting more countries to ratify the BBNJ Agreement. ST checks showed that almost 20 countries, including Indonesia and Vietnam, had ratified the agreement over the course of the conference. Countries are also urged to make voluntary commitments on ways to ensure the health and resilience of the ocean during the summit. In his delivery of Singapore's national statement, Dr Balakrishnan had said Singapore would be renewing 15 of the past voluntary commitments it made to support ocean health, and undertaking 12 new ones. New commitments include efforts to restore coral reefs and seagrass meadows in the Republic. Dr Balakrishnan also said that as the protection of our global commons in the oceans requires collective efforts, Singapore is also committed to providing capacity building assistance to developing countries. Under the Singapore Cooperation Programme's Sustainability Action Package, Singapore has conducted over 60 courses for more than 1,600 officials covering issues from rising sea levels to the law of the sea. Audrey Tan is an assistant news editor overseeing sustainability coverage. She has reported on the environment for more than a decade and hosts the Green Pulse podcast series. Find out more about climate change and how it could affect you on the ST microsite here.
Straits Times
10-06-2025
- Science
- Straits Times
S'pore researchers to go on deep sea expedition with non-profit OceanX in October: Vivian
The expedition will bring together scientists from the region, especially other small island developing states. ST PHOTO: ONG WEE JIN S'pore researchers to go on deep sea expedition with non-profit OceanX in October: Vivian – Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) are planning to embark on a deep sea biodiversity expedition to the high seas in the eastern Indian Ocean in October 2025, said Singapore's Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan on June 10. The expedition, in collaboration with US-headquartered non-profit OceanX, will also bring together scientists from the region, especially other small island developing states, Dr Balakrishnan said as he delivered Singapore's national statement at the UN Ocean Conference taking place in Nice, France. 'This will give (researchers) an opportunity to document and to survey deep sea biological material,' he said, adding that the findings will help to deepen understanding of the oceans. The Indian Ocean is the body of water between South-east Asia and the African continent. The high seas, which make up about two-thirds of the ocean, refer to ocean areas outside national jurisdictions. Dr Balakrishnan on June 9 said, on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States (Aosis), that it was important for small island developing states to lead, and not just participate in, ocean-related scientific expeditions. Aosis is a grouping of 39 small-island and low-lying coastal developing states including Singapore, Palau, the Maldives and Belize. Mr Mark Dalio, founder and co-chief executive of OceanX, told The Straits Times that its partnership with NUS 'reflects OceanX's ongoing commitment to advance ocean science in South-east Asia'. 'This mission will generate vital data on deep-sea biodiversity and ecosystem health, strengthen the region's scientific knowledge base, and support informed decision-making for ocean stewardship,' he said. 'We're proud to enable this next chapter of exploration into one of the region's least studied environments.' Dr Balakrishnan said Singapore believes the expedition will contribute to the shared global goals of advancing ocean science education and capacity building. In his address to the summit, which brings together 193 UN member states, the minister said the ocean is under severe threat from rising temperatures, acidification, overfishing and plastic pollution. 'As a low-lying coastal city state, Singapore is at risk due to rising sea levels, coastal erosion and the risk of flooding,' he added. These challenges demand a multilateral solution – one that is underpinned by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), said Dr Balakrishnan. Unclos sets out the legal framework for all activities carried out in the oceans and seas. In 2023, Singapore helped to broker an agreement under Unclos on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity outside national jurisdictions. The High Seas Treaty, officially called the Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement, will enter into force after 60 countries ratify it. French President Emmanuel Macron said on June 9 that 55 countries have done so. Singapore ratified the agreement in September 2024. Dr Balakrishnan said it was crucial for this treaty to enter into force if the ocean and marine resources are to be conserved and sustainably used, and urged other countries to ratify the agreement. He also said that Singapore would be renewing 15 of the past voluntary commitments it made to support ocean health, and undertaking 12 new ones. Past commitments include environmental research programmes such as the Marine Climate Change Science programme and efforts to promote green financing in the maritime industry. It also conducted ocean-related courses for fellow developing countries, such as on how coastal biodiversity can be managed under urban pressures. On the new commitments, Dr Balakrishnan pointed to Singapore's first seagrass restoration project, launched in September 2024, saying these ecosystems will contribute to global climate efforts given that these habitats are the 'lungs of the sea'. He also cited the 100k Corals Initiative, which was launched in December 2024 with the aim of planting 100,000 corals in Singapore's waters in the next decade and beyond. 'We believe this effort will support marine biodiversity and protect us from coral erosion in the seas around Singapore,' he added. Singapore will also continue to provide capacity building assistance to developing countries to address ocean-related challenges, Dr Balakrishnan said. The Republic has conducted over 60 courses for more than 1,600 foreign officials under the Singapore Cooperation Programme Sustainability Action Package. 'Over the next year, we will conduct more of such courses on the state of blue carbon science, policy, finance and achieving high quality outcomes,' he said. Dr Balakrishnan added: 'Singapore commits to working with all our partners to restore the health and to enhance the resilience of our oceans. The choices we make today will define the legacy we leave behind for our future generations.' Audrey Tan is an assistant news editor overseeing sustainability coverage. She has reported on the environment for more than a decade and hosts the Green Pulse podcast series. Find out more about climate change and how it could affect you on the ST microsite here.
