Another country backs PH move vs. China

The Federal Republic of Germany continuously supports the Philippine government’s arbitration initiative to peacefully resolve the territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea.

Philippine Ambassador to Germany Maria Cleofe R. Natividad said the German government rallied behind the Philippines’ filing of a “memorial” or a written pleading against China’s “aggressive” assertion of its “expansive and illegal” nine-dash line claim over the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).

“Germany supports our action against China. They believe in the Philippines’ advocacy for a peaceful and rules-based settlement of territorial and maritime disputes in accordance with universally-recognized principles of international law, including UNCLOS (UN Convention on the Law of the Sea),” she said in an interview at the Philippine embassy in this multicultural city with this reporter who participated in this year’s 20th anniversary celebration of Internationale Journalisten Programme (IJP).

On March 30, 2014, the Philippines formally filed its “memorial” before the International Tribunal on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) at The Hague, Netherlands.

During her three-day visit to the Philippines from March 26 to 28 this year, German Minister of State Maria Böhmer reiterated last year’s statement made by former Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, seeking a rules-based and peaceful settlement of the territorial disputes in the region.

During his trip to Germany in June last year, Vice President Jejomar C. Binay expressed the Philippines’ gratitude to European Union for its support to Manila’s arbitration initiative.

On March 14, 2013, the European Parliament adopted a resolution “approving a report which included its support for the Philippines’ arbitration initiative,” under the 1982 UN Convention.

The European Parliament expressed alarm over “the escalating tension and therefore urgently appeals to all parties involved to refrain from unilateral political and military actions.”

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the report made by the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs on European Union-China relations also called on China “to commit itself to observing the UN Charter and international law in pursuit of its goals abroad.”