DFA alludes to China: Rights to sea must be earned

MANILA, Philippines - A Foreign Affairs official alluded to China at an international forum on Thursday, saying that claims on the disputed South China Sea have to be proven first.

"Claims ... are just mere claims that may not necessarily generate rights unless duly proven in an appropriate forum," Assistant Foreign Affairs Secretary Henry Bensurto said, addressing  the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Maritime forum.

Bensurto said that international law, which ought to be respected by all states, is what prescribes the rights to any coastal territory.

"There is a fundamental difference between entitlements and claims under international law. Expressed provisions of UNCLOS on maritime entitlements, including a coastal state’s Exclusive Economic Zone, are rights that lawfully demand respect from all State-Parties," he said.

China and the Philippines are embroiled in a decades-long dispute over coastal territories such as the Panatag Shoal in the West Philippine Sea. The Philippines has condemned China's increasing military presence in the area while China has insisted on its territorial sovereignty.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said in his recent visit to Malaysia that maritime disagreements should be settled peacefully.

Bensurto said, however, that for peace to be maintained at sea, "predictability" in countries' actions is key.

"To maintain order and stability in the South China Sea, we need predictability in the way we all behave with each other.  To be predictable means, we need to have certain agreed standards, rules and norms," he said.

"These standards, rules and norms in turn must be objective, impartial and non-discriminatory.  International law is one objective standard," the diplomat added.

Bensurto also reiterated that Manila's "rules-based approach" in attempting to resolve the dispute as it is elevating the case to a United Nations arbitral court against Beijing.

Bensurto leads the country's delegation to the Asean maritime meeting featuring the 10-member states joined by representatives from Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States.