South China Sea joint statement says China’s maritime claims have no basis
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- Japan, the Philippines, the US, and 11 other countries issued a joint statement on July 12 declaring China's expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea have no legal basis, timed to mark the 10th anniversary of a landmark tribunal ruling.
- The joint statement reaffirms the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration award as "final, legally binding, and definitive between China and the Philippines" — a ruling Beijing has continuously rejected.
- The 2016 arbitration ruling found China's sweeping sovereignty claim over the South China Sea had no basis under international law; the Philippines secured that decision, which China has refused to recognize for a decade.
- The Philippines has accused China of "dangerous manoeuvres" inside its exclusive economic zone, including the use of water cannons to interfere with resupply missions to Philippine-held features during ongoing confrontations.
- The 11 additional signatories alongside Japan, the Philippines, and the US include Australia, Britain, Canada, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, New Zealand, Romania, and Slovenia — widening the diplomatic front beyond traditional Indo-Pacific partners.
Why it matters: Fourteen nations formally reaffirming a binding ruling China has spurned for a decade underscores the breadth of diplomatic opposition to Beijing's maritime posture. The Philippines bears the most direct cost, facing water-cannon attacks in its own EEZ, while the inclusion of newer signatories like the Baltic states and Romania shows opposition to China's claims now extends well beyond Washington and Tokyo.
