De Lima likens China to a ‘rogue state’

Senator Leila de Lima on Friday likened China to a “rogue state” for its tendency to be selective in its acceptance of the rule of law, particularly in the international setting.

The detained senator issued the statement after Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian recently stated that the historic July 12, 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague that rejected its excessive claims in the South China Sea (SCS), including the West Philippine Sea (WPS), is nothing but a “piece of waste paper.”

“What makes China closely assume the distinction of a rogue state is its tendency to be selective in its acceptance of the rule of law in the international setting,” De Lima said.

“Its position that the UNCLOS arbitral ruling on the West Philippine Sea that voided its nine-dash line claim over the whole of the South China Sea is a mere scrap of paper reflects this tendency,” she said in a dispatch from Camp Crame.

“We must remember that China is a state-party to the UNCLOS. No one forced it to accede to this international treaty on the law of the seas,” De Lima said.

“But China would like to benefit from UNCLOS whenever the treaty is favorable to them, but reject it when it does not work for them. This is the sum and substance of China’s character in the world stage as a superpower,” she added.

“Every single day, the arbitral ruling is honored by the other world superpowers when their armadas sail through the South China Sea right under China’s nose,” De Lima said.

“In fact, since the ruling was issued in 2016, the US and its allies have repeatedly thumbed their noses at China with their naval exercises conducted right in the middle of what China claims to be its lake,” she added.

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Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)