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MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is extending a cautious hand to China for cooperation in "non-sensitive areas," even as it vows to uphold the 2016 ruling that recognized its sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea and dealt a blow to China's so-called nine-dash line.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro — in her first remarks on maritime policy as the country's top diplomat — said the Philippines will continue to dialogue with China while defending its maritime interests, citing recent diplomatic gains amid tense standoffs at sea as evidence that this approach works.
"It is a strategic consideration that we continue the dialogue and consultation with China, even amidst tensions that severely impact the bilateral relationship," Lazaro said Friday, July 11, at a conference marking the award's ninth anniversary a day early.
"Our diplomacy will continue to firmly protest and disagree where it is right, but also collaborate where it is practical and beneficial for the country," the DFA chief said at the forum organized by the Stratbase ADR Institute and the Australian Embassy.
The Philippines is "now in the process of developing non-sensitive areas of cooperation between our coast guards and our scientific and technical institutions," she said.
Almost a year ago, Manila and Beijing signed the shaky "provisional arrangement" concerning rotation and resupply missions to the BRP Sierra Madre to de-escalate tensions near Ayungin Shoal.
That deal has held ever since.
"Our effective diplomacy with our Chinese counterparts has resulted in several pragmatic solutions and positive outcomes," Lazaro said.
China's persistent defiance
The arbitral ruling, issued by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague on July 12, 2016, invalidated China’s sweeping maritime claims that overlap with the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
The ruling — which is binding on China — had concluded that there is no legal basis for Beijing's claim of “historic rights” through the so-called nine-dash line — a vague boundary it uses to claim nearly the entire South China Sea.
But nearly a decade later, Beijing still refuses to recognize the ruling. Instead, its Coast Guard, Navy and maritime militia vessels have ramped up their presence within the Philippines' EEZ and engaged in “illegal and coercive” activities near Philippine-occupied features.
"Nine years hence, its legitimacy continues to be tested, challenged and subverted, putting not only the Philippines’ maritime interests in peril, but also the regional stability and prosperity we are all working so hard to achieve," Lazaro said.
Beijing "persists with illegal, coercive and aggressive actions under cover of a revisionist, self-serving interpretation and application of international law, particularly UNCLOS," the DFA chief said.
Faced with these provocations, Lazaro said the Philippines is pursuing a strategy where it reinforces its defense capabilities but also actively pursues the peaceful settlement of disputes.
"Deterrence is not only a military concept, but one that indispensably involves guarantees secured by diplomacy to assure peace and stability," she said.
Lazaro said the Philippines will continue to use its formal diplomatic channels with China — including the Foreign Ministry Consultations, the Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea, and the Consular Consultations Mechanism — to facilitate talks that are "in good faith" and would allow for constructive management of differences without compromising the country’s position.
Four-part diplomatic strategy
Addressing an audience of government officials, diplomats, and experts on maritime policy, Lazaro outlined a four-part approach to the country's maritime statecraft: advocating adherence to international law, maintaining dialogue with China and other neighbor claimants, leveraging partnerships with allies, and supporting domestic capacity-building through diplomatic channels.
Lazaro, who was the DFA's undersecretary for bilateral and ASEAN affairs before she replaced former Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, spoke of strengthening alliances beyond the region.
“We are constantly looking to create a tapestry of multilateral and bilateral engagements that bolster our positions and broaden our capacities,” Lazaro said.
The Philippines' partnerships have "already paid dividends" through deepening cooperation with treaty allies and traditional security partners, she added. The country now has several visiting forces agreements, 11 bilateral maritime dialogues, a trilateral maritime dialogue, and "a growing number of countries that join our multilateral maritime cooperative activities."
With the Philippines set to chair ASEAN in 2026, its priority will be to maintain ASEAN centrality as the bloc works to conclude a Code of Conduct with China by next year.
The Philippines' interactions with fellow ASEAN claimants "have served as a useful foundation for our meaningful participation in the negotiations to conclude an ASEAN-China Code of Conduct in the South China Sea that we envision to be effective and substantive," Lazaro said.
The DFA chief also doubled down on the Philippines' commitment to international law, specifically UNCLOS — the convention that lays down a regime of law and order for the world's oceans and formed the basis for the country's successful arbitration case against China.
Lazaro announced that the country will convene an international consultation workshop focused on its designated archipelagic sea lanes — a step being undertaken within the framework of the International Maritime Organization.
In addition, the DFA is also pushing for the standard naming of 131 geographic features within the Kalayaan Island Group — part of the Spratly Islands.
'Cannot be erased'
The arbitral award "remains a definitive triumph of reason over force and of rules over coercion" and "cannot be erased by intimidation or misinformation," National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said in a statement on Friday.
The award has gained legal momentum through citations by major international courts, including the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in a climate change advisory opinion last year and the International Court of Justice in a maritime delimitation case this year.
The Philippines has embedded the award into domestic law through the Philippine Maritime Zones Act and the Philippine Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act, which President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed last year.
