MANILA, Philippines — Fourteen governments marked the 10th anniversary of the 2016 South China Sea arbitral award by reaffirming it as "final, legally binding, and definitive" between the Philippines and China, while foreign envoys in Manila called for stronger defense and technical cooperation to help the country protect its maritime rights.
In a rare joint statement, the Philippines, United States, Australia, Canada, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, New Zealand, Romania, Slovenia and the United Kingdom said they remained committed to "a free and open Indo-Pacific that is peaceful, stable, and rules-based."
The governments said maritime disputes must be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
They also reaffirmed that there is no legal basis for China's expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea, including those based on "historic rights."
The countries opposed "any destabilizing or unilateral actions including by force or coercion" that threaten regional peace and stability. They also opposed the use of coast guard, military and maritime militia forces to "harass, obstruct, or intimidate lawful operations by other States at sea or in the air."
Calls for practical support
The statement came as foreign ambassadors in Manila used the anniversary to call for stronger defense, maritime and technical cooperation with the Philippines.
At a Stratbase Institute conference marking the award's 10th anniversary, representatives from more than 30 foreign missions attended what the think tank described as an unprecedented gathering of foreign missions.
Ambassadors from Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and the United Kingdom stressed support for UNCLOS, which underpins the arbitral ruling.
They framed the award not only as a legal victory, but as a standard that must be defended through capability-building.
French Ambassador Marie Fontanel said defending international law requires more than statements of principle.
"Legal principles alone are not enough. Whenever rules are challenged, like when nations speak up, words must be backed by practical cooperation," Fontanel said, as quoted in a news release.
"Defending international law requires power. Power requires ships, aircraft, joint drills, agreements. It requires that like-minded partners can operate together quickly, credibly, lawfully," she added.
Australian Ambassador Marc Innes-Brown said Canberra looked forward to signing a new defense cooperation arrangement with Manila in 2026, building on Australia's 10-year, $160 million investment in maritime cooperation with Southeast Asian partners, including the Philippines.
He said Australia had doubled its bilateral maritime assistance to the Philippines through a new $18 million investment to strengthen maritime domain awareness, legal and policy development, operational capabilities, cyber resilience, professional education and law of the sea training.
More defense agreements
Several envoys also pointed to new or pending defense arrangements that would make joint training and operations with the Philippines easier. Manila seeks to build a wider network of security partners beyond its treaty ally, the United States.
United Kingdom Ambassador Sara Hulton said London was in formal negotiations with Manila for its own status of visiting forces agreement.
She said the UK was pursuing joint military exercises and hoped to move from observer to participant in future drills.
"We were particularly pleased to be a part of Exercise Balikatan '26 as an observer nation, with aspirations to be a participating nation in the future, and are planning to participate in Exercise Sama-Sama '26 later this year, deepening our interoperability with the Philippines and our allies," Hulton said.
Citing Canada's recently signed visiting forces agreement with the Philippines, Canadian Ambassador David Hartman said Ottawa looked forward to co-chairing practical initiatives with ASEAN partners, including workshops on UNCLOS, climate security, cybersecurity and defense cooperation.
India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand also cited practical initiatives, such as disaster response exercises and maritime intelligence systems to ship transfers, offshore patrol vessels and local shipbuilding support.
Indian Ambassador Sri Harsh Kumar Jain said the Philippines had joined the Indian Navy's Information Fusion Center. He also said the first India-Philippines disaster management exercise would be held in Manila next month to strengthen preparedness and joint capabilities in disaster response, crisis management and resilience.
Manila and Tokyo are advancing discussions on the transfer of Abukuma-class vessels, Japanese Ambassador Endo Kazuya said. Recent engagement between the two government also involve TC-90 training aircraft as a demonstration of their "concrete resolve to build a future-oriented security partnership."
Pointing to features of a partnership beyond defense, South Korean Ambassador Lee Sang-hwa said the two countries have shifted focus toward shipbuilding, including Korean-built offshore patrol vessels and support for local vessel construction at the HD Hyundai Subic Shipyard.
Technology, data and deterrence
The ambassadors stressed the need for greater maritime domain awareness as Chinese coast guard and maritime militia vessels continue to operate in parts of the West Philippine Sea, often leading to confrontations with Philippine vessels.
New Zealand Ambassador Catherine McIntosh said Wellington was using its Starboard Maritime Intelligence Program to help regional partners reduce the risk of miscalculation through better data.
European Union Ambassador Massimo Santoro highlighted the EU's IORIS platform, a real-time information-sharing tool for maritime authorities, and said "additional instruments" could soon translate shared objectives into more tangible support.
Stratbase Institute president Victor Andres "Dindo" Manhit said, meanwhile, the initiatives reinforce the findings of an institute-commissioned survey showing that 86% of Filipinos want the government to continue defending the West Philippine Sea with like-minded nations.
"As China's gray zone activity persists, and as the contest extends into cyber and information domains, defending the gains of the award requires modern, integrated, multi-domain defense posture," Manhit said.
"Every port call, every joint patrol, every diplomatic statement citing the award carries the same message. The defense of the West Philippine Sea is no longer the Philippines' burden to carry by itself," he added.
Award as legal anchor
The July 12, 2016 award invalidated China's sweeping claims in the South China Sea that exceeded maritime entitlements under UNCLOS.
The 14 governments described the ruling as a milestone and reaffirmed the importance of freedom of navigation and overflight, as well as other lawful uses of the sea.
They also urged parties to abide by the award and settle disputes peacefully through dialogue and other lawful mechanisms consistent with international law.
German Ambassador Andreas Pfaffernoschke said stability in the West Philippine Sea is a "litmus test for the global rule of law."
"We are convinced that the strength of the law must always prevail over the law of the strong. Right makes might, not might makes right," Pfaffernoschke said.
"The 2016 Arbitral Award is final, and it is legally binding on all parties to the dispute. It is not a disputable opinion, it is an authoritative clarification of maritime entitlements," he added. — with Ian Laqui and a report from Adrian Parungao
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