Newsletter Issue 8, sr. 2021

The month of August amassed some notable developments!



While support for the Arbitral Award has gained traction in the West, urging China to comply is an entirely different story. However, officials continue to insist on pursuing the issue under the mantle of international law. Earlier this month, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin, during the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting, rightly expressed that the pursuit of a peaceful and stable South China Sea will not be at the expense of the Philippines' "national honor or a square inch of territory or a drop of water that is its own". Senator Risa Hontiveros likewise expressed that ASEAN has a stake on the SCS disputes and must take a stand together that pursues freer and open seas.