Senator Risa Hontiveros on the statement of Chinese Embassy in Manila regarding the landmark WPS arbitral ruling

By ignoring the growing consensus coalescing around the Philippine victory in the West Philippine Sea Arbitral ruling, the Chinese government further isolates itself from the international community.

The world has spoken: the territorial claims embodied in the so-called "9-dash line" have no basis in history or international law. Despite the name, the South China Sea is not Chinese, and the Chinese government has no special authority therein, other than as provided for in the UNCLOS.

China's call for the rest of the world to stay out of the territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea and respect its "territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests" is the height of hypocrisy, as the Chinese government itself all too willingly violates the sovereignty, rights, and interests of other claimant countries when it thinks it can get away with it.

As to the alleged "mastermind" of the arbitration case, I strongly urge the Chinese Embassy to at least show some basic courtesy to the Philippines, their host country, before deciding to release inflammatory statements on a day the Filipino people are celebrating a great victory. This is an affront to the Filipinos who stood up for ourselves, and had the heart, courage, and fighting spirit to take China to court.

If China keeps ignoring the Arbitral Ruling, the Marcos administration should seriously consider reviewing our national policy toward China.