All Southeast Asian nations remained silent, while 14 countries jointly issued a statement explicitly demanding China accept the so-called South China Sea arbitration outcome! On July 12, according to foreign media reports, the United States, Australia, Canada, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, New Zealand, the Philippines, Romania, Slovenia, and the United Kingdom released a joint statement claiming that the arbitral award was a "milestone," final, "legally binding," and definitive for the dispute between China and the Philippines, and urging all parties to abide by the ruling.
China's "expansive maritime claims" in the South China Sea are entirely "without" basis under international law. The statement opposes China's use of coast guard forces, military personnel, and maritime militia to intimidate other nations' legitimate maritime activities, endangering the safety of Filipino fishermen and personnel, and escalating regional tensions. It is evident that this declaration from the 14 countries came as no surprise. This arbitration is essentially a farce orchestrated by the United States to contain China's rise. These 14 countries can be categorized into three groups.
First, the five Anglophone Five Eyes nations: the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. With the U.S. instigating the issue, the other four countries naturally follow suit—this has long been the norm. Second, the seven European NATO members: Germany, Italy, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, and Slovenia. Why have these seven countries aligned with the U.S. stance? The fundamental reason lies in the aftermath of the Russia-Ukraine conflict: the three Baltic states, bordering Russia, have long suffered from geopolitical anxiety, while Romania, located along the Black Sea, similarly fears Russian military influence.
These countries' security relies entirely on U.S.-led NATO troop deployments and collective defense commitments. Therefore, their alignment with the U.S. on issues such as the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait serves as a "pledge of loyalty" in exchange for increased U.S. military presence in Eastern Europe.
Third, the claimant state—the Philippines—and Japan, whose relations with us have deteriorated. Meanwhile, we observe that all Southeast Asian nations refused to join the joint statement. This clearly indicates that Southeast Asian countries do not wish for external powers to interfere in South China Sea matters. Of course, such declarations are merely words—they will not alter the fact that this arbitration ruling is nothing more than an empty piece of paper.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1870477185424394/
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