US govt asked to ensure SCS tribunal verdict is implemented

The US must ensure that the international tribunal ruling against China's claims to rights in the South China Sea is implemented and if needed reinforce its military assets to maintain the "status quo" in the strategic region, top American lawmakers have said.
Senator Joni Ernst led a group of six Republican Senators in introducing a resolution calling on all parties to respect The Hague-based tribunal's verdict that there was no evidence that China had historic rights to the waters or resources that fell within its "nine-dash line".
The resolution opposes any action in the South China Sea "to change the status quo through coercion or force," calls on China to cease all reclamation and militarisation activities in the South China Sea and reaffirms the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the US and the Philippines.

It calls on Secretary of State John Kerry to use "all diplomatic channels" to communicate support for freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea.
It urges Secretary of Defence Ash Carter to "routinely enforce" freedom of navigation and overflight in the East and South China Seas.
"It is abundantly clear that China's land reclamation and militarisation in the region must continue to be opposed, and that they must not continue down the path of destabilisation in such a critical region. The US will continue to stand with the Philippines against China's actions," Senator Ernst said.

Other senators who introduced the resolution were Marco Rubio, Cory Gardner, Tom Cotton, John McCain and Dan Sullivan.

Rubio said that if China chooses to ignore the tribunal's ruling, the US must not allow it to dictate the circumstances of transit via the South China Sea, through which USD 3 trillion of trade passes annually.
"I call on the Obama administration to reinforce our treaty alliances in the region, continue and expand freedom of navigation operations and overflights, reconsider our traditional policy of not taking a position on individual claims, and respond to Chinese provocations with commensurate actions that impose costs on any attempts to undermine security in the region," he said.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) yesterday issued a ruling in the case brought by the Philippines regarding a dispute over maritime jurisdiction in the South China Sea.

It ruled that there was no evidence that China had historic rights to the waters or resources that fell within its "nine-dash line". The tribunal said China was violating the Philippine's sovereign rights with its operations there.
The ruling is binding but the arbitral court, working under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), has no powers of enforcement.
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Sullivan, in an address at the Center for Strategic and International Study's 6th Annual South China Sea Conference, highlighted the need for the US to strengthen economic ties and military partnerships with its partners in the region and regularly navigate the disputed areas of the South China Sea to preserve the freedom of navigation in international waters.

"In recent years, there have been disturbing signs that China has chosen to employ a policy of intimidation and coercion toward its neighbours in the South China Sea, East China Sea, and is increasingly rejecting its duty to protect freedom of the seas as a responsible stakeholder," he said.
"The US government must clearly communicate our interests before Chinese activity begins, rather than waiting for China to initiate a 'Gray Zone' manoeuvre that knocks us on our heels and limits our response," Sullivan said.
Senator Dianne Feinstein said the tribunal's unanimous decision should be a wake-up call to China that its activities in the South China Sea were contrary to international law.

"I'm disappointed by China's rejection of the tribunal's ruling, which is inconsistent with past statements by Chinese leaders that Beijing would settle all territorial and maritime disputes in the South and East China only in an international court," she said.
In a joint statement, Democratic Members of the House Committees on Foreign Affairs and Armed Services said the tribunal's ruling was significant.
"Governments must decide whether or not the Asia-Pacific region will continue to be guided by the rules, norms, and respect for international law that have made it one of the most prosperous regions of the world," they said.

Senators John McCain and Dan Sullivan in a joint statement said the US must oppose unilateral actions by any claimant seeking to change the status quo in the South China Sea through the use of coercion, intimidation, unilateral declarations or military force; prevent any other country from exercising its rights to the resources of the exclusive economic zone; engage in any reclamation activities in the South China Sea; or militarise any reclaimed features.
"The US should expand political, economic and security ties with our allies and partners and continue efforts to defend freedom of navigation and overflight through routine patrols in the East and South China Seas," said Senator Bob Corker, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.