MANILA — The European Union has escalated its criticism of China, accusing Beijing, alongside Moscow, of trying to reshape the global order and revive a spheres-of-influence model, in language that underscores growing Western alignment on security concerns from Ukraine to the Indo-Pacific. Reuters reported that the EU’s new strategic paper describes China as a “key enabler” of Russia’s war in Ukraine and flags Beijing’s increasingly assertive behavior in the South China Sea a

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines and 13 other countries have called on China to abide by the 2016 arbitral award on the West Philippine Sea, reaffirming that the ruling is “final, legally binding, and definitive” between the Philippines and China on the maritime claims covered by the tribunal.

The Hague ruling remains the Philippines’ strongest international-law asset because it directly undermined key elements of China’s maritime claims . That is why Philippine officials and legal advocates continue to cite UNCLOS and the award when pressing their case on the West Philippine Sea.

MANILA, Philippines — Chinese scholars’ reported claim that the Batanes Islands belong to China through Taiwan has no basis in Philippine law and runs against long-standing Philippine sovereignty over the northern island chain. Philippine officials have repeatedly said Batanes is part of the country and that Manila has every right to strengthen its defenses there.

The 12 July 2016 Award rendered by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague determined that China’s claims of historic rights within the South China Sea, as represented by its so-called nine-dash line, have no legal basis under international law.