United States and Allies Reject China's South China Sea Claims on 10th Anniversary of Arbitral Award

Key facts

• On 12th July 2026, a joint statement was issued by 13 countries rejecting Beijing's expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea.
• The countries issuing the joint statement were Australia, Canada, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, New Zealand, the Philippines, Romania, Slovenia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
• The joint statement reaffirmed that the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal award is final, legally binding, and definitive between China and the Philippines.
• The arbitration was initiated by the Philippines in January 2013 under Annex VII of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
• The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) served as the registry for the proceedings, which concluded on 12th July 2016.
• The tribunal, presided over by Judge Thomas A. Mensah, ruled that China's claims based on historic rights within the nine-dash line are null and void.
• The European Union (EU) issued a separate statement supporting the ruling and calling for peaceful dispute resolution in accordance with international law.