A member of the five-man Permanent Court of Arbitration that handed down the decision in favor of the Philippines against China’s sweeping claims to the South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea has urged countries in the region to negotiate a diplomatic settlement of their maritime disputes instead of filing another case against Beijing. Rüdiger Wolfrum said in a recent forum that “whoever will take the lead should ask for establishing such a round table to seek ways out of this growing tension which is existing in the South China Sea.” The forum, “Setting the Record Straight on the South China Sea Arbitration,” was held on Thursday last week and organized by the Department of Foreign Affairs and the German Embassy in Manila.

Santos, T. G. (2021, November 24). Arbitral court member has advice to PH, China. Philippine Daily Inquirer, pp. A3, A5.