The Philippines plans to call for world support at a meeting of Southeast Asian nations and the European Union in compelling China to respect an international tribunal’s ruling that rejected Chinese claims to most of the South China Sea, escalating a dispute that has raised the prospect of conflict. President Duterte is skipping the 11th Asia-Europe Meeting (Asem), but he has sent Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay to represent him at the summit, which opens today in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. A statement from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Thursday that Yasay would discuss “within the context of Asem’s agenda” the Philippines’ peaceful approach to resolving its maritime dispute with China and “the need for parties to respect” the ruling by the UN-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in favor of the Philippines.

Torres, E. (2016, July 15). PH seeks world support for court ruling. Philippine Daily Inquirer, pp. A1, A21.