The European Union, the United States, and 13 other countries marked the 10th anniversary of the 2016 South China Sea arbitration ruling by reaffirming that the decision is final and legally binding on China and the Philippines under the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea.
“We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific that is peaceful, stable, and rules-based, anchored in international law, and commemorate the 10th anniversary of the July 12, 2016, Arbitral Tribunal’s landmark and unanimous decision on the South China Sea,” the U.S. State Department said in a July 11 statement.
The department said the statement also represented the views of Australia, Canada, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, New Zealand, the Republic of the Philippines, Romania, Slovenia, and the UK….
US, EU, Others Reaffirm South China Sea Arbitration Ruling on 10th Anniversary

