We join the Filipino people in marking today the 6th anniversary of the decision of the International Arbitral Tribunal which nullified China’s “9-dash line” claim and recognized the Philippine’s exclusive economic zone and extended continent shelf.

For six years, the Philippine government threw the ruling to the garbage heap to kowtow to China’s wishes, and turned a blind eye to China’s rushed land reclamation and building of facilities in the West Philippine Sea to establish possession of the area and its resources.

The Filipino people must unite to demand China to respect the IAT ruling, dismantle its military facilities on maritime features & reclaimed land within the Philippine EEZ and ECS, and stop wanton state-supported industrial fishing and extraction of mineral resources in PH seas.

The Filipino people must unite to seek the support of the international community to press China to recognize the ruling and withdraw its 9-dash line claim, and push for a peaceful resolution that will seek the withdrawal of all military forces in the South China Sea.

At the same time, the Filipino people must be ready to wage national resistance against any imperialist power—whether China or the US—which aims to impose their hegemony and use the country as foothold, amid heightening US-led military aggression in East and Southeast Asia.