The statement by 14 countries is a geopolitical exercise, amplifying the flawed 2016 Hague arbitral ruling to try to drive a wedge between China and its neighbours
On July 12, a coalition of 14 nations β the United States, Philippines, Australia, Canada, Britain, Japan, New Zealand, and seven European states including Germany, Italy and the Baltic nations β issued a statement marking the 10th anniversary of the South China Sea ruling at The Hague in 2016.
Furthermore, international law respects the principle of state consent. As early as 2006, China invoked Article 298 of Unclos, explicitly filing a declaration that excluded disputes concerning territorial sovereignty and maritime delimitation from compulsory arbitration. When the Philippines unilaterally initiated arbitration in 2013, it bypassed agreed-upon bilateral mechanisms. China has argued that the resulting tribunal overreached its mandate, deliberately misinterpreting the true scope of the dispute to manufacture jurisdiction where none existed.