Fourteen governments — the Philippines and 13 partner states — have reaffirmed the 2016 arbitral award on the South China Sea as the ruling reaches its tenth year, restating their support for the decision that rejected expansive maritime claims in the disputed waters.

The joint reaffirmation, reported by ABS-CBN, signals continued international backing for the award issued on 12 July 2016 by an arbitral tribunal constituted under Annex VII of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in the case brought by the Philippines against China. The 13 partner countries joining the Philippines in the reaffirmation were not individually named in the report.

What did the 2016 tribunal decide?

The Permanent Court of Arbitration-based tribunal ruled in Philippines v. China that China's claim to historic rights within the so-called "nine-dash line" had no legal basis under UNCLOS. The award held that maritime entitlements in the South China Sea must be determined by the Convention's regimes of territorial sea, exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.

The tribunal also found that none of the features at issue in the Spratly Islands qualified as full islands entitled to a 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone, and that China had breached the Philippines' sovereign rights through certain conduct in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.

China rejected the ruling from the outset and has consistently declined to accept or participate in the proceedings. Beijing does not recognise the award as binding, despite its finality under Annex VII of UNCLOS.

What does the tenth-anniversary reaffirmation mean?

The collective restatement of support on the award's tenth year carries both legal and diplomatic weight. For Manila, it consolidates the position that the award is final and binding and forms part of the legal framework governing conduct in the South China Sea.

For practitioners, the development matters in several respects:

• It reinforces the award's status as settled law for purposes of state practice, diplomatic protest and any future dispute-resolution filings grounded in UNCLOS.
• It strengthens the doctrinal foundation relied upon by states asserting freedom of navigation and lawful maritime entitlements in the region.
• It signals that a broad group of governments treat compliance with Annex VII awards as a rule-of-law issue rather than a bilateral quarrel between Manila and Beijing.

Why does the award still matter a decade on?

Ten years after the ruling, the South China Sea remains a focal point of maritime tensions, with recurring incidents involving coast guard vessels, fishing fleets and naval operations. The reaffirmation by the Philippines and the 13 states places the award at the centre of that debate.

The tribunal's decision stands as one of the most significant applications of UNCLOS dispute settlement since the Convention entered into force in 1994. States invoking it — in diplomatic notes, regional forums and multilateral settings — treat the ruling as authoritative guidance on maritime entitlements, historic rights and the legal character of offshore features.

The tenth-anniversary reaffirmation indicates that the coalition of states publicly supporting the award remains intact and willing to say so on the record. That sustained alignment is the practical consequence: any attempt to relitigate or marginalise the award now confronts not just the Philippines, but a group of governments that regard the 2016 ruling as the legal baseline for the South China Sea.