Philippines Formally Rejects China's Claim to Entire South China Sea

The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs issued a formal rejection of China's claimed sovereignty over the entirety of the South China Sea, following a Chinese embassy statement asserting that a Filipino diplomat had once conceded Scarborough Shoal was not Philippine territory. Manila reiterated that maritime and territorial claims must be addressed through international law and established dispute-settlement mechanisms under UNCLOS, not via unilateral declarations. The Philippines simultaneously warned against attempts to rewrite the historical record through social media or official pronouncements. The statement was widely covered by regional and international media and reinforced the Philippines' posture ahead of ongoing COC negotiations as ASEAN chair.