Historical Rights

• The South China Sea Dispute: Philippine Sovereign Rights and Jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea

  04 December 2025

  arbitral tribunal, Historical Rights, International Law, Justice Antonio Carpio, maritime sovereignty, Philippine law lectures, Philippines arbitral award, South China Sea, Territorial Disputes, West Philippine Sea

  Over 140 lectures and speeches by Justice Carpio on the South China Sea and the arbitral ruling, delivered from 2011 to 2017.

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• Justice Carpio Debunks China’s Claim to Historical Rights in the South China Sea

  06 November 2025

  Antonio Carpio, China’s Claim, Historical Rights, International Law, Justice Antonio T. Carpio on the South China Sea and the Philippine Constitution, Maritime Disputes, UNCLOS

  Justice Antonio Carpio rejects China’s claim to historical rights in the South China Sea

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• Inventor of China’s nine-dash line

  30 July 2020

  2016 Arbitral Award, China CCP legacy, China’s nine‑dash line, Crosscurrents, Historical Rights, international dispute, Justice Carpio, Kuomintang map 1947, Maritime Law, nine‑dash line origins, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Philippines sovereignty, South China Sea claim, UNCLOS, West Philippine Sea

  Justice Carpio explains how the nine‑dash line originated with a 1947 Kuomintang map claiming islands and their territorial seas, how Communist China later adopted and expanded it into a sweeping historical claim, and why this expansion is inconsistent with UNCLOS and was invalidated by the 2016 Arbitral Award.

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• Historical Facts and Lies in the West Philippine Sea

  25 February 2015

  Arbitration, Bajo de Masinloc, Cartographic Exhibit, China, Historical Facts, Historical Lies, Historical Rights, History, International Law, Justice Antonio T. Carpio, Legal Foundations, Maps, maritime sovereignty, Philippine History, Philippine Maritime Rights, Philippines, Scarborough Shoal, South China Sea, South China Sea dispute, Territorial Claims, Territorial Disputes, West Philippine Sea

  Explore Justice Antonio T. Carpio’s 2015 presentation on historical facts and lies in the West Philippine Sea, exposing China’s 9-dashed line claim and highlighting UNCLOS-based maritime rights and Philippine historical presence. Lecture delivered in four (4) venues.

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• Protecting the Nation’s Marine Wealth in the West Philippine Sea

  06 March 2014

  Antonio Carpio, Arbitration, China, Continental Shelf, EEZ, Historical Rights, History, Hugo Grotius, International Law, Islands, James Shoal, Justice Antonio T. Carpio, Malampaya, Mare Liberum, marine biodiversity, marine resources, marine wealth, Maritime Law, Maritime Resources, maritime sovereignty, ocean conservation, Philippine sovereignty, Philippines, Philippines EEZ, Philippines marine protection, Philippines maritime strategy, Reefs, Rocks, Scarborough Shoal, Shoals, South China Sea, South China Sea dispute, Spratly Islands, territorial dispute, Territorial Waters, UNCLOS, West Philippine Sea

  Justice Antonio T. Carpio delivers a detailed address on the Philippines’ constitutional duty to protect its marine wealth in the West Philippine Sea, explaining UNCLOS, the invalidity of China’s 9-dashed line claim, and why joint development under China’s terms would violate Philippine sovereignty.

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