Treaty of Washington (1900)

Last updated

The Treaty of Washington of 1900 was signed on November 7, 1900, and came into effect on March 23, 1901, when the ratifications were exchanged. The treaty sought to remove any ground of misunderstanding growing out of the interpretation of Article III of the 1898 Treaty of Paris by clarifying specifics of territories relinquished to the United States by Spain. It explicitly provided:

Contents

Spain relinquishes to the United States all title and claim of title, which she may have had at the time of the conclusion of the Treaty of Peace of Paris, to any and all islands belonging to the Philippine Archipelago, lying outside the lines described in Article III of that Treaty and particularly to the islands of Cagayan [Mapun], Sulu and Sibutu and their dependencies, and agrees that all such islands shall be comprehended in the cession of the Archipelago as fully as if they had been expressly included within those lines. [1]

In consideration for that explicit statement of relinquishment, the United States agreed to pay to Spain the sum of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) within six months after the exchange of ratification. [1] [2] The Treaty of Washington is also known as the Cession Treaty. [3]

Both the 1898 and 1900 treaties were incorporated in the first article of the 1935 Constitution of the Philippines concerning the scope of the national territory. [4]

Use in territorial disputes

South China Sea islands

The baselines of the Philippines were published by the Philippine government, the Scarborough Shoal and Spratly Islands were not included within the Philippine Archipelago. [5] [6] [7] in 2015, Director of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee Foreign Affairs Commission Office Wang Yi claimed in an East Asia Summit and an ASEAN Regional Forum Foreign Ministers’ Meetings that according to the Treaty of Paris in 1898, the Treaty of Washington in 1900 and the Convention Between the United States and Great Britain of 1930 which defined the territory of the Philippines, the Scarborough Shoal and Spratly Islands are not Philippines' territory. [8]

According Antonio Carpio, a former Philippine Associate Justice, the 1900 treaty amended the 1898 Treaty of Paris by including several islands outside of the bounds of the 1898 treaty still under Spanish possession at the time citing three maps published during the Spanish colonial era which included the two disputed areas as part of the Philippine territory. [9] [10] According to Carpio, by submitting a position paper recognizing the 1900 Treaty of Washington during the arbitration filed by the Philippines, China may have inadvertently supported the Philippine position by making a judicial admission (under the law, the highest form of admission) that Philippine territory is regulated by the Treaty of Washington and Spain also ceded to the United States "any and all islands belonging to the Philippine archipelago, lying outside the lines of the Treaty of Paris". [9] China's 2014 position paper said that under these treaties, Philippine territory was "confined to the Philippine Islands, having nothing to do with any of China's maritime features in the South China Sea". [11]

Batanes

A 2007 Taipei Times editorial by Prof. Chen Hurng-yu of Tamkang University triggered a minor dispute between the Philippines and Taiwan. Chen claimed that Taiwan has territorial claims over the province of Batanes, insisting that the island province lies outside the limits of the 1900 treaty, in contradiction to the viewpoints of Philippine political scholars that the province was covered in the 1900 treaty. [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spratly Islands</span> Disputed archipelago in the South China Sea

The Spratly Islands are a disputed archipelago in the South China Sea. Composed of islands, islets, cays, and more than 100 reefs, sometimes grouped in submerged old atolls, the archipelago lies off the coasts of the Philippines, Malaysia, and southern Vietnam. Named after the 19th-century British whaling captain Richard Spratly who sighted Spratly Island in 1843, the islands contain less than 200 ha (2 km2) of naturally occurring land area that is spread over hundreds of square km of the South China Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treaty of Paris (1898)</span> Treaty ending the Spanish–American War

The Treaty of Peace between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain, commonly known as the Treaty of Paris of 1898, was signed by Spain and the United States on December 10, 1898, that ended the Spanish–American War. Under it, Spain relinquished all claim of sovereignty over and title to territories described there as the island of Porto Rico and other islands now under Spanish sovereignty in the West Indies, and the island of Guam in the Marianas or Ladrones, the archipelago known as the Philippine Islands, and comprehending the islands lying within the following line:, to the United States. The cession of the Philippines involved a compensation of $20 million from the United States to Spain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South China Sea Islands</span> Islands in the South China Sea

The South China Sea Islands consist of over 250 islands, atolls, cays, shoals, reefs, and seamounts in the South China Sea. The islands are mostly low and small and have few inhabitants. The islands and surrounding seas are subject to overlapping territorial claims by the countries bordering the South China Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Batanes</span> Province in Cagayan Valley, Philippines

Batanes, officially the Province of Batanes, is an archipelagic province in the Philippines, administratively part of the Cagayan Valley region. It is the northernmost province in the Philippines, and the smallest, both in population and land area. The capital is Basco, located on the island of Batan and also the most populous in the province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macclesfield Bank</span> Underwater atoll in the South China Sea

Macclesfield Bank is an elongated sunken atoll of underwater reefs and shoals in the South China Sea. It lies east of the Paracel Islands, southwest of Pratas Island and north of the Spratly Islands. It is about 130 km (81 mi) long from southwest to northeast, and about 70 km (43 mi) wide at its broadest part. With an ocean area of 6,448 km2 (2,490 sq mi) it is one of the largest atolls in the world. The Macclesfield Bank is part of what China calls the Zhongsha Islands, which includes a number of geographically separate submarine features, and also refers to a county-level administrative division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scarborough Shoal</span> Disputed atoll in the South China Sea

Scarborough Shoal, also known as Panacot,Bajo de Masinloc, Huangyan Island, Minzhu Jiao, and Panatag Shoal, are two skerries between Macclesfield Bank to the west and Luzon to the east. Luzon is 220 kilometres (119 nmi) away and the nearest landmass. The atoll is a disputed territory claimed by the Republic of the Philippines through the Treaty of Washington in 1900 via the 1734 Velarde map, as well as by the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China (Taiwan). The atolls' status is often discussed in conjunction with other territorial disputes in the South China Sea, such as those involving the Spratly Islands and the 2012 Scarborough Shoal standoff. In 2013, the Philippines initiated arbitration against China under UNCLOS. In 2016, the tribunal ruled that China's historic title within the nine-dash line was invalid but did not rule on sovereignty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalayaan, Palawan</span> Municipality in Palawan, Philippines

Kalayaan, officially the Municipality of Kalayaan, is a municipality under the jurisdiction of the province of Palawan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 193 people making it the least populated town in the Philippines and in Palawan.

The Philippines has claims on territories which include the Spratly Islands, portions of North Borneo, and the Scarborough Shoal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippines and the Spratly Islands</span> Philippine policies, actions and history in the Spratly Islands

Philippines and the Spratly Islands – this article discusses the policies, activities and history of the Republic of the Philippines in the Spratly Islands from the Philippine perspective. Non-Philippine viewpoints regarding Philippine occupation of several islands are currently not included in this article.

The Malaysia–Philippines border is a maritime boundary located in the South China, Sulu and Celebes Seas. It separates the Malaysian state of Sabah, which is on the island of Borneo, and the Sulu Islands of the southern Philippines.

The sovereignty of the Philippines refers to the status of the Philippines as an independent nation. This article covers sovereignty transitions relating to the Philippines, with particular emphasis on the passing of sovereignty from Spain to the United States in the Treaty of Paris (1898), signed on December 10, 1898, to end the Spanish–American War. US President William McKinley asserted the United States' sovereignty over the Philippines on December 21, 1898, through his Benevolent Assimilation Proclamation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spratly Islands dispute</span> Territorial dispute involving multiple countries over the Spratly Islands

The Spratly Islands dispute is an ongoing territorial dispute among Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam concerning "ownership" of the Spratly Islands, a group of islands and associated "maritime features" located in the South China Sea. The dispute is characterized by diplomatic stalemate and the employment of military pressure techniques in the advancement of national territorial claims. All except Brunei occupy some of the maritime features.

Territorial disputes in the South China Sea involve conflicting island and maritime claims in the South China Sea made by Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, the People's Republic of China (PRC), Taiwan, and Vietnam. The disputes involve the islands, reefs, banks, and other features of the region, including the Spratly Islands, Paracel Islands, Scarborough Shoal, and various boundaries in the Gulf of Tonkin. The waters near the Indonesian Natuna Islands, which some regard as geographically part of the South China Sea, are disputed as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China–Philippines relations</span> Bilateral relations

Bilateral relations between China and the Philippines had significantly progressed since the 1990s, peaking during the Philippine presidencies of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Rodrigo Duterte. However, relations deteriorated due to territorial disputes in the South China Sea, particularly since the 2012 Scarborough Shoal standoff; in 2013, the Philippine government under President Benigno Aquino III in 2013 filed an arbitration case against China over China's maritime claims. The policy of current Philippine president Bongbong Marcos aims for distancing relations between the Philippines and China in favor of the country's relationship with the United States. The current policy of the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party aims for greater influence over the Philippines, and the region in general, while combating American influence.

The Scarborough Shoal standoff is a dispute between the Philippines and the People's Republic of China over the Scarborough Shoal. Tensions began on April 8, 2012, after the attempted apprehension by the Philippine Navy of eight mainland Chinese fishing vessels near the shoal,which resulted in the actual control of the atoll under China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military Government of the Philippine Islands</span> 1898–1902 U.S. military occupation of the Philippines

The Military Government of the Philippine Islands was a military government in the Philippines established by the United States on August 14, 1898, a day after the capture of Manila, with General Wesley Merritt acting as military governor. General Merrit established this military government by proclamation on August 14, 1898.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South China Sea Arbitration</span> 2013–2016 international arbitration case

The South China Sea Arbitration was an arbitration case brought by the Republic of the Philippines against the People's Republic of China (PRC) under Annex VII of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea concerning certain issues in the South China Sea, including the nine-dash line introduced by the mainland-based Republic of China since as early as 1947. A tribunal of arbitrators appointed the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) as the registry for the proceedings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baselines of the Philippines</span>

The baselines of the Philippines are the set of geodesic lines completely encircling the Philippine archipelago from where the maritime entitlements of the country are measured. It was first established in 1961 by an act of the Congress of the Philippines which was further amended in April 2009 to optimize and conform it to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, to which the Philippines is a signatory. A total of 101 basepoints providing for 100 baselines were identified under Republic Act No. 9522, which identified Amianan Island as the northernmost, Frances Reef as the southernmost, Pusan Point as its easternmost and the Balabac Great Reef as the westernmost points of the main Philippine archipelago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of the South China Sea dispute</span>

The article covers events relevant to the ongoing territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Even before the common era, maritime trading networks had already been established in the high seas of the region. Prior to World War II, China, France, and Japan disputed over the Paracel and Spratly Islands. After the war, Brunei, Malaysia, the People's Republic of China, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam became involved in the conflict.

The exclusive economic zone of the Philippines, per the mandate of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), consists of four subzones. It covers 2,263,816 square kilometers (874,064 sq mi) of sea. The Philippines has 7,641 islands comprising the Philippine archipelago. The zone's coordinates are between 116° 40', and 126° 34' E longitude and 4° 40' and 21° 10' N latitude. It is bordered by the Philippine Sea to the east and north, the South China Sea to the west, and the Celebes Sea to the south.

References

  1. 1 2 "TREATY BETWEEN SPAIN AND THE UNITED STATES FOR CESSION OF OUTLYING ISLANDS OF THE PHILIPPINES" (PDF). University of the Philippines. 7 November 1900. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
  2. ↑ Treaty between the United States and Spain for the cession to the United States of any and all islands of the Philippine archipeligo lying outside of the lines described in Article II of the Treaty of Paris of December 10, 1898., November 7, 1900.
  3. ↑ Hiebert, Murray; Nguyen, Phuong; Poling, Gregory B. (2014), Perspectives on the South China Sea: Diplomatic, Legal, and Security Dimensions of the Dispute, Center for Strategic & International Studies, p.  75, ISBN   978-1-4422-4033-9
  4. ↑ "The 1935 Constitution". Official Gazette. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  5. ↑ 1961 Philippine Archipelago, Republic Act 3046
  6. ↑ 1968 Philippine Archipelago, Republic Act 5446
  7. ↑ 2009 Philippine Archipelago, Republic Act 9522
  8. ↑ "Wang Yi on the South China Sea issue at ASEAN Regional Forum". EU Reporter. August 10, 2015.
  9. 1 2 Mateo, Janvic (7 June 2024). "China has backed Philippine maritime zone – Carpio". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 10 July 2024. what are the islands of the Philippine archipelago outside the lines? ... Scarborough Shoal and Spratlys ...
  10. ↑ Sarao, Zacarian (4 June 2024). "Marcos citing historical treaties boosts PH territorial claims—Carpio". Inquirer.net. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  11. ↑ "Position Paper of the Government of the People's Republic of China on the Matter of Jurisdiction in the South China Sea Arbitration Initiated by the Republic of the Philippines". National Institute for South China Sea Studies. 2014-12-09.
  12. ↑ Chen Hurng-yu (December 23, 2007). "Manila's weak claim to the Batanes". Taipei Times. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.