PH envoy to UN told: Vote for China’s ICJ bet
MANILA, Philippines — Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. has ordered the Philippine Mission to the United Nations in New York to vote for China’s candidate to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The 15-man ICJ serves as the United Nation’s highest court to settle legal disputes between states and to give advisory opinions on legal matters referred to it by UN agencies.
There are five seats on the ICJ that will be vacated next year. Of the eight candidates, four are incumbent judges whose nine-year terms are due to expire on Feb. 5, 2021.
Incumbent ICJ vice president Xue Hanqin from China, who was elected to the ICJ in 2010, is among those seeking reelection on Nov. 11.
—Dona Z. Pazzibugan