The Philippines will push through with the trial of the nine Chinese marine poachers who were arrested off the Half Moon Shoal (Hasa-Hasa Shoal) in the West Philippine Sea despite their refusal to cooperate in the process.

ABS-CBN News cited Philippine Justice Secretary Leila De Lima saying the trial will proceed and that the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) also supports the judicial proceedings of the member-states.

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De Lima said the trial of the accused is part of the "appropriate legal proceedings" and that the UNCLOS recognizes the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of its member-states.

Eleven Chinese fishermen were indicted in a court in Palawan for violating the section 87 (Poaching in Philippine Waters) of the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998. They also violated the code's section 97, which covers the act of taking rare or endangered species.

Out of the 11 fishermen, two are minors. The cases filed against the latter have already been dismissed and repatriation was already recommended by the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The remaining nine fisherman who are about to face trial have refused to accept the services of a public lawyer assigned by the DOJ. The said lawyer was supposed to represent them during the court proceedings.

The nine accused also refuse to cooperate with the whole process. They are insisting that the area they were fishing in were within the territory of China.

The Philippines has already elevated its territorial spat with China to the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS).

Meanwhile, China had already called on the Philippines to release the arrested fishermen last week, according to Inquirer.

During  a press conference held in Beijing, China's foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said they have already clearly set out their demands several times and also expressed their hope to settle the issue as soon as possible.

The arrest of the 11 Chinese fishermen was the most recent flare-up in the long-standing territorial spat over the South China Sea.