Statement by 14 nations on 2016 arbitration ‘award’ has no basis, harms stability, Beijing says

China slammed the “South China Sea Arbitration” of 2016 as a political farce under the guise of law, noting that the resulting “award” is entirely illegal and invalid.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian made the remarks on July 14 following a joint statement issued on July 12 by 14 countries, including some European nations, the United States and the Philippines, on the 10th anniversary of the “award”. The European Union also released a separate statement.

The European side was urged to stop endorsing the illegal “South China Sea Arbitration Award”.

Lin said Europe is not a party in the South China Sea and is in no position to make irresponsible remarks on China’s legitimate territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea.

The “arbitration” is nothing but a stunt pulled by the US and a handful of other nations for the political aim of containing China, he said.

China neither accepts nor recognizes the “award”, he said, adding that Beijing also opposes and will never accept any claim or action arising from it.

Beijing had earlier urged the 14 countries to “stop stirring up trouble over the South China Sea issue” and “cease undermining peace and stability in the South China Sea”.

“China urges the relevant countries to earnestly respect China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea,” said a Foreign Ministry statement on July 12.

The 14 countries were the United States, the Philippines, Australia, Canada, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, New Zealand, Romania, Slovenia, and the United Kingdom.

The joint statement claimed that the 2016 “award” rendered by the “arbitral tribunal in the South China Sea arbitration” is “a significant milestone”, and that “there is no legal basis for China’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea”.

The Foreign Ministry responded that “if the ‘award’ were to be taken as a standard, many countries’ islands and reefs would be denied the basis for claiming maritime rights and interests”.

“May we ask, have those countries supporting the ‘award’ voluntarily waived the maritime rights and interests deriving from their relevant islands and reefs?” the ministry added in its own statement.

It reiterated that China does not accept or recognize the “award”, and it opposes and does not accept any claim or action based on it.

“Land territorial issues are not subject to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea”, and the “award” is nothing but a worthless piece of paper that is illegal, null, and void, the ministry said.

The US and other countries have been persistently reinforcing their military presence in the South China Sea, throwing their weight around and fanning the flames, it noted, adding: “These acts of militarization and coercion constitute the primary challenge to the current situation in the South China Sea”.

Since 2016, the “award” has “become a tool for the Philippines to expand its territorial and maritime claims, exacerbated tensions in the region and provided a pretext for external forces to intervene and destabilize the South China Sea”, the ministry noted.

The continued playing up of the illegal “award” by certain countries “goes against the aspirations of countries and people in the region for development and prosperity”, the ministry said, adding that “such attempts are doomed to fail”.

Wu Shicun, chairman of the Huayang Center for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance, said the “award” was “a political farce” executed by the then Philippine administration, manipulated by the US and assisted by Japan.

Also on July 12, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi made a separate statement blatantly endorsing the “award”, attacking China’s lawful claims and mischaracterizing Japan as a “legitimate stakeholder who uses the South China Sea”.

In response to the statement and the joint statement co-issued by Japan, the Chinese embassy in Japan on July 13 lodged a solemn representation and strong protest with Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Such actions have heightened vigilance among regional countries and the broader international community, the embassy said.

“China strongly deplores and firmly opposes this,” a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a written response.

The spokesperson noted Japan’s wartime atrocities against China and its people, as well as its illegal occupation of islands and reefs in the South China Sea, and said that now Japan is again attempting to meddle in the South China Sea.

Zhou Jin in Beijing contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at zhangyunbi@chinadaily.com.cn