“After the storm of this arbitration has passed, and the sky has cleared, we hope this day (of negotiations) will come quickly, but whether it can come, we still have to wait”, Liu said, adding that China believed that cooperation would also bring Filipinos “tangible benefits”.
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The disputes have increased friction between China and the United States, which has ramped up its military presence in the region as China has expanded its navy’s reach farther offshore.
USA lawmakers are urging such action.
More than 70 countries and worldwide organizations, as well as over 230 political parties and groups in more than 90 countries, have voiced support for China’s principled position. “Without doubt, this long-running dispute is now closer to having a permanent solution”, he said.
China has created artificial islands with military facilities, viewed by the U.S.as an attempt to gain effective control of the area. Carter spoke at a news conference in Afghanistan where he was meeting with US commanders.
“The Government is continuing to pretend to the Australian people that it has an ongoing program of what is referred to as Freedom of Navigation operations in and around the South China Sea”, he said.
The Philippines reacted cautiously to the ruling late on Tuesday, calling for “restraint and sobriety”.
Fifthly, the Tribunal found that China had “violated its obligations to refrain from aggravating or extending the Parties’ disputes during the settlement process” because of its large scale reclamation activities.
“We do not claim an inch of land that does not belong to us, but we won’t give up any patch that is ours”, Chinese newspaper the People’s Daily said, adding that “China, of course, will not accept such downright political provocations”.
The Philippines wasn’t the only big victor in a legal decision on rights to the resource-rich South China Sea, according to experts.
China refused to accept or participate in the arbitration, that was initiated by the Philippines. “There would be strong reputational costs”.
“As provided in the convention, the tribunal’s decision is final and legally binding on both China and the Philippines”, State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters in Washington.
The findings of the Tribunal, if applied to other cases in the South China Sea, would strengthen Malaysia’s claim on features such as James Shoal or Beting Serupai, 80km northwest of Bintulu, Sarawak and well within the continental shelf of Malaysia and the 200 nautical mile EEZ.
China considers bilateral talks with the other claimants the only way to address the South China Sea disputes.
China also said it has the right to set up an air defence zone in the South China Sea, but this will depend on the level of threats faced, China’s Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin.
Since the tribunal ruled that some of China’s artificial islands are “low tide elevations” that are not entitled to 12 nautical miles of territorial sea, the USA may be tempted to sail closer than it has in the past.
In the case brought by the Philippines against China over South China Sea disputes, the global arbitration court ruled that there was no evidence that China had historically exercised exclusive control over the waters or resources in the islands in the South China Sea. “The Philippines reiterates its abiding commitment to efforts to pursue the peaceful resolution and management of disputes with a view to promoting and enhancing peace and stability in the region”, he said. One held up a poster that said: “Philippine sovereignty, non-negotiable”.
After years of diplomatic headbutting, the Philippines took the case to the Hague-based PCA in 2013.
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“We’ve got friends there so it’s a time we want cool heads to prevail”, said Mr Key.
