The tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, rejected China’s claims in a landmark ruling that also found the country had aggravated the seething regional dispute and violated the Philippines’ maritime rights by building up artificial islands that destroyed coral reefs and by disrupting fishing and oil exploration.
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The envoy blamed Washington’s pivot to Asia under President Barack Obama for increased tensions.
“We want to thank the Permanent Court of Arbitration for their judgment, and we would also like to extend our gratitude for the clarity with which they presented their ruling”, he added.
The Court of Arbitration has essentially “driven China into a corner” as the ruling turned out to be even harsher than originally expected, Anton Tsvetov, a researcher at the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC), remarked.
The Hague-based court said that China violated the Philippines’ sovereign rights.
“The ADIZ is not a Chinese invention, but rather that of some big powers”.
The Philippines wasn’t the only big victor in a legal decision on rights to the resource-rich South China Sea, according to experts.
He said China hopes other countries will not take the opportunity to threaten China and “we hope that they will work with China to protect the peace and stability of the South China Sea, and not let the South China Sea become the origin of a war”.
Tusk said Europe would continue to speak out on upholding worldwide law, including when it comes to the United Nation Convention on the Law of the Seas, or UNCLOS.
In a statement here today, the ministry said Malaysia believed all relevant parties could peacefully resolve disputes by full respect for diplomatic and legal processes, and relevant worldwide law and 1982 UNCLOS.
The Presidential Office said tonight that it “cannot accept” the ruling of an worldwide arbitration tribunal and maintained its position that the decision had no legal effect on the Republic of China.
Ambassador Cui told the CSIS forum that China “will do everything possible to safeguard the unimpeded flow of commerce and stop any attempt to destabilize the region”.
The Philippines sought arbitration from an worldwide tribunal on several issues related to its territorial disputes with China.
But the East Asian giant relinquished those rights when it signed the UNCLOS, former U.S. Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel said.
“This decision has left the issue in the condition where it can only be resolved by the use of force”. But Russel says he doesn’t see anything to suggest China would relish a conflict.
Speaking outside the Peace Palace in The Hague, Leiden University professor Jonathan London said the decision will “give countries with a common interest in global norms something to point to and to rally around”.
China considers bilateral talks with the other claimants the only way to address the South China Sea disputes.
The white paper, consisting of more than 20,000 Chinese characters, also explained that Nanhai Zhudao (the South China Sea Islands), are China’s inherent territory, saying the activities of the Chinese people in the South China Sea date back to over 2,000 years ago.
None of China’s reefs and holdings in the Spratly Islands entitled it to a 200-mile exclusive economic zone, it added. Several countries have reclaimed islands in the sea to stake their territorial claims.
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Liberia’s government said it respected the Chinese government’s position on how to deal with the dispute. “We call on all those concerned to exercise restraint and sobriety”.
