China warned its rivals on Wednesday against turning the South China Sea into a “cradle of war” and threatened an air defense zone there, after its claims to the strategically vital waters were declared invalid.
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CNN reports that the arbitral tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands ruled in favor of the Philippines in the maritime dispute Tuesday.
The move came despite the worldwide court ruling also undermining Taiwan’s claims to the area.
In another statement, the Malaysia-China Chamber of Commerce (MCCC) called on the Philippines to engage China in further negotiation for a peaceful resolution.
While Taiwan has asserted its independence from Beijing since the 1949 revolution, it claims the same territories as China in the South China Sea.
“If confirmed, I will work with Philippine President (Rodrigo) Duterte and his new administration to ensure our security cooperation remains strong and effective”, Kim told the hearing.
The Chinese president, Xi Jinping, said China’s “territorial sovereignty and marine rights” in the seas would not be affected by the ruling and insisted China was still “committed to resolving disputes” with its neighbors.
The UN arbitration tribunal ruled in favour of the Philippines. Beijing could take more assertive measures such as island building on Scarborough Shoal, a reef off the Philippine coast where a standoff with China prompted the Philippines to initiate the legal case in 2013.
The ruling backed Manila’s argument that the features claimed by Beijing in the South China Sea were not islands and therefore not entitled to 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zones that underpin China’s “nine-dash line” territorial claim over the sea’s waters.
China’s Defense Ministry spokesperson Yang Yujun, in a press conference convened after the release of the verdict, said the Chinese military is prepared for any eventualities that may erupt after the ruling.
“Whether we need to set one up in the South China Sea depends on the level of threat we receive”, Liu said.
China has reacted furiously to the tribunal’s verdict on Tuesday which said that Beijing has no grounds for its claims in the strategic region, through which Dollars 3 trillion passes in trade annually.
Philippines Wins Maritime Case: China DefiantIsland in the South China sea. In a government white paper published on Wednesday, China also said its fishing boats had been harassed and attacked by the Philippines around the disputed Spratly Islands.
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Liu said China’s sovereignty claims are unaffected by the ruling. “The Philippines’ territorial claim over part of Nansha Qundao is groundless from the perspectives of either history or global law”, the paper issued by the State Council Information Office said.
