And on that score, the ruling at The Hague does offer Beijing a chance to rethink the complex issues of sovereignty in the South China Sea.
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The Philippines has again called for a “formal” dialogue with China to ease tensions between the two countries over ownership of the disputed South China Sea.
Japan on Friday announced it would give the Philippines two new vessels to boost Manila’s capacity to patrol its waters, with the allies facing Chinese aggression in separate maritime disputes.
According to a report from the Nikkei Asian Review, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi is set to leave for India this weekend with an aim of persuading Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to support China’s position on the dispute.
A state-run media outlet in China said it’s “a awful mistake” on Vietnam’s part if it has deployed mobile rocket launchers aimed at China on the disputed South China Sea, as Reuters reported yesterday.
Li Guoqiang, deputy head of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of Chinese Borderland Studies, said the China-Philippines relationship has been seriously affected by the arbitration case, and Duterte’s attitude would be the key to bilateral ties.
Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay said on Thursday Manila and Tokyo shared the same experience of dealing with Beijing’s “intimidation” at sea.
About 230 Chinese fishing vessels and seven coast guard ships, including four apparently carrying weapons, sailed into waters close to the disputed islands on Sunday.
He is expected to meet with President Rodrigo Duterte and discuss issues on South China Sea – which Kishida described as a matter of “mutual interest”.
Ohtaka said the Philippines, Vietnam and other claimants needed to find a peaceful solution to the disputes in the South China Sea but without pressure from the worldwide community, “I don’t think anything [will] happen”.
Indonesia has reiterated the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea (SCS) to all claimant parties in the region following Vietnam’s move to fortify several of its islands with rocket launchers.
How did uninhabited islands sour China-Japan ties?
“We agreed that in pursuit of a resolution to maritime conflict, it is important to base action to the rule of law and peaceful means and not through force and coercion”, he said.
China claims most of the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year.
Japan has another reason to worry about potential Chinese aggression, one that has little to do with the Senkaku Islands: the anniversary of the end of World War II is on its way, and officials have expressed concern that Japanese people in China may be the target of hateful attacks, particularly in light of the current territorial dispute.
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That followed satellite photos in July that showed China appeared to have built reinforced aircraft hangars on some of the disputed islands.
