China could set up an air defence zone in the South China Sea (SCS) if it feels threatened, a top official said on Wednesday, a day after a UN-backed tribunal ruled the country had no historic rights over islands in the contested region.
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The court also ruled China had breached the Philippines’ sovereign rights by endangering Philippine ships and fishing and oil projects.
The Chinese government released a statement saying China was the first to (quote) “discover, name, explore and exploit the South China Sea islands and their surrounding waters”.
“Do not turn the South China Sea into a cradle of war”, vice foreign minister Liu Zhenmin told reporters in Beijing, as he described the ruling as waste paper. He said China remains committed to negotiations with the Philippines, noting new Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s positive remarks on the issue. In a government white paper published on Wednesday China also said its fishing boats had been harassed and attacked by the Philippines around the Spratly Islands. He added that “early removal of obstacles posed by the arbitration case” would help efforts to improve relations.
On Wednesday, Supreme Court Associate Justice Francis Jardeleza and former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay, who were part of the Philippine legal team at The Hague, admitted that China will not face sanctions, but risks harming its worldwide reputation.
Del Rosario stressed that it was important for the ruling to be accepted by all.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a statement affirming Thailand wants all issues in the South China Sea to be resolved through peaceful means and cooperation.
In this photo taken March 30, 2014, a Philippine Marine, right, swims in the waters of Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea.
Six governments have overlapping territorial claims in the South China Sea – China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei. Russel says the USA hopes it will be a diplomatic one, in which all the claimants in the region’s ferocious territorial disputes can be involved.
Ignoring the ruling would only highlight China’s lawless conduct in disregarding maritime order based on the rule of law.
U.S. State Department Spokesperson John Kirby said that U.S. expects both parties to abide by their commitments.
The five-member panel from the Permanent Court of Arbitration unanimously concluded China had violated its obligations to refrain from aggravating the dispute while the settlement process was ongoing.
The editorial argues the ruling is a front for American power, and that China will not accept that uncontested, even foreshadowing armed conflict over the matter.
China’s Foreign Ministry rejected the ruling, saying its people had more than 2000 years of history in the South China Sea, that its islands did have exclusive economic zones and that it had announced to the world its “dotted line” map in 1948.
Reacting to the development, Chinese President Xi Jinping rejected the ruling and said “China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime interests in the South China Sea” will not be affected. “In the end it will undermine the authority and effectiveness of global law”.
“Pakistan believes that maintenance of peace and security is the collective responsibility of all parties to the South China Sea”, said Zakaria. “There would be strong reputational costs”.
However, Jin Canrong, deputy director of the School of International Studies at the Renmin University of China, said that China still needs to use UNCLOS to protect its legal rights in other areas, such as the East China Sea dispute with Japan, because China’s claim in the area is based on the principle of the “continental nature extension” in UNCLOS.
However, despite the increased patrols, the government of Taiwan is aiming to handle the South China Sea issue cautiously, according to Tung.
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“The Chinese navy can operate in South China Sea at any time as the area belongs to China”.
