Messages like “Take out your iPhone, f you don’t smash it, you aren’t Chinese”, photos of smashed Apple products and even videos of young people destroying their phones with hammers or whatever they could get their hands on started showing up online.
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The global tribunal ruled that China’s historic claims, based on the “nine-dash line” of demarcation, were unfounded under the United Nations Conventions on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), stating the country had “no historical rights” to the contested waters.
The government appears to be trying to avoid a repeat of scenes in late 2012, when tens of thousands of angry protesters thronged the streets of cities across China to protest the nationalization of the disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku island chain in the East China Sea, with some smashing Japanese cars and injuring their drivers.
Philippines has turned down bilateral talks with Beijing over the South China Sea dispute, after China’s insisted that talks should be held against the landmark court ruling.
Beijing rejected the verdict as “waste paper” and said it was considering establishing an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) controlling flights over the waters.
Chinese analysts say Beijing is offering such arrangements to demonstrate flexibility and play down the thorny issue of sovereignty. “But so-called patriotism that willfully sacrifices public order will only bring damage to the nation and society”, a People’s Daily editorial said Wednesday.
“The US military forces uphold the importance of lawful and safe operations in the South China Sea, and elsewhere professional navies operate”, Richardson told Yuan Yubai, commander of the Chinese North Sea Fleet, during a meeting.
For its part, Apple has faced a series of legal hurdles this year in China, its second-biggest market.
The US military official, who arrived in China earlier this week to discuss the dispute, added that Washington’s policy regarding the matter “will not change”.
Zhang Junshe, a senior researcher at the PLA Naval Military Studies Research Institute, said the U.S. military’s presence in the South China Sea only worsens the situation in the region.
In an English-language statement issued via the official Xinhua news agency on Thursday, the ministry said the Republican platform contained “accusations about China on issues related to Taiwan, Tibet, trade and the South China Sea” and are an interference in China’s internal affairs.
“Still, shelving the arbitration is the best option, as it offers considerable space for navigating the relationship out of deadlock”, Chen said.
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Analysts in the USA said the apparent shift in China’s negotiating strategy was noteworthy, but that Beijing needs to build trust with the other claimants.
