As the United Nations tribunal on the South China Sea dispute is set to deliver its verdict next week, China which boycotted its proceedings flexed muscles with military exercises and calls by its official media to be ready for military confrontation with USA, while unleashing a global campaign to discredit the judgement.
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An aerial photo taken though the window of a Philippine military plane shows the alleged ongoing land reclamation by China of an island in the South China Sea, west of Palawan, Philippines, on May 11, 2015.
The maneuvers focused on air control, surface operations and anti-submarine warfare, among other training exercises, the statement added.
Increasing pressure has been felt in the region as July 12 nears -the day when an arbitration court hearing the dispute between the Philippines and China over territories in the South China Sea is to be resolved in The Hague, Netherlands.
Recently, the spokesmen of China’s Foreign Ministry has time and again reaffirmed China’sadherence to dialogue and consultation in settling the South China Sea issue.
Citing a draft statement, the diplomatic sources said yesterday Asean member states and other nations, which included China, US and Japan, are expected to reaffirm the importance of maintaining stability in regional waters on the basis of global law.
The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan contest China’s claims over nearly all of the South China Sea. The contested waters are believed to be rich in oil and gas.
Itu Aba Island, also known as Taiping Island, is one of many disputed islands in the South China Sea.
Ashley Townshend, a research fellow at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, said the U.S. remained cautious on where it stood on the South China Sea row.
The minister said that he had presided over a military discipline review meeting on Wednesday during which he ordered all military units to conduct a review on standard weapon fire procedures within 45 days to make sure such a blunder will not happen again.
“As China continues along the path of transformation and reform, I encourage China’s leaders to create the space needed for the civil society to play its crucial role”, Ban said, as Wang looked down at his lectern or stared ahead, expressionless.
Mr Wang repeated China’s rejection of the case yesterday, saying the court had no jurisdiction. According to a UPI news agency report, Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF) jets were ordered into action when Chinese military planes appeared over the East China Sea.
Wang Yi said that China hopes the United States speaks and acts cautiously, and take no actions that harm China’s sovereignty and security interests.
“China will never change its stance”, he added.
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One week before a United Nations arbitration panel issues its decision, Beijing is promoting its stance through worldwide seminars and videos on social media platform hoping to win the support of worldwide experts and the public, the Global Times report said.
