But Paul Reichler, a veteran Washington lawyer who served as the chief attorney of the Philippines in the case, not only expressed confidence the court would favor Manila but also warned that if Beijing would ignore the ruling, China risks becoming an “outlaw state”, reported the South China Morning Post.
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Beijing is said to be building new artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea.
“The Arbitral Tribunal in the South China Sea, (SCS) arbitration established at the unilateral request of the Republic of the Philippines claimed that it would issue the so-called final award on 12 July 2016”, a statement issued by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said. One of them, the USS Ronald Reagan, and its strike group then moved into the South China Sea, the U.S. Navy said on Friday.
If Beijing decides to ignore an unfavorable outcome, it will receive harsh criticism from the global community for not complying with worldwide law.
The drills will be ending July 11, the day before the United Nations-backed tribunal in The Hague is expected to issue its ruling.
“With regard to territorial issues and maritime delimitation disputes, China does not accept any means of third party dispute settlement or any solution imposed on China”, he said.
Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have overlapping claims to the waterway.
The court is widely expected to rule against China’s claims.
The U.S. began to challenge China’s presence in the sea in October, sending ships and conducting flights near the islands China occupies in freedom of navigation operations that have infuriated Beijing.
Observers have voiced hopes that the chilly relations between Beijing and Manila will end after Rodrigo Duterte took office as the 16th Philippine president on Thursday.
So while Beijing scoffs at the imminent decision, it is also making an global PR effort to get its view heard.
The G7 and European Union groupings have stated that ruling must be binding, despite China’s objections, while Vietnam gave a submission to the court supporting its jurisdiction.
“The Chinese military has the determination and the ability to protect the country’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity”, Wu told a regular news briefing.
“Countries across the region have been taking action and voicing concerns publicly and privately”, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said earlier this month.
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The Philippines, for its part, said it “will fully respect” the ruling that the tribunal will hand down on July 12. It will likely maintain its military outposts in the waters as well.
