The Philippine position stood in sharp contrast from China’s stand that it “does not accept and does not recognise” the tribunal’s decision that upheld Manila’s petition on its unresolved territorial dispute with Beijing in the South China Sea.
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“Whether we need to set up one in the South China Sea depends on the level of threat we perceive”, he said.
The United States is using quiet diplomacy to persuade the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam and other Asian nations not to move aggressively to capitalize on an worldwide court ruling that denied China’s claims to the South China Sea, several USA administration officials said on Wednesday.
US-ChinaThe U.S. statement turned a blind eye to the facts and endorsed an award that is illegal and invalid, Lu said, stressing the U.S. act went against the spirit of rule of law as well as the basic norms of worldwide law and global relations.
China claims almost all of the strategic sea – home to some of the world’s most important shipping routes – and has steadily strengthened its toehold by converting reefs and sandbars into islands.
The Philippines brought its dispute with China to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in 2013, angering Beijing. The Chinese government published a white paper on the same day in which it once again stressed that the sovereignty claims of the Philippines are groundless. Other than the Philippines and the U.S., Japan was the only country he called out by name.
“I hope you put this decision in the wastepaper basket, or on the bookshelf, or filing cabinet and keep it there”, Liu told reporters.
The Asia-Europe Meeting Summit (Asem) in Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia on Friday and Saturday will be the first major multilateral diplomatic gathering since the 12 July ruling over the South China Sea.
This tough approach can send a message to other countries that suing China at The Hague’s “illegal tribunal” will only lead to a tougher response from Beijing, Song said, adding that tensions in the disputed waters will rise, and China should prepare for the worst. It said China has caused “severe harm to the coral reef environment” by building artificial islands.
He says, “If our security is being threatened, of course we have the right to demarcate a zone”.
“China will respond with fury, certainly in terms of rhetoric and possibly through more aggressive actions at sea”, he said.
Although Beijing cited “historical evidence” to support its claims, Manila rejected the Chinese claims, saying that the UN Convention includes exceptions for historic rights.
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She said Australian ships and aircraft would continue to exercise freedom of navigation and overflight rights but refused to comment on specific details.
