By Zhong Sheng, People’s Daily
Recently, the Philippines, in collusion with certain countries, has once again brought up the so-called South China Sea arbitration. They claimed to safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea, but kept exaggerating the so-called award on the South China Sea arbitration, which is illegal, null and void.
Their true intention is to persist in infringing on China’s territorial sovereignty and provoking tensions in the South China Sea, using the South China Sea issue to disrupt regional peace and stability.
Rehashing the so-called South China Sea arbitration cannot conceal the Philippines’ infringement of China’s lawful rights and interests, nor can it change the fact that the Philippines’ frequent provocations, backed by external forces, have led to tensions in the South China Sea.
The so-called South China Sea arbitration was a political farce disguised as a legal proceeding, and the so-called arbitral award is riddled with errors and biases, which have violated China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests and undermined peace and stability in the South China Sea.
This unilateral and malicious arbitration on the South China Sea by the Philippines eight years ago has never aimed to resolve disputes nor safeguard regional peace and stability, but rather to deny China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the region.
The ad-hoc arbitral tribunal in the South China Sea arbitration established at the Philippines’ unilateral request had neither legitimacy nor jurisdiction, and the arbitral award rendered by it has clearly overstepped its authority and has no binding force.
China neither accepts nor participates in the South China Sea arbitration, nor does it accept or recognize the award or any claims and actions based on it. China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea shall under no circumstances be affected by illegal awards.
The Philippines’ treatment of this illegal award as gospel does not help resolve its maritime disputes with China, still less add legitimacy to its illegal claims in any way.
By repeatedly claiming that the arbitral award is “legally binding,” the Philippines and certain countries have disregarded and trampled on international law.
The rights and wrongs in the South China Sea dispute between China and the Philippines are crystal clear: China’s sovereignty and rights in the South China Sea were established in the long course of history and duly recognized by international treaties and accords which are not to be infringed upon by any illegal awards.
The Philippine territory is defined by a series of international treaties, which have never included
China’s Huangyan Dao and any islands or reefs of Nansha Qundao.
The Philippines’ illegal claims have no historical or legal basis. By repeatedly taking actions that complicate the dispute, what the Philippines truly attempts to do is expanding its illegal occupation of some islands and reefs of China’s Nansha Qundao.
The Senate of the Philippines has approved the so-called “Maritime Zones Act,” attempting to further enforce the illegal arbitral award on the South China Sea by domestic legislation and illegally include China’s Huangyan Dao, most islands and reefs of China’s Nansha Qundao, and their adjacent waters into its maritime zones.
Later, the Philippines further unilaterally submitted information to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf on the extent of its undersea shelf in the South China Sea, which has infringed upon China’s sovereign rights and jurisdiction.
These actions by the Philippines seriously violate China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea.
Since last year, the Philippine government has breached its commitments and the common understandings with China, violated the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and repeatedly acted in bad faith.
It frequently infringed on China’s rights and made provocations at sea, brought in forces outside the region to form blocs and flex muscles in the South China Sea, and spread disinformation to vilify China and mislead the international perception on this matter.
Who is provoking and causing trouble in the South China Sea? Who is violating international law and endangering peace and stability in the region? The fact is crystal clear.
Anthony Carty, a British professor of international law, said in his book The History and Sovereignty of the South China Sea Islands that China has indisputable sovereignty over the islands in the South China Sea and the Filipino claim to the Nansha Qundao is absurd. He noted that the so-called arbitral award violates the basic norms of the order of international relations and is part of the strategy of the United States (U.S.) and NATO to contain China.
The U.S. hypes up the so-called arbitral award as “legally binding” completely out of its hegemonic ambition of undermining regional peace and stability and containing China’s development.
The U.S. has a hand in a series of actions that escalated regional tensions, including groundlessly attacking and criticizing China’s legitimate and lawful actions aimed at safeguarding its rights in the South China Sea, deploying the land-based Mid-Range Capability missile system, known as Typhon, to the Philippines, and conducting joint military exercises with the Philippines.
The U.S. has covertly influenced the South China Sea arbitration and established a so-called “legal foundation” for the Philippines’ territorial claims. Now it is using the Philippines as a tool to maintain the hegemony, endorse and back the Philippines’ provocations that infringe upon China’s lawful rights.
The U.S. actions seriously disrupt regional peace and stability and run counter to the common aspirations of the region for peace and development.
Attempting to pull chestnuts out of the fire for the U.S., the Philippines will only get itself burnt.
Maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea is the trend of the times and the common wish of countries in the region.
History and facts have proven that properly managing and resolving disputes through dialogue and consultation between parties directly concerned is the best approach to maintaining overall stability in the South China Sea, while making willful and arbitrary infringement and provocation will only add obstacles to resolving relevant issues.
China is a staunch defender and builder of international maritime rule of law. Firmly upholding the international maritime rule of law, China does not and will never accept or recognize the so-called award on the South China Sea arbitration.
Relevant countries shall respect history, honor their commitments, stop provocations, and stop connivance. They shall return to the right track of dialogue and negotiation, and take concrete actions to uphold the authority of international maritime law and international fairness and justice.
(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People’s Daily to express its views on foreign policy and international affairs.)
