Interview: Diplomatic solution "only way" to resolve South China Sea disputes

Considering the complexity of "overlapping claims" in the South China Sea and the "variety of stakeholders" involved, people are not likely to see any major breakthrough in solving the issue in the short term, an observer from Europe told Xinhua in an interview.

"Certainly dialogue or a peaceful diplomatic solution is only way ahead," said Eva Pejsova, a senior analyst with the European Union Institute for Security Studies.

She explained that in terms of security issues, continuous dialogue is necessary to address the transnational security issues that need to be addressed through cooperation.

With regard to non-traditional security threats involving fisheries, environmental degradation and so on, all claimants should join forces to achieve more efficient and sustainable results for the benefit of all parties, she added.

Pejsova said "overlapping sovereignty claims" in the South China Sea have been a reality since a very long time, noting that there are quite a few unresolved sovereignty disputes in the European context, which however do not pose any major security threat.

"What can and should be resolved above all is the establishment of a code of conduct that would prevent any possible escalation and ensure for the management of everyday security issues," said Pejsova.

At the 9th China-ASEAN senior officials' meeting in July in China, senior diplomats pledged to enhance practical maritime cooperation, work toward a full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and continue consultations on formulating a Code of Conduct (COC) for the South China Sea.

When commenting on Manila's South China Sea arbitration request, Pejsova said that "the fact that the Philippines base their claims on international law makes it attractive for the broader international community."

The Philippines filed its arbitration case at The Hague in early 2013. The hearing on jurisdiction and admissibility was concluded in July. However, China has made it clear it will not accept or get involved in these proceedings initiated unilaterally by the Philippines.

The Chinese government made a declaration in pursuance of Article 298 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), excluding disputes regarding such matters as those related to maritime delimitation and historic titles from the compulsory dispute settlement procedures including arbitration.

The Chinese government published a position paper on Dec. 7, 2014, to elaborate on the legal basis for China's position on the arbitration proceedings. It says that the arbitral tribunal manifestly has no jurisdiction in this case.

According to the position paper, China and the Philippines have agreed, through bilateral instruments and the DOC, to settle their relevant disputes through negotiations. Endit