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Arbitration verdict will not change China'sovereignty over South China Sea: FM

Xinhua, May 7, 2016 Adjust font size:

A senior Chinese diplomat said on Friday that no arbitration verdict would change history or the fact that China is sovereign over the South China Sea islands and their surrounding waters.

Ouyang Yujing, director general of the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said at a news briefing that "by not accepting or participating in the arbitration unilaterally initiated by the Philippines, China is upholding the sanctity of international law, including that of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)".

"The crux of China-Philippines disputes on the South China Sea is the Philippines' illegal occupation of islands and reefs of China's Nansha Islands and the two countries' maritime delineation." Ouyang stressed.

Ouyang said China and the Philippines have reached a number of bilateral agreements including joint statements and communiques on resolving disputes through negotiation and consultation.

"In 2002, China and ASEAN countries including the Philippines, signed the DOC, which clearly stipulated in Article IV that disputes be settled through negotiation and consultation by countries directly concerned." Ouyang added.

"These two points constitute the commitment of China and the Philippines to settling these issues," Ouyang said.

"The UNCLOS has nothing to do with issues of territorial sovereignty," Ouyang explained. "As for issues on maritime delineation, the UNCLOS allows optional exceptions to the applicability of compulsory dispute settlement proceedings such as compulsory arbitration. China made a declaration in 2006, excluding disputes concerning maritime delimitation from arbitral proceedings."

Therefore, Ouyang said what the Philippine submissions are not suitable for compulsory arbitration at all, and there is no basis for the formation of the tribunal.

"No matter what verdict the arbitration case will be, it is unlawful and invalid. China will not accept nor recognize it," Ouyang said.

"Through negotiation and consultation since the 1960s, China has delineated 20,000 kilometers of its boundary with 12 of its 14 land neighbors, which is 90% of its 22,000 kilometer land boundary," Ouyang stated.

The other example given was that China and Vietnam have delineated the waters in the Beibu Gulf through negotiation. Endi