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China's former FM dismisses South China Sea arbitration as political farce

Xinhua, July 14, 2016 Adjust font size:

The so-called award of the South China Sea arbitration violates the purposes and principles of the UN Charter as well as international law, and it will never be accepted by the Chinese people, said former Chinese foreign minister Li Zhaoxing.

Li, president of the China Public Diplomacy Association, made the remarks on Wednesday at the Tokyo Sun Yat-sen Forum commemorating the 150th birth anniversary of Sun Yat-sen, a great forerunner of China's democratic revolution.

"The so-called South China Sea arbitration is a political farce from the very beginning, and it will not be recognized by anyone in the world who stand for justice," Li said.

"The arbitration, and the ill-disposed hyping up and political manipulation that ensued, have led the South China Sea issue to growing tension and confrontation," he added. "It is detrimental to peace and stability in the region, and it does not serve the common interests of China, the Philippines and countries in the region as well as the international community."

The forum, co-sponsored by China Public Diplomacy Association and Japan Sun Yat-sen Cultural Foundation, was attended by a number of celebrated politicians and scholars from China and Japan.

The former top diplomat also pointed out that China's position of non-acceptance and non-participation in the arbitration is aimed at upholding the international rule of law.

"Under international law, each country has the right to choose on its own will the means of dispute settlement," he said.

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) gives the state parties the right to exclude relevant disputes from compulsory dispute settlement procedures. The Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) signed by China and the 10 ASEAN countries manifestly stipulates that relevant disputes should be resolved by countries directly concerned through dialogue and negotiation, said Li.

"Thus, China's non-acceptance of and non-participation in the arbitration has full legal basis, and is consistent with the norms and rules of the international law of the sea. China is acting in strict accordance with the law," he said. Endit