South China Sea Dispute: China Rejects UN Ruling

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Considering itself as the victim, China said it would not acknowledge any ruling by the United Nations arbitral tribunal on matters of maritime dispute in the South China Sea.

In an official statement, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said, "The origin and crux of the disputes between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea lie in the territorial sovereignty disputes caused by the Philippines' illegal occupation of some islands and reefs of China's Nansha Islands since the 1970s.

"Being a victim of the South China Sea issue, China, bearing in mind the whole situation of regional peace and stability, has been exercising utmost restraint."

As the arbitration case was ongoing for several months, Chinese vessels have been spotted performing massive reclamation projects on several reefs in the Spratly Islands. These artificial islands are presumably capable of hosting military structures, equipment, and personnel.

The arbitral tribunal recently concluded hearings on the case mainly on the issue of jurisdiction and admissibility.

The Philippines delegation, led by Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, have presented its claims. China, on the other hand, continued to refuse participation, asserting that it had "indisputable sovereignty" and "historic rights" to the South China Sea.

"China has always adhered to and has been committed to resolving, in accordance with international law and on the basis of respecting historical facts, relevant disputes relating to territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests with relevant states directly concerned through negotiation and consultation," Hua said.

The nine-dash line concept is China's principal premise for claiming sovereignty of majority of the South China Sea. It maintains that the line is historically supported. However, the demarcation overlaps with the Philippines 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone mandated by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

"On issues of territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, China will never accept any imposed solution or unilaterally resorting to a third-party settlement," Hua ended.

According to an article by VoaNews, this is the first time disputes in the South China Sea are being addressed by an international body, and it comes at a time when China has rapidly built up artificial islands on some rocky outcroppings that could be used for military defense.

China has been effectively exercising control over waters around the Spratly Islands off the coast of Palawan and Scarborough, near Subic, after the Philippine forces withdrew from the Scarborough shoal standoff back in 2012, Globalnation.inquirer.net pointed out.

After the Scarborough incident, Chinese fishermen were found illegally poaching endemic and endangered Philippine marine species while stories of Filipino fishermen being forcibly deflected by Chinese Marine Surveillance vessels using water cannons continue to surface.