The Philippines filed a formal plea over the weekend to an international tribunal regarding a territorial dispute with China over the Nansha Islands. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei says China will not accept and participate in the arbitration.
Jia Yu, deputy director of China Institute for Marine Affairs with the state Oceanic Administration, first clarifies what arbitration is.
"Arbitration is not a lawsuit in a court. The Philippines is not pleading at the International Court of Justice, or the Hague Tribunal. The tribunal is only a temporary one consisting of five members, who are arbitrators and not judges. The biggest feature of international law is the respect of sovereignty. China has a clear stance on the issue which is that China will not participate in the tribunal. If the tribunal insists on proceeding with the procedure and making any arbitration ruling, China will not enforce it regardless."
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei says China holds the clear and consistent stance that it has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and the adjacent waters.
China is urging the Philippines to stick to the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and return to the path of bilateral talks in resolving disputes.
Jia Yu adds the Philippines's move is just a one-man show.
"I don't think the arbitration should be established because the tribunal has no jurisdiction over the dispute. As early as in 2006, China excluded any compulsive resolution in terms of territorial sovereignty or marine disputes. The arbitration is considered as a kind of compulsive solution, so China will not "play in the game" from the very beginning."
Over the weekend, the Philippines also sent a supply ship with journalists on board to the Ren'ai Reef off China's Nansha Islands. The Philippines grounded a warship near the Reef in 1999 and refused to retrieve the ship.
In a recent statement, the Philippine side claimed that the stranded warship has served as a permanent installation. The Philippines has also repeatedly attempted to deliver construction materials to build on the reef, in order to intensify and expand its military presence.
China says the Philippines' action can not change the fact that China has sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and China's stance is in full compliance with international law.
For CRI, this is Li Jing.
