China renewed its rejection of the South China Sea arbitration ruling and criticized a joint statement by the US and its allies marking the 10th anniversary of the decision.
China’s Foreign Ministry said the ruling was “illegal and invalid” and carried no binding force, reiterating in a statement on Sunday that Beijing neither accepts nor recognizes it.
The US, the Philippines and Japan were among 14 countries which released a statement on Saturday to mark the decade-old anniversary of an international tribunal ruling that rejected China’s claim over much of the South China Sea.
“We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific that is peaceful, stable, and rules-based, anchored in international law,” the countries said. “We reiterate our strong opposition to any destabilizing or unilateral actions including by force or coercion that threaten peace and stability in the region.”
China said disputes involving territorial sovereignty and maritime delimitation fall outside the scope of compulsory dispute-settlement procedures under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Beijing said the ruling had become a tool for the Philippines to expand its maritime claims and is a pretext for outside powers to intervene in the South China Sea. It also questioned whether countries backing the ruling would be willing to relinquish maritime rights associated with their own islands and reefs if the same standards were applied.
In a separate statement, the Chinese Foreign Ministry specifically condemned Japan’s support for the 2016 South China Sea arbitration ruling, accusing Tokyo of meddling in regional affairs and applying double standards on maritime claims.
This report is auto generated from the Bloomberg news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
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