China on Monday brushed aside the UN tribunal arbitrating on the disputed South China Sea saying that it will not accept its verdict even as an official daily said US ships and aircraft in the area ch
China on Monday brushed aside the UN tribunal arbitrating on the disputed South China Sea saying that it will not accept its verdict even as an official daily said US ships and aircraft in the area challenging Beijing’s sovereignty will lead to its further militarisation.
“China’s territorial sovereignty should be decided by all the Chinese people, and no other people or organisation has the right to handle it,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hong Lei told media here replying to a question on the recent release of a court hearing record by an international tribunal in the Hague lodged by the Philippines.
Mr Hong said China’s position on the South China Sea stands on a solid international legal base and will remain unchanged.
He said at the hearing, the Philippines which filed the petition ignored facts, international law and justice, and attempted to deny China’s sovereignty over the South China Sea (SCS) islands. The Arbitral Tribunal under the UN Convention on Law of Seas established at the request of the Philippines has no jurisdiction over the case, Mr Hong said.
The tribunal admitted the Philippines’ petition overruling China’s objections. China will not accept any third-party settlements of territorial disputes, he said.
