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Activities of Related Parties

China

China rejects the South China Sea arbitration

Speaking at a Regular Press Conference on July 5, China's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hong Lei said: "We maintain that relevant disputes be resolved through dialogue and consultation with countries directly concerned, and that peace and stability in the South China Sea be jointly upheld alongside ASEAN countries. On issues concerning territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, China does not accept any third party dispute settlement procedures nor any settlement solution imposed upon it. Non-regional countries should stick to the policy of not taking sides on relevant disputes in the South China Sea and be discreet in their words and deeds."

China urges the U.S. to not involve in the South China Sea issues

Speaking at a dialogue on South China Sea issues organized by Carnegie Endowment and Renmin University on July 5, Washington D.C., former China's State Councilor Dai Bingguo said: "Historical materials of China and many western countries corroborate the fact that it was the Chinese people who were the first to discover, name,develop and administer the islands in South China Sea, and that the Chinese government was the first to peacefully and effectively exercise continuous sovereign jurisdiction on South China Sea islands." According to him, "Cooling down temperatures in the South China Sea requires concrete efforts by all countries concerned. First, the urgent priority is to stop the arbitration case initiated by the Philippines.  Second, the South China Sea issue should not be allowed to define China-US relations.". In addition, he made some observations: "(i) even if the US is unable to go back to its position of recognizing China's sovereignty over the Nansha Islands (Spratly Islands), it should honor its stated position of not taking sides on issues concerning territorial disputes; (ii) one should not be too ready to frame the South China Sea issue as a strategic issue or interpret and predict China's behavior by drawing from western theories of international relations and history; (iii) the US's heavy-handed intervention in the South China Sea issue needs to be scaled back; (iv) China and the US need to find ways to manage their differences constructively; (v) China and the US need to expand their positive maritime agenda.

Taiwan prepares to deal with S China Sea ruling

Taiwan is closely monitoring developments related to an upcoming International Court of Arbitration ruling on a dispute between Manila and Beijing over the South China Sea, and has been preparing for various scenarios, Taiwan's Presidential Office spokesman Alex Huang said on July 5. The government will deal with the issue based on three principles, Huang said. First, the government maintains that all parties concerned in territorial disputes in the South China Sea should base their claims on international law, he said. Second, all claimants should respect freedom of navigation and overflight in the region, he said. Third, all claimants should address disputes through peaceful means and Taiwan should be included in any multilateral mechanism to deal with such disputes, he said.

Vietnam

Vietnam opposes China’s drills in East Sea (South China Sea)

China’s plan to hold military drills around Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) in the East Sea has once again seriously violated Vietnam’s sovereignty over the archipelago, the Vietnamese foreign ministry said July 4. China's maritime safety administration on Sunday said the drills would take place from Jul. 5-11, covering an area that includes the Hoang Sa in the East Sea. Vietnam's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Hai Binh said China's action runs counter to common perception of senior leaders from both countries, and defies international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC). Vietnam strongly objects to the exercises and demands that China respect Vietnam’s sovereignty and behave in a responsible manner, Binh said. China must immediately end and not to conduct actions that threaten maritime security and safety in the East Sea or escalate tension in the region, he said.

The Philippines

PH won't take China offers 'hook, line, and sinker'

Philippine Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. July 4 said the Philippines will remain cautious if China offers it aid in the face of a dispute between Manila and Beijing over the South China Sea. At the Tapatan sa Aristocrat forum, Yasay said the Philippines "will welcome" any offer of aid to the Philippines "in carrying out the development of our infrastructure projects or in pursuing trade relationships." Referring to Chinese assistance in general, Yasay said: "We know that this will be beneficial for our people. But we must also not just take this hook, line, and sinker." He added, "We must always make sure that in doing so, we will be carrying and pursuing and preserving the paramount national interest." Speaking to AFP on July 8, Yasay said President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration hoped to quickly begin direct talks with China following Tuesday’s verdict, with the negotiations to cover jointly exploiting natural gas reserves and fishing grounds within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. “We can even have the objective of seeing how we can jointly explore this territory: how we can utilise and benefit mutually from the utilisation of the resources in this exclusive economic zone where claims are overlapping,” Yasay said. On July 9, Foreign Secretary Yasay explains his statement that the Philippines can share resources in the South China Sea. "As the ruling will not address sovereignty and delimitation, it is possible that some time in the future, claimant countries might consider entering into arrangements such as joint exploration and utilization of resources in disputed areas that do not prejudice the parties' claims and delimitation of boundaries in accordance with UNCLOS," he said.

Regional Snapshots

Philippines' Duterte to China: Let's talk on South China Sea claims

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on July 5 offered China conciliatory talks on a long-awaited international tribunal ruling over Beijing's maritime claims, a week before the verdict. Duterte, who was sworn into office last week, said he was optimistic that the UN-backed tribunal in The Hague would rule in favour of the Philippines. "If it's favourable to us, let's talk," Duterte said in a speech before the Philippine Air Force at the former US military base of Clark, about an hour's drive from the capital Manila. He added that even if the tribunal rules against the Philippines, his administration would accept the judgment.

Wang Yi Holds Telephone Talks with Secretary of State John Kerry of US

On July 6, 2016, Foreign Minister Wang Yi held telephone talks at request with Secretary of State John Kerry of the US, mainly exchanging views on maritime issues. Wang Yi expressed that at present, China-US relations maintain a sound development momentum in general. Both sides should further focus on cooperation, properly deal with disputes and advance the construction of the new model of major-country relations between China and the US. Wang Yi pointed out that the procedure, legal basis and evidence applicability of the so-called South China Sea arbitration case are far-fetched and full of loopholes. Therefore, the arbitration tribunal, which has clearly expanded and overstepped its power, has no jurisdiction and the verdict with no legal validity and fact basis naturally has no binding force. China's position of non-participation and non-acceptance of the arbitration in accordance with the law is precisely safeguarding international rule of law and rules as well as the authority and integrity of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. It is time for this arbitration farce to end. On his part, John Kerry stated that the US understands the Chinese side for stating its position on the arbitration case. Meanwhile, it hopes that all sides can exercise restraint. The US and China share common interest in safeguarding peace and stability in the South China Sea, and the US supports all sides to continue to peacefully solve relevant disputes through diplomatic channels.

UN urges China to peacefully resolve South China Sea disputes

Speaking after a meeting with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for a peaceful resolution of the South China Sea disputes: "As a Secretary-General I cannot comment on the arbitration case on which a ruling may be issued shortly. But I did stress to Minister Wang, as I have with all other countries involved, the need to resolve their differences in a peaceful manner and to avoid any escalation or misunderstandings that could put security and development in the region at risk."