China yesterday rejected an arbitration tribunal’s ruling giving it six months to respond to a case filed by the Philippines over disputed waters, saying it has no plans to take part.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, rejecting rival claims to parts from Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei in one of Asia’s most intractable disputes and a possible flashpoint. It also has a separate maritime dispute with Japan over islands in the East China Sea.
The tribunal in The Hague gave Beijing until Dec. 15 to reply to the first international case filed against China related to the energy-rich waters.
In giving China time to respond to the Philippines’ filing, which questioned the validity of Beijing’s so-called “nine-dash” claim, the tribunal was fulfilling its obligation to assure “each party a full opportunity to be heard and to present its case,” it said in a statement on Tuesday.
China has said all along it will not participate in the arbitration proceedings, preferring a bilateral approach to resolve the conflicts.
“China’s stance of not accepting and not participating in the relevant Philippines’ arbitration case has not changed,” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Hong Lei (洪磊) told reporters yesterday.
The tribunal suggested it would continue hearing the Philippine complaint even without China’s involvement.
“The arbitral tribunal will determine the further course of the proceedings, including the need for, and scheduling of any other written submissions and hearings, at an appropriate later stage, after seeking the views of the parties,” it said.
Manila is seeking confirmation of its right to exploit waters in a 200 nautical mile (370km) exclusive economic zone as allowed under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, its lawyers have said.
“We continue to urge China to reconsider its decision not to participate in the arbitration proceedings,” said Charles Jose, spokesman for the Philippine Foreign Affairs Department.
“We also wish to reiterate that arbitration is a peaceful, open and friendly resolution mechanism that offers a durable solution to the disputes in the South China Sea,” he said.
The US has said it supports the Philippines’ arbitration case, closely watched by other claimant states, including Vietnam, which said last month it was considering legal action against China after Beijing moved an oil rig into waters claimed by Hanoi.
Additional reporting by AP and staff writer
DEFENDING DEMOCRACY: Taiwan shares the same values as those that fought in WWII, and nations must unite to halt the expansion of a new authoritarian bloc, Lai said The government yesterday held a commemoration ceremony for Victory in Europe (V-E) Day, joining the rest of the world for the first time to mark the anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. Taiwan honoring V-E Day signifies “our growing connections with the international community,” President William Lai (賴清德) said at a reception in Taipei on the 80th anniversary of V-E Day. One of the major lessons of World War II is that “authoritarianism and aggression lead only to slaughter, tragedy and greater inequality,” Lai said. Even more importantly, the war also taught people that “those who cherish peace cannot
STEADFAST FRIEND: The bills encourage increased Taiwan-US engagement and address China’s distortion of UN Resolution 2758 to isolate Taiwan internationally The Presidential Office yesterday thanked the US House of Representatives for unanimously passing two Taiwan-related bills highlighting its solid support for Taiwan’s democracy and global participation, and for deepening bilateral relations. One of the bills, the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, requires the US Department of State to periodically review its guidelines for engagement with Taiwan, and report to the US Congress on the guidelines and plans to lift self-imposed limitations on US-Taiwan engagement. The other bill is the Taiwan International Solidarity Act, which clarifies that UN Resolution 2758 does not address the issue of the representation of Taiwan or its people in
Taiwanese Olympic badminton men’s doubles gold medalist Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟) and his new partner, Chiu Hsiang-chieh (邱相榤), clinched the men’s doubles title at the Yonex Taipei Open yesterday, becoming the second Taiwanese team to win a title in the tournament. Ranked 19th in the world, the Taiwanese duo defeated Kang Min-hyuk and Ki Dong-ju of South Korea 21-18, 21-15 in a pulsating 43-minute final to clinch their first doubles title after teaming up last year. Wang, the men’s doubles gold medalist at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, partnered with Chiu in August last year after the retirement of his teammate Lee Yang
The Philippines yesterday criticized a “high-risk” maneuver by a Chinese vessel near the disputed Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Island, 黃岩島) in a rare incident involving warships from the two navies. The Scarborough Shoal — a triangular chain of reefs and rocks in the contested South China Sea — has been a flash point between the countries since China seized it from the Philippines in 2012. Taiwan also claims the shoal. Monday’s encounter took place approximately 11.8 nautical miles (22km) southeast” of the Scarborough Shoal, the Philippine military said, during ongoing US-Philippine military exercises that Beijing has criticized as destabilizing. “The Chinese frigate BN 554 was
RSS