Beijing urges Manila not to turn its back on agreements and end arbitration case
China told the Philippines on Wednesday, the door is always open to bilateral negotiation on their maritime disputes in the South China Sea.
In an official statement, the Foreign Ministry urged Manila to stop turning its back on its agreement to settle the disputes through negotiation and end the arbitral proceedings it had initiated against China.
It said that the two peoples had enjoyed a long friendship and the overall situation in the South China Sea had remained stable despite the disputes, and reminded Manila of its commitments to settle the disputes in a peaceful and friendly manner.
From the very start of the arbitral process, China has held to its right to refuse to accept or participate in the arbitration. The Foreign Ministry statement reiterated this saying China does not accept any means of dispute settlement imposed on it.
The Foreign Ministry statement urged Manila to "return to the right path" of settling their disputes through bilateral negotiation.
It was only after the Benigno Aquino administration initiated unilateral arbitration proceedings against China in 2013 that relations between the two countries deteriorated.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei, commenting on the statement on Wednesday, said "the Philippines unilaterally seeking arbitration is based on the dispute settlement procedures of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and it goes against international law, including UNCLOS."
On Tuesday, the All China Lawyers Association said in a statement that the Arbitral Tribunal "has wantonly expanded and exceeded its power", and China's refusal to be involved in the case is "a justifiable act".
Observers have called on Philippine President-elect Rodrigo Duterte to quit the arbitration and return to the table for talks with Beijing.
Jia Duqiang, a researcher in Southeast Asian studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the incoming Duterte administration seems willing to "reevaluate the country's policies towards China".
Wu Shicun, president of the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, said it remained to be seen if the new Philippine government would respond to Beijing's overtures.
The arbitration process is coming to a critical moment with the arbitral tribunal expected to announce its ruling in a few weeks.
In another development, Hong Lei, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, urged the Unites States to stop reconnaissance flights near China's coast after US defense officials said earlier in the day that a Chinese fighter jet carried out an "unsafe" intercept of a US spy plane above the East China Sea.
Washington is once again deliberately playing up the encounter, Hong said, adding Chinese pilots always operate responsibly and professionally.
　　
