China has always maintained that negotiation and consultation are the most feasible and effective ways to resolve the South China Sea dispute, the Chinese Embassy to the U.S. said Friday.
Zhu Haiquan, spokesman for the Chinese Embassy, made the statement in a letter to the editors of the Washington Post, which published it Friday.
In reaction to the Post's July 14 editorial entitled "A fateful choice for China," the letter said China rejected the July 12 award issued by an arbitration tribunal in The Hague, the Netherlands, because the tribunal "exceeded its own jurisdiction."
"Without China's consent, the arbitration initiated by the former government of the Philippines violates the practice in international law that arbitration be premised on each state's consent," Zhu said.
Moreover, the South China Sea issues are territorial disputes which are not subject to the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and China has made an optional exceptions declaration in accordance with UNCLOS to exclude issues such as maritime delimitation from processes such as this arbitration, Zhu said.
"This arbitration case damaged international law and may open the door for abusing arbitration procedures, undermining the authority and effectiveness of international law," Zhu said, adding that by rejecting the arbitration, China defends its interests and advocates international justice through the true spirit of international law.
The spokesman criticized the U.S. for resorting to "military coercion" by sending warships and warplanes to the South China Sea, which escalated tensions and weakened diplomatic negotiation.
"China has always maintained that negotiation and consultation are the most feasible and effective ways to resolve the South China Sea dispute," Zhu said.
He pointed out that China has resolved boundary issues with 12 of its 14 land neighbors and part of maritime delimitation in the Tonkin Gulf with Vietnam, an unmatched record.
"We have confidence in addressing the issue of the South China Sea by negotiation and consultation and hope the Philippines will return to the right track," Zhu said.
He urged the U.S. to make the right choice, refrain from provocative military operations, facilitate diplomatic efforts and not let this issue define the relationship between the two nations.
