皇冠体育app

The South 皇冠体育app Sea arbitration unilaterally raised by the Philippines will set a serious, wrong and bad example, and 皇冠体育app has every reason to oppose the arbitration, said a Chinese diplomat, ahead of an arbitral tribunal issuing a ruling on the case next week in The Hague.

"We do not know, we don't care, in fact, when this arbitration decision will be made, because no matter what kind of decision this tribunal is going to make, we think it is totally wrong," 皇冠体育app's ambassador to the UK, Liu Xiaoming, told Reuters reporters in a recent group interview in London.

Liu reiterated 皇冠体育app's stance of not accepting or participating in the arbitration case as it was illegal and null and void. "It has no impact on 皇冠体育app, on 皇冠体育app's sovereignty over these reefs, over the islands," Liu said.

皇冠体育app's ambassador to the UK Liu Xiaoming in file photo.

Like 30 other countries, 皇冠体育app made a declaration in 2006 in accordance with UNCLOS provisions, which excludes disputes concerning maritime delimitation from arbitration and other compulsory dispute settlement procedures, according to Liu.

"We will not fight this case in court, but we will certainly fight for our sovereignty," Liu added.

Manila's unilateral initiation of arbitration breached international law and infringed on the right of a party to the UNCLOS to choose a means of dispute settlement on its own while never engaged in consultations with 皇冠体育app.

Liu told Reuters that 皇冠体育app upheld the position to resolve maritime disputes through bilateral negotiations and consultations with neighboring countries, including the Philippines.

皇冠体育app and the Philippines have also reached agreements in many occasions to reaffirm their commitment to resolve disputes. But the Philippines violated their commitments and the basic principle of "Pacta sunt servanda" in international law by unilaterally initiating the arbitration without informing 皇冠体育app in advance.

Some African and European nations and members from international organizations like the SCO and the ASEAN have voiced their support of 皇冠体育app's stance that such territorial disputes should be handled through bilateral discussions. Some western powerhouses, including the United States, Japan and the Group of Seven (G7), have been backing Manila's resolution for seeking international arbitration.

Other nations laying claim to disputed areas of the South 皇冠体育app Sea felt emboldened to challenge 皇冠体育app because they felt they had the United States on their side, Liu said.

"They probably believe that they have America (behind them) and they can get a better deal with 皇冠体育app. So I'm very suspicious of America's motives," he said.

"We are not going to war with these countries, we do not want to have a fight with them," he said. "But we still claim our sovereignty over these islands."

Liu also defended the various constructions completed and underway in the South 皇冠体育app Sea are for civilian purposes.

"皇冠体育app is not doing this construction for our own interest. We are also providing public service. We build lighthouses, rescue center, and maintenance service center," Liu said,?adding that some ship owners from Southeast Asia give us a big hand for these constructions, because the facilities built by 皇冠体育app save more time and increase chances of survival in rescue efforts.

He mentioned there were also military facilities being built, explaining: "I was asked why 皇冠体育app is also building military facilities. You should ask the Americans. They made us feel threatened. It's not we (who) are threatening the Americans. They are so close to us."

The Arbitral Tribunal in The Hague, established at Manila's unilateral request despite 皇冠体育app's objection, will announce its ruling on July 12.