South China Sea arbitration a political farce: experts
By Zhang Niansheng, Wu Yun and Guan Kejiang from the People’s Daily
The South China Sea arbitration unilaterally submitted by the Philippines is a political farce under legal pretext, and the award of the arbitration tribunal has no binding forces, a number of veteran international experts voiced their support to China’s stance after the tribunal in The Hague announced its verdict on Tuesday despite China’s repeated objection.
After the Aquino III administration of the Philippines filed the case in 2013, China has reiterated its stance of non-participation, non-acceptance and non-recognition on many occasions.
Neglecting legal basis and factual information, the tribunal’s decision will be void, experts said, calling for a peaceful solution to the South China Sea disputes through dialogue and consultation.
William Jones, Washington Bureau chief for Executive Intelligence Review, the magazine of the fringe LaRouchite movement, told the People’s Daily that the tribunal has no say on the issues related to territory and sovereignty.
Comparing the Philippines to a sport team who bribed the referee before the game, he noted that from the very start, the arbitration aimed to defame China as a violator of international law and request it give up claims on its territory.
Jones predicted that the US and its allies will pressure China to “obey the international law” while persuading the Philippines to maintain its position by all means.
The basis of law and morality will be damaged once a contractor of a multilateral treaty seeks for interests beyond the treaty by using the ambiguities in it, said Joseph Klein, a UN correspondent for the far-right website Canada Free Press.
The arbitrary behaviors of the tribunal have wrecked the dispute settlement mechanism based on diplomacy and negotiations among the contracting states, Klein pointed out.
The abuse of power in favor of its own narrow interests undermines national sovereignty and the international rule of law, he added.
Hailing China’s insistence and restraint in the disputes, Heinz Korffmann, a professor from the University of Potsdam, expressed his support for China’s position.
Adhering to the path of peaceful development, China has been safeguarding the international rule of law, as well as the equity and justice of the world, he said.
Korffmann also praised China’s efforts to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea, saying that the country has been dedicated to peacefully resolving disputes by negotiation and consultation with parities directly involved based on historical facts and international law.
Dialogue and consultation by the parties directly concerned based on the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea are the only correct and feasible approach to address the disputes and safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea, Korffmann concluded.
(Source: People’s Daily)
