South China Sea dispute heats up, China refuses to accept arbitration

China refuses to accept the third-party settlements on the territorial dispute on the South China Sea. The country maintains that the international tribunal presiding over the case in the Hague, upon Philippine's request, has no jurisdiction on the matter.

"China has on several occasions stated that the Arbitral Tribunal established at the request of the Philippines has no jurisdiction over the case," said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying during a press briefing. The country emphasised that it will not participate or accept any of the results of the arbitration.

"The Philippines' unilateral move was political provocation in legal clothing, not an attempt to solve disputes but to deny China's sovereignty and maritime interests in the South China Sea," added Hua.

China also refused to accept any imposed solution regarding territorial sovereignty and maritime rights. It will also not accept any unilateral solution that seeks third-party dispute settlement. The spokesperson added that China has the right as a sovereign state on top of being a part of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. It was in early 2013 when the Philippines filed the arbitration case at The Hague's international tribunal.

The arbitration is just one of the concerns over South China Sea as countries continue to clash on the matter. The war of words and accusations has been heating up especially with China under suspicion of militarising the area. Adm. Harry Harris called China's actions over the region as "provocative." He reiterated the position of the United States to be a forefront of resisting such hegemony in the disputed region.

“Let me be clear, we will not give China or any other nation a free pass to fray the rules-based security architecture that has benefited all of us, including China,” Asia Times quoted Harris during a foreign policy forum in Canada. China's aggressive construction in the region has raised tensions with other countries watching its moves closely.

Contact the writer at feedback@ibtimes.com.au, or let us know what you think below.