Criticism of China on arbitration case lacks sound legal merit

Writer Xu Bu:The Chinese ambassador to ASEAN

(THEJAKARTAPOST)Recently,withthesecondroundofhearingsbytheArbitralTribunalinTheHagueonacaseunilaterallyinitiatedbythePhilippines,theSouthChinaSeaissueonceagainbecamethefocusofthemedia.Somecriticismsarewell-presentedopinionsandsomeare,franklyspeaking,biased.

Iwouldliketoexplainwhythecriticismdoesnotholdwaterfromalegalperspectiveandhopeto,atleast,helpformabalancedandobjectiveviewontheongoingarbitrationcase.

Firstandforemost,China’spositionnottoacceptorparticipateinthearbitrationisnotanunreasonablerefusal,butawell-foundedlegaldecision.InaccordancewiththeUnitedNationsConventionontheLawoftheSea(UNCLOS),thestatepartiesareentitledtotherightofchoosingcompulsorydisputesettlements,includingarbitration.

Atthesametime,underUNCLOSArticle298,statesarealsoentitledtodeclare“thatitdoesnotacceptanyoneormoreoftheproceduresprovidedforinSectionIIwithrespectto disputesconcerningtheseaboundarydelimitation,orthoseinvolvinghistoricbaysortitles.”

Asearlyas2006,Chinaalreadyfiledadeclarationtoexcludethoseproceduresapplyingtodisputesofterritorialsovereigntymadeinthelightoftheaforesaidarticle.

Infact,Chinaisnotthefirstcountrypracticingthisright.Thereareallinallaround30states,suchasAustralia,Canada,France,Demark,Norway,Portugal,SpainandItaly,thathavemadesimilardeclarationsexcludingtheapplicabilityofthecompulsorydisputessettlementsoftheUNCLOSwhenitcomestosovereigntyissues.

Furthermore,thejurisdictionoftheArbitralTribunaloveraninter-statedisputedependsonthepriorconsentofthepartiesconcerned.Thislegalpracticehasbeenfurtheraffirmedinthearbitralawardconcerningthewell-knownSouthernBlue-finTunaCase.

Backthen,thetribunalrecognizedthatstateparties“arepermittedbyArticle281(1)toconfinetheapplicabilityofcompulsoryprocedurestocaseswhereallpartiestothedisputehaveagreeduponsubmissionoftheirdisputetosuchcompulsoryprocedures”.

ThearbitrationcaseunilaterallyinitiatedbythePhilippinesapparentlycontravenestheprincipleof“mutualagreement”andcouldberegardedasanabuseofrights.

Withoutthepriorconsentbetweentheconcernedparties,theinternationaljudicialbodieswillmakenocontributiontothepeacefulsettlementofthedisputes.

Mostimportantly,byrequestingtheArbitralTribunaltoapplytheUNCLOStodeterminetheextentofChina’smaritimerightsintheSouthChinaSea,withoutfirsthavingascertainedsovereigntyovertherelevantmaritimefeatures,thePhilippinescontravenestheinternationaljurisprudenceonthesettlementofinternationalmaritimedisputes.

ThedelicatepackagingofthearbitrationcasebythePhilippines,however,failstoconcealtheveryessenceofthesubjectmatterofthearbitration,namelytheterritorialsovereigntyovercertainmaritimefeaturesintheSouthChinaSea,whichisdefinitelynotsubjecttothejurisdictionoftheUNCLOS.

Therefore,itislegallyreasonableandrationalforChinatochoosenottoacceptorparticipateinthearbitrationprocess.

Essentiallyspeaking,whatthePhilippineshasbeenattemptingtodepriveChinaofistherespectshownbytheUNCLOStoChina’shistorictitle.ThepreambleoftheUNCLOSproclaimsthat“thedesirabilityofestablishingthroughthisconvention,withdueregardforthesovereigntyofallstates,alegalorderfortheseasandoceans”.

ItisveryclearthatthesovereigntyofstatepartiesconstitutestheprerequisiteforapplicationoftheUNCLOStodeterminethemaritimerightsofstateparties.

Thepreamblealsostipulatesthat,“mattersnotregulatedbythisConventioncontinuetobegovernedbytherulesandprinciplesofgeneralinternationallaw”,whichindicatesthattherearestillrulesandprinciplesofthegeneralinternationallaw,outofthegovernanceofbutstillconfirmedandrespectedbytheUNCLOS.Historictitleisoneofthem.

UnderArticle15andArticle298,theUNCLOSreiteratesthathistorictitleisoneofthemainrightsofstatesandregardedasanexceptionalarrangementindealingwithsovereigntyissues.

China’ssovereigntyandmaritimerightsandinterestsintheSouthChinaSeahaveformedandevolvedoveralongcourseofhistory,whichnaturallyconstitutethehistorictitle.Therefore,thehistorictitleenjoyedbytheChinesesideintheSouthChinaSeaisnotsomethingjustunilaterallydeclaredbyChina.

AsforbothChinaandthePhilippines,theSouthChinaSeaissueisfarfromanewissue.

JustasGregAustin,anAmericanscholar,whorecentlywroteinanarticleintheNationalInterest,“AnyassumptionthatChinahassomehowexpandeditsmaritimeclaimsbecauseitnowfeelsmorepowerfulisnotborneoutbythefact.Chinaonlyhasthewillingnesstoactrobustly,asmoststateswould,todefendpre-existingsovereigntyclaimsthathavebeeninplaceforatleast66years.”

ThePhilippinesalwaysfocusesonplayingupChina’srefusingtoparticipateinthearbitration,whilebeingevasiveonitsowngoing-backonthepoliticalagreementandcommitmentwithChinatoaddresstheSouthChinaSeaissuethroughbilateralnegotiations.

AsforbothChinaandthePhilippines,theSouthChinaSeaissueisfarfromanewissue.

Formanyyears,bothsidescooperatedcloselyinmanagingthedisputesandmaintainingconstructivecommunications.

ThecompletionoflandboundarydemarcationbetweenChinaandmostofitsneighboringcountriesshowcasesthatbilateralconsultationsandnegotiations,withoutbeingdisturbedbyexternalinterferenceorcoercion,couldaddressthecomplexsovereigntydisputesinamoreconstructiveandsustainablemanner.

Lookingforward,neitheracceptingnorparticipatinginthearbitrationbynomeansmeansthatChinawon’tgettheSouthChinaSeaissueresolved.

Onthecontrary,Chinahasbeen,evenafterthePhilippinesunilaterallyinitiatedthearbitration,committedtoworkingtowardaddressingtheSouthChinaSeaissuethroughadual-trackapproach.

China,togetherwiththeASEANmembers,hasbeendoingalottoassureafullandeffectiveimplementationoftheDeclarationontheConductofPartiesintheSouthChinaSea(DOC)andpushforwardtheconsultationontheconclusionofacodeofconduct(COC).

Thepasttwoyearswitnessedencouragingachievements.TheimplementationoftheDOCandtheconsultationonaCOCprovidedallstakeholdersontheSouthChinaSeaissueaplainfieldtofullyexpressconcernsandexchangeviews.

Chinawilldoeverythingpossible,togetherwiththerelevantcountries,tomanagethedifferencesonthebasisofrespectforhistoricfactsandinternationallawandstriveforanappropriatesolutiontotheSouthChinaSeaissue.

Afterall,resolvingtheSouthChinaSeaissueissuchacomplexandsensitivetaskthateachpartyshouldexercisepatience,sincerity,wisdomandflexibility.

Securingoneresolutionacceptabletoallisdefinitelynotaneasyjob.However,wherethereisawill,thereisaway.

WeverymuchlookforwardtothePhilippinesdrawingonthegoodpracticesbetweenandpoliticalwisdomofbothsides,makinggoodonitsseriouscommitments,comingbacktothenegotiationtableinarealisticandresponsiblemanner.

Chinahasbeen,isandwillalwaysbestandingreadytogetthishardtaskdonetogetherwithallthepartiesconcerned.