The forthcoming arbitration on the South China Sea dispute by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague is likely to stir more tensions in the region, said an Italian expert.
The Philippine-initiated arbitration on the South China Sea issue is but a political farce under "legal" pretexts aiming to fake "a new reality," which provokes both principles of international law and order, said an article published in a renowned Chinese biweekly magazine.
The South China Sea seems unsettling, with the final award by an international arbitral tribunal approaching and heavyweight politicians and diplomats exchanging heated words.
After new Philippine Cabinet members struck a conciliatory tone on the upcoming ruling in the arbitration case against China, Beijing said disputes with the Philippines could only be properly managed and resolved "through negotiation and consultation", not arbitration.
The United Nations Convention on the law of Sea (UNCLOS) has not resolved every past global dispute and neither will it for the South China Sea arbitration the Philippines has unilaterally initiated in The Hague.
China is defending not only its territorial sovereignty but world peace and stability when fighting against the obstinacy displayed in the South China Sea arbitration.
Following are remarks by Hong Lei, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, on the Arbitral Tribunal's claim that it would soon issue the so-called final award of the South China Sea arbitration unilaterally initiated by the Philippines.
The South China Sea arbitration unilaterally initiated by the Philippines does not hold water from a legal standpoint and will not put an end to the South China Sea disputes, but only worsen them.
A group of experts on international law voiced their doubts and concerns on Sunday over the South China Sea arbitration, warning the proceedings of the case are questionable.
It is widely believed that the verdict on the arbitration case against China over South China Sea disputes unilaterally filed by the Philippines will not be legally binding.
China's reiteration of nonacceptance of and nonparticipation in the Philippines-filed arbitration over South China Sea issue has concrete basis on international law and its reason can be summarized as three "NOs," a Chinese official of foreign affairs told Xinhua on Wednesday.
The most effective way to solve the South China Sea dispute is to hold diplomatic talks between stakeholders and not overdramatize the issue, according to Italian experts.
A Hong Kong legal organization has queried the jurisdiction of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague to deal with an arbitration initiated unilaterally by the Philippines against China over the South China Sea disputes, citing the factual and legal errors of the case.
China has Arab nations' support in its position on the South China Sea, said experts and scholars from Arab countries when commenting on the unilateral arbitration initiatives by the Philippines.
Regarding the South China Sea issue, Chinese Ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming has urged the Philippines to return to a negotiated solution and some countries from outside the region to "stop playing with fire."
The Philippines' unilateral move to bring a maritime dispute with China to an international tribunal won't help resolve the problem and the right way forward is to seek settlement through bilateral talks, several foreign experts told Xinhua in recent interviews.
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