PHNOM PENH, April 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Friday that the Philippines' attempt to pressure China over an arbitration of maritime disputes is "either political arrogance or legal prejudice."
"There is ample legal basis for China not to participate in or accept the unilaterally-initiated process," he told a joint press conference with his Cambodian counterpart Prak Sokhonn.
The UN Charter and international law advocate peaceful settlement of disputes through dialogue and negotiation, and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) also respects the dispute settlement procedure chosen by the parties themselves.
China has insisted that the South China Sea disputes should be resolved peacefully through negotiations between the parties directly concerned, Wang said.
"So China is exercising its legitimate right to reject a compulsory arbitration," he added.
The Chinese top diplomat noted that China made a declaration that excludes a compulsory arbitration in 2006 under the Article 298 of the UNCLOS.
Manila unilaterally initiated an arbitration case against China over the maritime disputes at an international tribunal in The Hague in early 2013 under the UNCLOS.
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