Chinese diplomat says South China Sea tribunal has no jurisdiction
BEIJING, May 12 (Xinhua) -- A senior Chinese diplomat said on Thursday that the Arbitral Tribunal on the South China Sea had no jurisdiction and its ruling would be invalid under international law.
The tribunal misinterpreted the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), catered to the Philippines' claims and violated the basic principle that rulings must be based on facts and laws. Its stance is neither fair nor objective, and its decision on jurisdiction would be unconvincing, said Xu Hong, the Foreign Ministry's director general of treaties and law.
He told a press conference that an application for arbitration has to meet at least four preconditions, and the Philippines, who initiated the South China Sea arbitration against China at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in early 2013, had not met any of them.
According to Xu, if the subject matter is beyond the scope of the UNCLOS, the dispute shall not be settled by compulsory arbitration.
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China values free navigation in South China Sea more than any other country: senior military official
BEIJING, May 12 (Xinhua) -- China values the freedom of navigation and peace and stability in the South China Sea more than any other country in the world, said Fang Fenghui, a member of China's Central Military Commission (CMC), on Thursday.
Fang, who is also chief of the newly-established Joint Staff Department under the CMC, made the remarks during a video conversation with U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Joseph Dunford.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama have reached major consensus on building a new model of major-country relationship between China and the United States featuring non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation, which opens up the only correct way for the development of bilateral ties, said Fang.
Based on the consensus, the two militaries have continuously deepened their communication and cooperation in various fields and established relevant mutual trust mechanisms, said Fang, calling for joint efforts to treasure and maintain the hard-won momentum in the development of relations between the two countries and militaries.
On the South China Sea issue, Fang noted that it is not China that has created tensions, urging the two sides to bear the overall situation in mind and manage their differences in a constructive way.
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Riyadh hails Beijing's stance on South China Sea
DOHA, May 12 (Xinhua) -- A senior Saudi diplomat hailed here on Thursday China's stance on South China Sea issue when meeting his Chinese counterpart at the sidelines of a China-Arab summit held in the Qatari capital Doha.
Dr. Nizar Bin Obaid Madani, minister of State for Foreign Affairs to Saudi Arabia, said his country appreciates China's adherence to peaceful means in settling disputes concerning the South China Sea during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in the Qatari capital of Doha.
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