China claims right to air defence zone

China’s Foreign Ministry blasted a statement issued by the US State Department endorsing Tuesday’s ruling on China’s territorial rights in the South China Sea by The Hague’s arbitration court.

Beijing lost a battle over its claims to South China Sea when a tribunal at the U.N. Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague announced a verdict favorable to the Philippines.

The Chinese president, Xi Jinping, said China’s “territorial sovereignty and marine rights” in the seas would not be affected by the ruling and insisted China was still “committed to resolving disputes” with its neighbors.

Duterte has repeatedly said he wants to improve relations with China, which plummeted under Aquino because of the dispute, and that he would seek Chinese investment for major infrastructure projects such as a railway for the impoverished southern Philippines.

Yasay will represent newly elected President Rodrigo Duterte at ASEM.

Whether Beijing set up such a zone – which would require civilian aircraft to identify themselves to military controllers – depended on “the level of threat we receive”, said vice foreign minister Liu Zhenmin.

China claims almost all of the sea – which is of enormous military importance and through which about US5 trillion (RM19.68 trillion) worth of shipping trade passes annually – even waters approaching the coasts of the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations.

According to the PCA, no islands in the Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago entitle China a right to an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and China does not have rights over the 200-nautical mile EEZs of Vanh Khan (Michief) and Co May (Thomas) reefs.

The United States and Australia were among Philippine allies this week to call on China to respect the ruling.

It is the strongest statement yet from the Philippines on the ruling.

The Philippines brought the case to The Hague.

“There’s no timeline for this game”.

The Taiwanese government had on Tuesday said it rejected the tribunal’s conclusion, declaring that it is not legally binding. “I would assume our diplomats have read the decision and understand the complexities and consequences of enforcing the decision”.

However, Manila was disappointed that the court did not include a declaration stipulating China should respect the rights and freedoms of the Philippines and comply with its obligations under the applicable convention in future. “The greatest struggle for both countries will be to rein them in, preferably before they get to sea, lest they disrupt the delicate peace”, Stratfor said in a note. Beijing is making desperate efforts to secure its maritime interests in the waters, apparently because the country aims to face off against US military influence by using the area as a base for its nuclear submarines carrying strategic missiles.