China’s stance on South China Sea gaining global support

US officials have expressed concern that the Hague court ruling could prompt Beijing to declare an air defence identification zone, or ADIZ, as it did over the East China Sea in 2013.

The Philippines has brought the case to the worldwide court to undermine China’s claims that it has sovereignty over South China Sea waters.

Meanwhile, China’s Maritime Safety Administration announced that drills will take place between July 5 to July 11. The Paracel island chain is controlled by Beijing but also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan.

Be Civil – It’s OK to have a difference in opinion but there’s no need to be a jerk. The court is widely expect to rule against China and American officials have warned that Beijing could respond with even more island building or declaring an air defense zone around the disputed areas. The PCA announced last month that the tribunal will issue its finding on July 12. China insist that the court has no jurisdiction and is boycotting the case.

At a monthly news conference on Thursday, Chinese defense ministry spokesman Col Wu Qian accused the USA of sending its forces into the South China Sea to undermine Beijing’s resolve to protect its own national sovereignty.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration, based in The Hague, Netherlands, has said it will issue a decision on 12 July on a challenge made by the Philippines to China’s claims in the strategic and resource-rich region.

Duterte has said he wants friendly relations with China, a departure from his predecessor Benigno Aquino who angered Beijing by launching the legal action and strengthening ties with the Philippines’ longtime ally the United States.

Ahead of the ruling, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Beijing was “not afraid of trouble” while state-run media urged China to prepare for “military confrontation” in the disputed waters.

China claims nearly the whole of the SCS.

They avoided mentioning China by name, but did specify the maritime issue in the statement in the hopes of keeping Beijing in check ahead of the arbitration, the sources said.

An undated photo shows the view of South China Sea.

“Manila must put aside the result of the arbitration in a substantive approach”, it quoted one source as saying.

Chinese analysts claim that the drills are meant for peacekeeping in the region while global observers believe China intends to flex its military muscles to show its defiance of the upcoming United Nations arbitration.

Liu said Beijing wanted to resolve the disputes through bilateral negotiations.