Chinese navy plays down South China Sea exercises

A joint naval drill between the US and the Philippines in the South China Sea, June 23, 2015. Beijing’s reaction was prompted by the comment of American State Undersecretary Daniel Russel that both claimants should respect and follow the decision of the arbitration body.

China has rejected all criticism over its actions, insisting it has undisputed sovereign rights to the sea.

China has since declared that it does not recognize nor will it follow the decision of the arbitration tribunal.

China has been seeking to resolve any disputes over the region on a bilateral basis with the respective countries involved.

The United States simply will not stand back and allow the government of China, still a one-party state ruled by the Communist Party, to use force or intimidation against smaller nations to get its way.

The Chinese ambassador issued the statement during a celebration to mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Republic of the Philippines and the People’s Republic of China or the night before the deadline for the Philippines to submit its written arguments to the UN tribunal.

“Attempting to push forward the arbitration unilaterally initiated by the Philippines, the US side just acts like an ‘arbiter outside the tribunal, ‘ designating the direction for the arbitral tribunal established at the request of the Philippines”, Russel said.

Lu said China’s stance is based on worldwide law and has been clearly stated in the position paper published by the Foreign Ministry in December last year in response to the arbitration. He further noted that the U.S. will not interfere with the proceedings and deliberation of the arbitration court. He added the his government would like all claimants to settle their disputes through legal and nonbelligerent means.

“Holding sea drills is a common practice for navies with various countries”.

Its place of neither accepting nor participating in the case at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague remains strong, claiming sovereignty of about 90 percent of the South China Sea, a territorial clash with the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Brunei.

China has become increasingly assertive in the South China Sea with rapid reclamation around reefs in the Spratly archipelago in particular sparking concern both in the region and in the United States.