China does not recognize the ruling in the Philippines' lawsuit.

On October 30, the Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that China does not recognize the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) on whether the court has jurisdiction to hear the Philippines' lawsuit against China regarding disputes in the East Sea.

Photo of Fiery Cross Reef taken in August 2015 shows China is actively illegally reclaiming and militarizing the area. (Source: The Guardian)

Speaking at a press conference in Beijing, Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin affirmed that the PCA's ruling was "meaningless" and had no impact on China, so China would "not accept" and "not participate" in the court's trial process.

Previously, the PCA, based in The Hague (Netherlands), said that after reviewing the Philippines' lawsuit, the court rejected China's argument that the dispute was not actually under the PCA's jurisdiction.

According to the PCA, the case reflects "a dispute between the two countries concerning the interpretation and application of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)," and this matter falls under the PCA's jurisdiction.

In late July, China called on the Philippines to withdraw the lawsuit and return to bilateral negotiations.

According to VIETNAM+