China calls on Philippines to drop South China Sea lawsuit

China yesterday called on the Philippines to abandon efforts to resolve the South China Sea dispute at an international court and instead negotiate directly with Beijing.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying. Photo: Presstv

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying yesterday reiterated her opposition to the tribunal and said the country "will never accept unilateral attempts to rely on a third party to resolve disputes." Hua then called for resolving the dispute through negotiations and consultations.

The Philippines has asked the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) of the United Nations in The Hague, Netherlands to rule on China’s claim to almost the entire South China Sea. Manila asserts that Beijing is trampling on the rights of other countries. However, China says the court has no jurisdiction and refuses to participate.

The PCA began hearing the Philippines’ arguments on July 7 to determine whether it has jurisdiction over the case. The week-long hearing ended on July 13.

The tribunal, which operates under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, said Beijing has until August 17 to respond to the case and that it will issue a ruling this year.

Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose said they "have been preparing very carefully for the case from the beginning," VOA quoted him as saying. "We are cautiously optimistic and we certainly believe that the court has jurisdiction over the case."

According to VnExpress