China urges Philippines to withdraw lawsuit over 'cow tongue line'

China today called on the Philippines to withdraw its lawsuit at the United Nations arbitration court over the "nine-dash line" in the East Sea and return to the bilateral negotiating table.

Zhao Jianhua, Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines. Photo: Philstar

"I certainly hope for that, that the Philippine side will sit down with us for a peaceful negotiation," Zhao Jianhua, China's ambassador to the Philippines, said today when asked whether Manila should withdraw the case at the court in The Hague, Netherlands.

"Negotiation may require patience and take time, but it is the only way, a peaceful solution through bilateral dialogue," the Chinese ambassador said.

China has for years insisted that disputes with countries with overlapping claims in the South China Sea should be resolved bilaterally. However, its claims were first legally challenged when the International Court of Arbitration in the Netherlands began hearing a case filed by the Philippines in 2013.

A Philippine legal team, including two American lawyers, argued before the arbitration court this month that the dispute is governed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, a document both countries have signed. The Philippines is seeking to exercise its right to exploit its 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone from its shores, as defined by the convention.

China has refused to participate in the case. It issued a position paper in December last year, arguing that the dispute is not covered by the convention because it is a matter of sovereignty, not exploitation rights.

According to Vnexpress