China: Manila mischaracterized sea issue in Hague case

By Mahmut Atanur

BEIJING (AA) - China has accused the Philippines of having “deliberately mischaracterized” disputes in the South China Sea, after an international tribunal ruled that Beijing's claims to areas of the resource-rich sea have no basis.

The accusation was included in a white paper published Wednesday by Beijing’s state council information office, a day after the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled in favor of Manila in a case it had filed against China in 2013.

Beijing claims sovereignty over around 90 percent of the sea, an area marked by a so-called “nine-dash line” on Chinese official maps, while the Philippines and other Asian nations have their own claims.

China, which has long insisted that the court lacks jurisdiction over issues of sovereignty and maritime delimitation, had responded to Tuesday’s verdict by declaring the award "null and void".

The white paper reiterated Wednesday Beijing’s stance that disputes in the east of the sea (which Manila refers to as the West Philippines Sea), should have been addressed through negotiations between the sides.

“China and the Philippines have not yet had any negotiation designed to settle their relevant disputes… The two countries have also made solemn commitment to settling relevant disputes through negotiation and consultation,” it said.

It accused Manila of having “turned its back on the above-mentioned consensus and commitment, and unilaterally initiated the South China Sea arbitration” and “deliberately mischaracterized and packaged the territorial issue”.

The Philippines' department of foreign affairs had welcomed Tuesday’s verdict.

"Our experts are studying the Award with the care and thoroughness that this significant arbitral outcome deserves. In the meantime, we call on all those concerned to exercise restraint and sobriety," a statement posted on its website said.

"The Philippines reiterates its abiding commitment to efforts to pursue the peaceful resolution and management of disputes with a view to promoting and enhancing peace and stability in the region."

The court ruled that there “was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to resources within the sea areas falling within the ‘nine-dash line’”.

It found that China had violated the Philippines’ sovereign rights by “interfering with Philippine fishing and petroleum exploration, constructing artificial islands and failing to prevent Chinese fishermen from fishing in the zone."

It said fishermen from the Philippines had traditional fishing rights in the Scarborough Shoal, in the east of the sea, and China had interfered with these rights by restricting access.

“The Tribunal further held that Chinese law enforcement vessels had unlawfully created a serious risk of collision when they physically obstructed Philippine vessels,” it added.

The South China Sea is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, believed to be sitting atop huge oil and gas deposits, but Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also consider some of the region’s waters, islands and reefs to be their territory.