(Photo courtesy of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
MANILA – Chinese Foreign Ministry spokersperson Hua Chunying asserted that China will not participate in the Philippines’ legal arbitration case in The Hague, in connection with the disputed Spratly Islands.
The tribunal court has been set to conduct hearing on the case next week. It would then question China’s jurisdiction and sovereignty over its reclaimed reefs, in compliance to the Law of the Sea.
“What the Philippines does is an obvious political provocation under the cloak of law,” Hua said in a press conference, noting that the Philippines was the first country among other claimants in the disputed waters to question China’s reclamation works.
“By negating China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea, the Philippines attempts to attain more illegal interests for itself and force China to make compromise on relevant issue,” Hua added.
The Foreign Ministry spokesperson then pointed out that the Philippines’ move was futile, scoffing off the country’s attempt to include other countries in the issue.
“We once again urge the Philippine side to discard illusions, meet China halfway and come back to the right track of resolving relevant disputes through negotiation and consultation,” Hua said.
Despite continuous calls of halt on its massive and rapid reclamation activities in the disputed reefs, China carried on with its projects and infrastructure building.
In fact, ‘facility building to fulfill relevant functions will be started in the next stage,’ according to Hua.
Meanwhile, the Philippines’ international legal team continued to prepare its arguments for the case amid China’s pressure to dismiss such attempt.
According to Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, however, even if the Philippines gets a favorable decision from the international court, the country could not expect to immediately regain reclaimed territories.
The court ruling would only be one step to a series of other steps the Philippines has to take should it aim for complete control over its islands in the disputed region.
“It will take time. We should look at this as a long-term struggle, even an inter-generational struggle,” Carpio said in an interview with GMA News TV.
“I think if we will win, the majority of the nations of the world will support us in that resolution. And we will do this every year until China complies,” he added, saying that the Philippines has to reach out ‘to the world community.’