China on Sunday summoned Japan’s envoy in Beijing and lodged a formal protest after Tokyo joined 13 other countries in reaffirming a landmark international ruling that rejected Beijing’s sweeping claims over the South China Sea. Accusing Japan of interfering in regional affairs and undermining peace and stability, China insisted that its sovereignty over the disputed waters has “never changed” despite the 2016 tribunal ruling.The diplomatic row erupted after Japan, along with the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, the Philippines and nine other countries, marked the 10th anniversary of the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s ruling by reiterating that China’s expansive maritime claims have “no legal basis” under international law. The European Union also separately endorsed the ruling, prompting an angry response from Beijing.
China summons Japanese envoy
China’s foreign ministry summoned the chief minister of the Japanese Embassy in Beijing to register what it described as “solemn representations” and express “strong dissatisfaction and protest” over Japan’s position.Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported that Beijing accused Tokyo of undermining regional peace and stability while challenging China’s territorial sovereignty in the South China Sea.Japanese foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi had earlier said China’s refusal to accept the 2016 ruling goes “against the principle of peaceful settlement of disputes” and “undermines the rule of law in the international community.” Beijing dismissed the remarks, insisting Japan has no standing in the dispute.“On July 12, Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi made a statement ten years after the “2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea.” The statement blatantly endorses the illegal “award,” attacks China’s lawful claims and mischaracterizes Japan as a “legitimate stakeholder who uses the South China Sea.” China strongly deplores and firmly opposes it,” the Chinese foreign ministry said, according to the China government’s mouthpeice Global Times.China also accused Japan of reviving its wartime ambitions.“Now decades later, Japan, in the name of a ‘stakeholder,’ is again attempting to meddle in the South China Sea. This reminds people of Japan’s history of aggression and expansion, and heightens their vigilance against Japan’s neo-militarism agenda,” the spokesperson said.
Why the row erupted
The diplomatic protest followed a joint statement by 14 countries reaffirming the July 12, 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, which concluded that China’s “nine-dash line” claim over most of the South China Sea has no legal basis under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).The United States, Australia, Canada, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, New Zealand, the Philippines, Romania, Slovenia and the United Kingdom described the ruling as “a significant milestone” that is “final, legally binding, and definitive between China and the Philippines with respect to the maritime entitlements and claims” examined by the tribunal.The countries reiterated that maritime disputes should be resolved peacefully under international law and opposed the use of military, coast guard and maritime militia forces to intimidate other states in the disputed waters.Separately, the 27-member European Union called the ruling a “landmark decision in the peaceful settlement of disputes.”
China rejects tribunal ruling
Beijing has consistently refused to recognise the 2016 arbitration award, arguing that the tribunal lacked jurisdiction and that China’s historical rights over the South China Sea remain valid.The Chinese foreign ministry again dismissed the ruling, describing it as “a piece of waste paper that is illegal, invalid and nonbinding.”China also urged other countries to stop “undermining peace and stability” in the South China Sea and respect what it called its territorial sovereignty.To reinforce its narrative, the Chinese Foreign Ministry released a video titled “What the South China Sea Waves Tell Us”, portraying the waterway as an inseparable part of Chinese civilisation and history.
Why the South China Sea matters
The South China Sea is among the world’s busiest maritime trade routes, with around one-third of global maritime trade passing through it every year. China claims most of the sea under its controversial “nine-dash line”, but those claims overlap with those of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.The 2016 arbitration case, brought by the Philippines, ruled that China had no historic rights over resources within the nine-dash line and that many of its actions violated UNCLOS. Although the ruling is legally binding, Beijing has ignored it and continued expanding its military and coast guard presence across the disputed waters.
