bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

additionalInfoBoxes

quizIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Liu Zhen

Dewey Sim

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi restated Beijing’s rejection of the South China Sea arbitration ruling on Friday, the eve of the ruling’s ninth anniversary.
His comments came at a time of renewed tensions with the Philippines and growing speculation about a potential second legal challenge by Manila.
Wang dismissed the 2016 decision as a “farce”, saying the case – brought by Manila against Beijing’s claims and ruled on by a tribunal of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague – had been “orchestrated and manipulated by external powers”.
Their purpose “was to destabilise the South China Sea for their own benefit”, Wang said during the annual East Asian foreign ministers’ meetings in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
He said China was working to maintain stability in the region and had sped up negotiations on a binding South China Sea code of conduct with Asean.
“All attempts to stir up trouble or sow discord will ultimately fail,” he added.


On Saturday, the Chinese embassy in Manila similarly dismissed the arbitration ruling, calling it “a political circus dressed up as a legal action” – a description also used by Beijing last July 12.
In response to a question about the US ambassador to the Philippines recently calling the 2016 ruling final and legally binding, the Chinese embassy accused Manila of having “abused” the Unclos (UN Convention on the Law of the Sea) dispute settlement mechanism. It also described the ruling as “illegal, null and void”.
“The US ambassador and a few envoys have ignored facts and reversed right and wrong, annually roping in allies to play up the issue of the illegal award against China in a vain attempt to exert pressure on, and force China into accepting the award,” the embassy said in a statement posted to its website.
“It is widely recognised that the ‘arbitration case’ and the subsequent hype were orchestrated and manipulated by some forces outside the region, with the aim of disrupting peace in the South China Sea and serving their own interests.”
The Philippines is among several Association of Southeast Asian Nations members whose claims in the South China Sea overlap with those of Beijing.
Manila filed the arbitration case challenging Chinese claims in 2013, but Beijing refused to participate in the proceedings.
The court, in China’s absence, ruled on July 12, 2016, in support of most of the Philippines’ submissions. This included Manila’s contention that Beijing’s extensive maritime claim via the “nine-dash line” was invalid under Unclos.
Additionally, the court ruled that China’s land reclamation projects in the area were environmentally harmful.
The ruling also held that no land features in the disputed Spratly Islands could be classified as “islands”, meaning that China could not claim exclusive economic zones around the reefs it occupied, while the Philippines could extend its zone from its coastline to include those reefs.
Despite having signed Unclos in 1982 and ratified it in 1996, China strongly rejected the ruling. It also improved ties with former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte by “putting aside” the ruling during his 2016-2022 term.
However, tensions have escalated since Ferdinand Marcos Jnr succeeded Duterte as president in 2022, as he has taken a firmer stance on China and boosted ties with treaty ally the United States.
Manila is also reportedly considering filing a new UN arbitration case to address the maritime disputes with Beijing.
In his remarks on Friday, Wang repeated China’s declaration of “four noes” in the case – no acceptance, no participation, no recognition and no implementation.
He contended that the case addressed the issues of territorial sovereignty and maritime delimitation, which exceeded the jurisdiction of both Unclos and the arbitration tribunal’s authority.
China and other major world powers, he said, had excluded maritime delimitation when they joined the convention.
“The tribunal’s handling constituted an overreach, abusing the convention’s dispute resolution mechanism and undermining international maritime rule of law. They are violating the convention under the banner of the convention,” Wang said.
He added that the Philippines did not seek consultations with China before filing to the tribunal, and that therefore the initiation of the arbitration was legally flawed.
He also accused Manila of breaking its commitment to the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea that calls for disputes in the waterway to be solved through dialogue, as well as its bilateral promises to Beijing.


Tensions between the two sides have escalated significantly in recent years, with multiple clashes in the South China Sea involving Chinese coastguard and Philippine vessels, while closer US-Philippine military ties – including base access – have drawn sharp criticism from Beijing.
The Philippine foreign ministry on Saturday underlined the legitimacy of the Hague arbitration as it marked the ninth anniversary of the “landmark ruling”, describing it as an “illuminating precedent for states facing similarly challenging circumstances in the seas”.
“[It is] the clearest of reminders to the international community that the rule of law can be the great equaliser between and among nations, and serve as the bedrock of peace and stability for the international community,” the ministry said in a statement.
“The Arbitral Award will continue to be a cornerstone of Philippine maritime policy and the country’s unflinching advocacy for a rules-based order governed by international law.”


China, Vietnam set for first joint army drills as US trade war draws neighbours closer

35 dead as tourist boat capsizes in Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay

Philippines seeks economic strength as Marcos heads to US for Trump talks

South China Sea: China warns students to beware safety risks in Philippines

South China Sea

Wang Yi underlines Beijing’s rejection of 2016 South China Sea ruling

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the annual East Asian foreign ministers’ meetings in Kuala Lumpur on Friday. Photo: Xinhua

South China Sea: expect ‘more provocations’ from Manila, and Hanoi could be next

There is no sign of tensions easing over maritime disputes in the South China Sea, according to a Chinese analyst. Photo: Xinhua

Wu Shicun, founder of the National Institute for South China Sea Studies. Photo: China News Service via Getty Images

President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr has shifted the Philippines towards the US since he took office. Photo: EPA-EFE

Malaysia’s South China Sea defences set for fighter jet boost in ‘quiet’ military build-up

A US F/A-18 Super Hornet attack fighter jet taking off. 16. Washington has approved Malaysia’s request to acquire up to 33 used F/A-18C/D Hornet fighter jets from Kuwait. Photo: AFP

A Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force Xian Y-20 aircraft is spotted in the airspace over Malaysia’s maritime zone near the coast of Sarawak state on Borneo island in May 2021. Photo: Handout / Royal Malaysian Air Force / AFP

An oil platform operated by Petronas off the coast of Malaysia. Photo: Petronas Malaysia/AFP

South China Sea: US aircraft carrier marks American commitment but also ‘crowded’ region

The USS George Washington is seen berthing at Manila Bay on Thursday. Photo: AFP

US Navy aircraft carrier USS George Washington is pictured during trilateral exercise with Japan and South Korea in the East China Sea in  November 2024. Photo: Reuters

Philippines joins Japan’s ‘one-theatre’ plan against China sea threat

A member of the Philippine Navy looks out at the Japanese destroyer Takanami during a joint maritime exercise in the South China Sea on June 14. Photo: Jiji Press/AFP

Japanese Defence Minister Gen Nakatani (left) shakes hands with his Philippine counterpart Gilberto Teodoro before their talks in Singapore on June 1. Photo: Kyodo

A China coastguard ship near the Philippine-occupied island of Thitu in the South China Sea. Manila and Beijing have been embroiled in clashes over disputed shoals and atolls in the area. Photo: AFP

China’s ban on ex-Philippine senator won’t halt Manila’s South China Sea stance: experts

Philippine Senator Francis Tolentino speaks after taking oath as jurors in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte on June 10. Photo: Senate Social Media Unit/AP

Philippine scientists inspect Sandy Cay reef, near the Philippine-held Thitu Island, in the Spratly Islands, in disputed waters of the South China Sea. Photo: Philippine Coast Guard/AFP

China’s travel ban on ex-Philippine senator Francis Tolentino is unlikely to sway Manila’s South China Sea stance. Photo: AP

News

China

Asia

World

Chinese foreign minister says ruling was ‘manipulated by external powers’, while embassy in Manila dismisses it as ‘political circus’


Chinese foreign minister says ruling was ‘manipulated by external powers’, while embassy in Manila dismisses it as ‘political circus’.


China-Asean relations

Taiwan

The Philippines

Wang Yi