Beijing renews attacks on landmark South China Sea tribunal on ruling’s 10th anniversary

Beijing has strongly denounced an international tribunal's ruling that rejected its extensive claims in the South China Sea, marking the 10th anniversary of the decision. A senior Chinese diplomat described the ruling as a significant impediment to China's relationship with the Philippines.

In an article published in the state-run People's Daily, Jing Quan, China's ambassador to the Philippines, stated that addressing the "lingering toxic legacy" of the tribunal's decision is an urgent priority. "The most important task for Manila today is to … abandon illusions and remove this stumbling block to allow bilateral relations to return to the right track," Jing wrote in the Communist Party mouthpiece. Beijing's broad assertions of sovereignty over nearly all islands, rock formations, and adjacent waters in the South China Sea have fueled long-standing disputes with neighboring countries, including the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei.

The Philippines initiated an arbitration case under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in 2013. The tribunal, based in The Hague, ultimately ruled that while it could not decide on sovereignty issues, Beijing's claims to historical and economic rights over most features in the South China Sea were invalid. This ruling has been a point of contention in regional diplomacy and maritime security discussions.

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The most important task for Manila today is to … abandon illusions and remove this stumbling block to allow bilateral relations to return to the right track.