China protests to Japan over South China Sea ruling claims

China lodged a strong protest with Japan after Tokyo reaffirmed a decade-old arbitral ruling concerning the South China Sea. A Chinese Foreign Ministry official summoned Japan's charge d'affaires in Beijing to express "firm dissatisfaction and rejection" of Japan's stance, according to a statement released Sunday.

The Chinese ministry warned that Beijing would "resolutely and forcefully" counter Japan's "provocation" and "firmly defend" its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights. China also lodged protests regarding Taiwan, abandoned chemical weapons, and what it called "unfounded" statements by Japanese lawmakers on China's ethnic policies.

“

there is no legal basis whatsoever for China's 'expansive' maritime claims in the area

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi stated that the arbitral ruling clearly showed "no legal basis whatsoever" for China's "expansive" maritime claims. He added that China's refusal to accept the ruling contravenes the principle of peaceful dispute resolution. A joint statement from fourteen countries, including the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the Philippines, rejected "destabilizing actions" in the disputed waters, calling the Hague ruling a "significant, definitive, legally binding and conclusive milestone."

China claims sovereignty over nearly the entire South China Sea, a strategically vital region for global trade. The 2016 ruling invalidated the legal basis for several Chinese claims and supported parts of the Philippines' arguments. Beijing has consistently maintained that the ruling is "illegal, null and void, and without binding force."

“

a significant, definitive, legally binding and conclusive milestone