China has sharply criticized the United Kingdom following a joint statement on the South China Sea. Beijing described the document as interference in China’s internal affairs and once again rejected the international arbitration ruling.
The Chinese Embassy in the UK lodged a strong protest over the joint statement issued by London and several other countries to mark the tenth anniversary of the South China Sea arbitration award.
According to Beijing, the statement ignores historical and legal facts while endorsing a ruling that China considers illegal, null and void, and without any binding legal effect. Chinese officials argue that the arbitration violated fundamental principles of international law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
The embassy also stressed that the United Kingdom is not a party to the territorial dispute and therefore has no standing to comment on China’s sovereignty or its maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea.
It is worth recalling that the arbitration ruling, issued in 2016 in a case brought by the Philippines, rejected the legal basis for many of China’s claims in the South China Sea. Beijing has refused to recognize the ruling from the outset and continues to maintain its longstanding position.
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