Tokyo raised pressure on Beijing at an Asia-Europe summit today to respect an international tribunal&#39;s ruling that dismissed its claims to much of the South China Sea. 
 
At a retreat outside the Mongolian capital Ulan Bator, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told the assembled leaders that the rule of law was &quot;a universal principle that the international community must firmly maintain&quot;, according to Japan&#39;s Jiji Press. 
 
&quot;I strongly hope the parties to the dispute comply with the award and lead to a peaceful solution of the dispute in South China Sea,&quot; he said. 
 
The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague on Tuesday ruled that there was no legal basis for Beijing&#39;s claims to much of the South China Sea, which are embodied in a &quot;nine-dash line&quot; that dates from 1940s maps and stretches close to other countries coasts. 
 
The ruling has proved a boon to Tokyo, which is embroiled in a separate territorial dispute of its own with Beijing and vies with it for influence across Asia. 
 
China boycotted the PCA hearings, saying the court had no jurisdiction, and has reacted furiously, vowing to ignore the ruling and arguing that it misinterprets international law. 
 
It also said the subject should not be brought up at the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in the Mongolian capital. 
 
But despite Chinese objections, the EU also weighed in on the subject, with President Donald Tusk telling reporters that the grouping &quot;will continue to speak out in support of upholding international law&quot;, adding that it had &quot;full confidence&quot; in the PCA and its decisions. 
 
&quot;It`s not so easy to agree with our Chinese partners when it comes to this issue&quot; he said. &quot;Our talks were difficult, tough, but also promising.&quot; 
 
The comments by Abe and Tusk today followed a blitz of meetings between the Japanese leader and officials from around the region, including his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Philippine Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay, on the summit sidelines as he sought to build consensus on the issue. 
 
Both countries have competing claims with Beijing in the strategically vital South China Sea, where tensions have mounted over the Asian giant&#39;s construction of artificial islands capable of supporting military operations and its claims on the region&#39;s marine resources. 
 
Manila, which brought the PCA case, has promised not to &quot;taunt or flaunt&quot; the verdict. 
 
But Japanese foreign ministry spokesman Yasuhisa Kawamura told AFP that in his meeting with Abe, Yasay agreed to &quot;closely cooperate&quot; at upcoming ASEAN-related conferences to ensure that the &quot;parties to the dispute comply with the final award of the tribunal&quot;. 
 
Leaders of the Southeast Asian grouping have so far failed to issue a statement on the ruling, reportedly due to objections from member states with close ties to China. 
 
In Abe&#39;s meeting with Phuc, the two leaders agreed that the tribunal&#39;s ruling should be observed, and Abe offered to increase cooperation on building Vietnam&#39;s maritime law enforcement capabilities, Kawamura said. 
 
Abe also brought his argument directly to Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during a heated 30-minute meeting Friday. 
 
Kawamura described the exchange as &quot;frank and candid&quot; and Chinese state media accounts described the Chinese leader telling Abe that Japan should &quot;stop hyping up and interfering&quot; in the dispute. 
 
Beijing had hoped to use the ASEM summit official theme &quot;Partnership for the Future through Connectivity&quot;, as an opportunity to showcase its global initiatives, such as the One Belt, One Road programme, an ambitious plan to build infrastructure projects across the Eurasian region. 
 
China has sought to assert its claims in the South China Sea by building a network of artificial islands capable of supporting military operations, and this week reiterated its right to declare an Air Defence Identification Zone in the area, which would demand civilian flights submit to the authority of its military. 
 
While the summit&#39;s final communique made no specific mention of the South China Sea, it said that leaders &quot;reaffirmed their commitment&quot; to maritime security and settling disputes according to the UN Convention on the Law of Sea. 
 
(AFP)

The Hague's verdict has benefitted Tokyo, which is embroiled in a separate territorial dispute of its own with China

Tokyo raised pressure on Beijing at an Asia-Europe summit today to respect an international tribunal's ruling that dismissed its claims to much of the South China Sea. At a retreat outside the Mongolian capital Ulan Bator, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told the assembled leaders that the rule of law was "a universal principle that the international community must firmly maintain", according to Japan's Jiji Press. "I strongly hope the parties to the dispute comply with the award and lead to a peaceful solution of the dispute in South China Sea," he said. The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague on Tuesday ruled that there was no legal basis for Beijing's claims to much of the South China Sea, which are embodied in a "nine-dash line" that dates from 1940s maps and stretches close to other countries coasts. The ruling has proved a boon to Tokyo, which is embroiled in a separate territorial dispute of its own with Beijing and vies with it for influence across Asia. China boycotted the PCA hearings, saying the court had no jurisdiction, and has reacted furiously, vowing to ignore the ruling and arguing that it misinterprets international law. It also said the subject should not be brought up at the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in the Mongolian capital. But despite Chinese objections, the EU also weighed in on the subject, with President Donald Tusk telling reporters that the grouping "will continue to speak out in support of upholding international law", adding that it had "full confidence" in the PCA and its decisions. "It`s not so easy to agree with our Chinese partners when it comes to this issue" he said. "Our talks were difficult, tough, but also promising." The comments by Abe and Tusk today followed a blitz of meetings between the Japanese leader and officials from around the region, including his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Philippine Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay, on the summit sidelines as he sought to build consensus on the issue. Both countries have competing claims with Beijing in the strategically vital South China Sea, where tensions have mounted over the Asian giant's construction of artificial islands capable of supporting military operations and its claims on the region's marine resources. Manila, which brought the PCA case, has promised not to "taunt or flaunt" the verdict. But Japanese foreign ministry spokesman Yasuhisa Kawamura told AFP that in his meeting with Abe, Yasay agreed to "closely cooperate" at upcoming ASEAN-related conferences to ensure that the "parties to the dispute comply with the final award of the tribunal". Leaders of the Southeast Asian grouping have so far failed to issue a statement on the ruling, reportedly due to objections from member states with close ties to China. In Abe's meeting with Phuc, the two leaders agreed that the tribunal's ruling should be observed, and Abe offered to increase cooperation on building Vietnam's maritime law enforcement capabilities, Kawamura said. Abe also brought his argument directly to Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during a heated 30-minute meeting Friday. Kawamura described the exchange as "frank and candid" and Chinese state media accounts described the Chinese leader telling Abe that Japan should "stop hyping up and interfering" in the dispute. Beijing had hoped to use the ASEM summit official theme "Partnership for the Future through Connectivity", as an opportunity to showcase its global initiatives, such as the One Belt, One Road programme, an ambitious plan to build infrastructure projects across the Eurasian region. China has sought to assert its claims in the South China Sea by building a network of artificial islands capable of supporting military operations, and this week reiterated its right to declare an Air Defence Identification Zone in the area, which would demand civilian flights submit to the authority of its military. While the summit's final communique made no specific mention of the South China Sea, it said that leaders "reaffirmed their commitment" to maritime security and settling disputes according to the UN Convention on the Law of Sea. (AFP)

Tokyo pressures Beijing on South China Sea ruling

Beijing&#39;s ambassador to the United States made a blunt rebuke Tuesday of an international tribunal ruling that rendered its claims in the South China Sea invalid. 
 
China asserts sovereignty over almost all of the strategically vital waters, despite rival claims from its Southeast Asian neighbors, most notably the Philippines. 
 
The decision by the UN-backed tribunal in The Hague &quot;will certainly undermine or weaken the motivation of states to engage in negotiations and consultations for solving their dispute,&quot; Ambassador Cui Tiankai said. 
 
&quot;It will certainly intensify conflicts and even confrontation,&quot; he added, speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. 
 
&quot;In the end, it will undermine the authority and effectiveness of international law.&quot; 
 
The envoy also warned that the Permanent Court of Arbitration&#39;s ruling &quot;will probably open the door of abusing arbitration procedures.&quot; 
 
China&#39;s claims, which include waters approaching neighboring countries, are based on a vaguely defined &quot;nine-dash-line&quot; found on a 1940&#39;s Chinese map. 
 
The row has embroiled the United States, which has deployed aircraft carriers and a host of other vessels to assert freedom of navigation in the waters -- through which a third of the global oil trade passes. 
 
Criticising the American show of force in the region, Cui warned it could lead to conflict. 
 
&quot;Intensified military activities so close to Chinese islands and reefs or even entering the neighboring waters of these islands and reefs, these activities certainly have the risk of leading to some conflict,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;I am quite sure they will have the effect of destabilising regional stability,&quot; the ambassador added. 
 
&quot;If armed conflict started, everybody&#39;s interest would be hurt, including our interest and I am sure the interests of the USA.&quot; 
 
The envoy blamed Washington&#39;s pivot to Asia under President Barack Obama for increased tensions. 
 
&quot;Tensions started to rise five to six years ago, about the same time we began to hear from the so-called pivoting to Asia,&quot; Cui said. 
 
&quot;Disputes intensified, relations strained, confidence weakened.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

'In the end, it will undermine the authority and effectiveness of international law,' Ambassador Cui Tiankai said

Beijing's ambassador to the United States made a blunt rebuke Tuesday of an international tribunal ruling that rendered its claims in the South China Sea invalid. China asserts sovereignty over almost all of the strategically vital waters, despite rival claims from its Southeast Asian neighbors, most notably the Philippines. The decision by the UN-backed tribunal in The Hague "will certainly undermine or weaken the motivation of states to engage in negotiations and consultations for solving their dispute," Ambassador Cui Tiankai said. "It will certainly intensify conflicts and even confrontation," he added, speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "In the end, it will undermine the authority and effectiveness of international law." The envoy also warned that the Permanent Court of Arbitration's ruling "will probably open the door of abusing arbitration procedures." China's claims, which include waters approaching neighboring countries, are based on a vaguely defined "nine-dash-line" found on a 1940's Chinese map. The row has embroiled the United States, which has deployed aircraft carriers and a host of other vessels to assert freedom of navigation in the waters -- through which a third of the global oil trade passes. Criticising the American show of force in the region, Cui warned it could lead to conflict. "Intensified military activities so close to Chinese islands and reefs or even entering the neighboring waters of these islands and reefs, these activities certainly have the risk of leading to some conflict," he said. "I am quite sure they will have the effect of destabilising regional stability," the ambassador added. "If armed conflict started, everybody's interest would be hurt, including our interest and I am sure the interests of the USA." The envoy blamed Washington's pivot to Asia under President Barack Obama for increased tensions. "Tensions started to rise five to six years ago, about the same time we began to hear from the so-called pivoting to Asia," Cui said. "Disputes intensified, relations strained, confidence weakened." (AFP)

South China Sea ruling will 'intensify conflict': Chinese envoy to US

China warned rivals on Wednesday against turning the South China Sea into a &quot;cradle of war&quot; and threatened an air defence zone there, after its claims to the strategically vital waters were declared invalid. 
 
The surprisingly strong and sweeping ruling by a UN-backed tribunal in The Hague provided powerful diplomatic ammunition to the Philippines, which filed the challenge, and other claimants in their decades-long disputes with China over the resource-rich waters.&nbsp; 
 
China reacted furiously to Tuesday&#39;s decision, insisting it had historical rights over the sea while launching a volley of thinly veiled warnings at the United States and other critical nations. 
 
&quot;Do not turn the South China Sea into a cradle of war,&quot; vice foreign minister Liu Zhenmin told reporters in Beijing, as he described the ruling as waste paper. 
 
Liu also said China had &quot;the right&quot; to establish an air defence identification zone over the sea, which would give the Chinese military authority over foreign aircraft.&nbsp; 
 
A similar zone set up in 2013 in the East China Sea riled Japan, the United States and its allies. 
 
&quot;Whether we need to set up one in the South China Sea depends on the level of threat we receive,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;We hope other countries will not take the chance to blackmail China.&quot; 
 
The Chinese ambassador to the United States, Cui Tiankai, was even more blunt. 
 
&quot;It will certainly intensify conflicts and even confrontation,&quot; Cui said in Washington on Tuesday.&nbsp; 
 
And the ruling Communist Party&#39;s mouthpiece, the People&#39;s Daily, said on Wednesday that China was prepared to take &quot;all measures necessary&quot; to protect its interests.&nbsp; 
 
China justifies its sovereignty claims by saying it was the first to have discovered, named, and exploited the sea, and outlines its claims for most of the waterway using a vague map made up of nine dashes that emerged in the 1940&#39;s. 
 
Those claims overlap with those of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan.&nbsp; 
 
Manila, under previous president Benigno Aquino, launched the legal case in 2013 after China took control of Scarborough Shoal, a rich fishing ground within the Philippines&#39; exclusive economic zone and far away from the nearest major Chinese landmass. 
 
China has also in recent years built giant artificial islands capable of hosting military installations and airstrips in the Spratlys archipelago, one of the biggest groups of features in the sea. 
 
Aside from stating that China&#39;s historical rights were without &quot;legal basis&quot;, the tribunal ruled that its artificial island building and the blocking of Filipino fishermen at Scarborough Shoal were unlawful.The Philippines, under new President Rodrigo Duterte, declined to celebrate the verdict. 
 
&quot;We have to be magnanimous in victory,&quot; Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay told reporters in Manila on Wednesday. 
 
&quot;In very delicate matters like this, you cannot be provocative in statements. We urge everybody including China to exercise restraint and sobriety.&quot; 
 
Duterte has repeatedly said he wants to improve relations with China, which plummeted under Aquino because of the dispute, and that he would seek Chinese investment for major infrastructure projects such as a railway for the impoverished southern Philippines. 
 
He is open to direct talks with China aimed at achieving a long-awaited code of conduct among rival claimants for the sea. China has long wanted to negotiate directly, and analysts said dialogue rather than conflict was the most likely scenario. 
 
Yet a military build-up in the sea continued. 
 
China launched naval drills in the northern areas before the verdict, while the US Pacific Command said it had deployed an aircraft carrier for flights to support &quot;security&quot; in the sea. 
 
Taiwan, which was another loser in the verdict as its claims are very similar to those of China, sent a warship on Wednesday to the sea to protect its claims.&nbsp; 
 
Indonesia also announced it would sharply strengthen security around its islands in the sea, where there have been clashes with Chinese vessels recently. 
 
China used deadly force to seize control of the Paracel Islands from South Vietnam in 1974, and Johnson Reef from a united Vietnam in 1988. 
 
China faced immediate pressure to abide by the ruling from Western powers, which insist they have legitimate interests in the dispute because of the need to maintain &quot;freedom of navigation&quot; in waters that host more than $5 trillion in shipping trade annually. 
 
The United States emphasised that China, as a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, should accept the verdict. 
 
&quot;As provided in the convention, the tribunal&#39;s decision is final and legally binding on both China and the Philippines,&quot; State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters in Washington. 
 
Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop warned China there would be &quot;strong reputational costs&quot; for ignoring the ruling, as she called for Chinese island building to end. 
 
(AFP)

'Whether we need to set up one in the South China Sea depends on the level of threat we receive,' said vice foreign minister Liu Zhenmin

China warned rivals on Wednesday against turning the South China Sea into a "cradle of war" and threatened an air defence zone there, after its claims to the strategically vital waters were declared invalid. The surprisingly strong and sweeping ruling by a UN-backed tribunal in The Hague provided powerful diplomatic ammunition to the Philippines, which filed the challenge, and other claimants in their decades-long disputes with China over the resource-rich waters. China reacted furiously to Tuesday's decision, insisting it had historical rights over the sea while launching a volley of thinly veiled warnings at the United States and other critical nations. "Do not turn the South China Sea into a cradle of war," vice foreign minister Liu Zhenmin told reporters in Beijing, as he described the ruling as waste paper. Liu also said China had "the right" to establish an air defence identification zone over the sea, which would give the Chinese military authority over foreign aircraft. A similar zone set up in 2013 in the East China Sea riled Japan, the United States and its allies. "Whether we need to set up one in the South China Sea depends on the level of threat we receive," he said. "We hope other countries will not take the chance to blackmail China." The Chinese ambassador to the United States, Cui Tiankai, was even more blunt. "It will certainly intensify conflicts and even confrontation," Cui said in Washington on Tuesday. And the ruling Communist Party's mouthpiece, the People's Daily, said on Wednesday that China was prepared to take "all measures necessary" to protect its interests. China justifies its sovereignty claims by saying it was the first to have discovered, named, and exploited the sea, and outlines its claims for most of the waterway using a vague map made up of nine dashes that emerged in the 1940's. Those claims overlap with those of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan. Manila, under previous president Benigno Aquino, launched the legal case in 2013 after China took control of Scarborough Shoal, a rich fishing ground within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone and far away from the nearest major Chinese landmass. China has also in recent years built giant artificial islands capable of hosting military installations and airstrips in the Spratlys archipelago, one of the biggest groups of features in the sea. Aside from stating that China's historical rights were without "legal basis", the tribunal ruled that its artificial island building and the blocking of Filipino fishermen at Scarborough Shoal were unlawful.The Philippines, under new President Rodrigo Duterte, declined to celebrate the verdict. "We have to be magnanimous in victory," Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay told reporters in Manila on Wednesday. "In very delicate matters like this, you cannot be provocative in statements. We urge everybody including China to exercise restraint and sobriety." Duterte has repeatedly said he wants to improve relations with China, which plummeted under Aquino because of the dispute, and that he would seek Chinese investment for major infrastructure projects such as a railway for the impoverished southern Philippines. He is open to direct talks with China aimed at achieving a long-awaited code of conduct among rival claimants for the sea. China has long wanted to negotiate directly, and analysts said dialogue rather than conflict was the most likely scenario. Yet a military build-up in the sea continued. China launched naval drills in the northern areas before the verdict, while the US Pacific Command said it had deployed an aircraft carrier for flights to support "security" in the sea. Taiwan, which was another loser in the verdict as its claims are very similar to those of China, sent a warship on Wednesday to the sea to protect its claims. Indonesia also announced it would sharply strengthen security around its islands in the sea, where there have been clashes with Chinese vessels recently. China used deadly force to seize control of the Paracel Islands from South Vietnam in 1974, and Johnson Reef from a united Vietnam in 1988. China faced immediate pressure to abide by the ruling from Western powers, which insist they have legitimate interests in the dispute because of the need to maintain "freedom of navigation" in waters that host more than $5 trillion in shipping trade annually. The United States emphasised that China, as a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, should accept the verdict. "As provided in the convention, the tribunal's decision is final and legally binding on both China and the Philippines," State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters in Washington. Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop warned China there would be "strong reputational costs" for ignoring the ruling, as she called for Chinese island building to end. (AFP)

China threatens air defence zone in South China Sea

An international tribunal&#39;s ruling denying China&#39;s claims in the South China Sea will &quot;intensify conflict and even confrontation,&quot; Beijing&#39;s ambassador to the United States said today. 
 
The ambassador, Cui Tiankai, also told an international forum in Washington that Beijing remains committed to negotiations with other parties in disputes over the vital trade route. 
 
In a case that was seen as a test of China&#39;s rising power and its economic and strategic rivalry with the United States, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled China had breached the Philippines&#39; sovereign rights by endangering its ships and fishing and oil projects in the energy-rich region.&nbsp; 
 
The Chinese diplomat blamed the rise in tension in the region on the United States&#39; &quot;pivot&quot; toward Asia in the past few years. Cui said the arbitration case &quot;will probably open the door of abusing arbitration procedures&quot;. 
 
&quot;It will certainly undermine and weaken the motivation of states to engage in negotiations and consultations for solving their disputes,&quot; Cui said. &quot;It will certainly intensify conflict and even confrontation.&quot; 
 
China boycotted the arbitration hearings and described them as a farce. Legal experts and Asia policy specialists said China risked violating international law if it continued to strike a defiant tone and ignored the ruling. 
 
The United States, which China has accused of fuelling tensions and militarising the region with patrols and exercises, said the ruling should be treated as final and binding. 
 
&quot;We certainly would urge all parties not to use this as an opportunity to engage in escalatory or provocative action,&quot; White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters in a briefing.&nbsp; 
 
The ruling is significant as it is the first time that a legal challenge has been brought in the dispute. The court has no power of enforcement, but a victory for the Philippines could spur Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei to file similar cases on their claims to the waters. 
 
China&#39;s foreign ministry rejected the tribunal&#39;s ruling, saying its people had more than 2,000 years of history in the South China Sea, that its islands did have exclusive economic zones and that it had announced to the world its &quot;dotted line&quot; map in 1948. 
 
Ambassador Cui told the CSIS forum that China &quot;will do everything possible to safeguard the unimpeded flow of commerce and stop any attempt to destabilize the region&quot;. 
 
Crossroads 
 
The Philippines said it was studying the ruling.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We call on all those concerned to exercise restraint and sobriety,&quot; foreign affairs secretary Perfecto Yasay told a news conference.&nbsp; 
US state department spokesman John Kirby said Washington has seen signs in recent weeks of continued militarisation by China in the South China Sea.&nbsp; 
 
President Barack Obama&#39;s top Asia policy adviser, Daniel Kritenbrink, said the United States had no interest in stirring tensions in the South China Sea as a pretext for involvement in the region. 
 
&quot;We have an enduring interest in seeing territorial and maritime disputes in the Asia Pacific, including in the South China Sea, resolved peacefully, without coercion and in a manner that is consistent with international law,&quot; Kritenbrink said at a forum of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). 
 
US ally Australia warned against &quot;unilateral actions&quot; by any claimants.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Australia will continue to exercise our international law rights to freedom of navigation and overflight, and support the right of others to do so,&quot; foreign minister Julie Bishop said in a statement. 
 
International law experts described the ruling as a legal blow to Beijing&#39;s claims in the disputed waters and one that brought the United States, China and Southeast Asia to a dangerous crossroads. 
 
&quot;This is a tactical victory for the Philippines and a strategic defeat for international law,&quot; said Chas Freeman, a former US diplomat who was then-President Richard Nixon&rsquo;s interpreter on his historic trip to China in 1972. 
 
&quot;This decision has left the issue in the condition where it can only be resolved by the use of force. There is no diplomatic process underway to settle claims, and now there&#39;s no longer a legal process,&quot; Freeman said. 
 
Julia Guifang Xue, a professor of international law at Shanghai Jiao Tong University said that given Beijing&#39;s sensitivity about sovereignty and security &quot;we won&#39;t be surprised to see some kind of renewed effort by China to consolidate its claim in the area&quot;. 
 
US officials have previously said they feared China may respond to the ruling by declaring an air defence identification zone in the South China Sea, as it did in the East China Sea in 2013, or by stepping up its building and fortification of artificial islands. 
 
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on all parties to resolve the disputes in a &quot;peaceful and amicable manner through dialogue and in conformity with international law&quot;. 
 
China claims most of the energy-rich waters through which about $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. 
 
Finding for the Philippines on a number of issues, the court said there was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to resources within its so-called nine-dash line, which covers almost 90 per cent of the South China Sea. 
 
None of China&#39;s reefs and holdings in the Spratly Islands entitled it to a 200-mile exclusive economic zone, it added.&nbsp; 
 
The judges acknowledged China&#39;s refusal to participate, but said they sought to take account of China&#39;s position from its statements and diplomatic correspondence.&nbsp; 
 
Taiwan, which maintains that the island it occupies, Itu Aba, is legally the only island among hundreds of reefs, shoals and atolls scattered across the seas, said it did not accept the ruling, which seriously impaired Taiwan&#39;s territorial rights in the 3.5 million square kilometre sea. 
 
Fellow claimant Malaysia said it believed disputes could be resolved by diplomatic and legal processes.&nbsp; 
 
A US official who helps set the administration&#39;s Asia policies said that faced with the prospect of continuing Chinese assertiveness, it is important for countries in the region and for the United States to avoid provocative actions and leave the door open for Beijing to pursue peaceful solutions &quot;and avoid making matters worse&quot;. 
 
He also said, however, that the United States must honour its defence commitments in the Pacific and reassure the Philippines, Vietnam and China&rsquo;s other neighbours that it would not abandon them or Obama&rsquo;s pledge to devote more resources to Asian security. 
 
(Reuters)

Legal experts say the ruling brings the United States, China and Southeast Asia to a 'dangerous crossroad'

An international tribunal's ruling denying China's claims in the South China Sea will "intensify conflict and even confrontation," Beijing's ambassador to the United States said today. The ambassador, Cui Tiankai, also told an international forum in Washington that Beijing remains committed to negotiations with other parties in disputes over the vital trade route. In a case that was seen as a test of China's rising power and its economic and strategic rivalry with the United States, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled China had breached the Philippines' sovereign rights by endangering its ships and fishing and oil projects in the energy-rich region. The Chinese diplomat blamed the rise in tension in the region on the United States' "pivot" toward Asia in the past few years. Cui said the arbitration case "will probably open the door of abusing arbitration procedures". "It will certainly undermine and weaken the motivation of states to engage in negotiations and consultations for solving their disputes," Cui said. "It will certainly intensify conflict and even confrontation." China boycotted the arbitration hearings and described them as a farce. Legal experts and Asia policy specialists said China risked violating international law if it continued to strike a defiant tone and ignored the ruling. The United States, which China has accused of fuelling tensions and militarising the region with patrols and exercises, said the ruling should be treated as final and binding. "We certainly would urge all parties not to use this as an opportunity to engage in escalatory or provocative action," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters in a briefing. The ruling is significant as it is the first time that a legal challenge has been brought in the dispute. The court has no power of enforcement, but a victory for the Philippines could spur Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei to file similar cases on their claims to the waters. China's foreign ministry rejected the tribunal's ruling, saying its people had more than 2,000 years of history in the South China Sea, that its islands did have exclusive economic zones and that it had announced to the world its "dotted line" map in 1948. Ambassador Cui told the CSIS forum that China "will do everything possible to safeguard the unimpeded flow of commerce and stop any attempt to destabilize the region". Crossroads The Philippines said it was studying the ruling. "We call on all those concerned to exercise restraint and sobriety," foreign affairs secretary Perfecto Yasay told a news conference. US state department spokesman John Kirby said Washington has seen signs in recent weeks of continued militarisation by China in the South China Sea. President Barack Obama's top Asia policy adviser, Daniel Kritenbrink, said the United States had no interest in stirring tensions in the South China Sea as a pretext for involvement in the region. "We have an enduring interest in seeing territorial and maritime disputes in the Asia Pacific, including in the South China Sea, resolved peacefully, without coercion and in a manner that is consistent with international law," Kritenbrink said at a forum of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). US ally Australia warned against "unilateral actions" by any claimants. "Australia will continue to exercise our international law rights to freedom of navigation and overflight, and support the right of others to do so," foreign minister Julie Bishop said in a statement. International law experts described the ruling as a legal blow to Beijing's claims in the disputed waters and one that brought the United States, China and Southeast Asia to a dangerous crossroads. "This is a tactical victory for the Philippines and a strategic defeat for international law," said Chas Freeman, a former US diplomat who was then-President Richard Nixon’s interpreter on his historic trip to China in 1972. "This decision has left the issue in the condition where it can only be resolved by the use of force. There is no diplomatic process underway to settle claims, and now there's no longer a legal process," Freeman said. Julia Guifang Xue, a professor of international law at Shanghai Jiao Tong University said that given Beijing's sensitivity about sovereignty and security "we won't be surprised to see some kind of renewed effort by China to consolidate its claim in the area". US officials have previously said they feared China may respond to the ruling by declaring an air defence identification zone in the South China Sea, as it did in the East China Sea in 2013, or by stepping up its building and fortification of artificial islands. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on all parties to resolve the disputes in a "peaceful and amicable manner through dialogue and in conformity with international law". China claims most of the energy-rich waters through which about $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. Finding for the Philippines on a number of issues, the court said there was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to resources within its so-called nine-dash line, which covers almost 90 per cent of the South China Sea. None of China's reefs and holdings in the Spratly Islands entitled it to a 200-mile exclusive economic zone, it added. The judges acknowledged China's refusal to participate, but said they sought to take account of China's position from its statements and diplomatic correspondence. Taiwan, which maintains that the island it occupies, Itu Aba, is legally the only island among hundreds of reefs, shoals and atolls scattered across the seas, said it did not accept the ruling, which seriously impaired Taiwan's territorial rights in the 3.5 million square kilometre sea. Fellow claimant Malaysia said it believed disputes could be resolved by diplomatic and legal processes. A US official who helps set the administration's Asia policies said that faced with the prospect of continuing Chinese assertiveness, it is important for countries in the region and for the United States to avoid provocative actions and leave the door open for Beijing to pursue peaceful solutions "and avoid making matters worse". He also said, however, that the United States must honour its defence commitments in the Pacific and reassure the Philippines, Vietnam and China’s other neighbours that it would not abandon them or Obama’s pledge to devote more resources to Asian security. (Reuters)

South China Sea ruling will 'intensify conflict', says Chinese envoy

A Taiwanese warship set sail for the South China Sea on Wednesday &quot;to defend Taiwan&#39;s maritime territory&quot;, a day after an international tribunal ruled China has no historic rights in the waterway and undermined Taipei&#39;s claims to islands there. 
 
President Tsai Ing-wen rallied troops on the deck of the frigate, saying Taiwanese were determined to &quot;defend their country&#39;s rights&quot;, before the warship headed for Taiwan-controlled Taiping island in the Spratly island chain from the southern city of Kaohsiung. 
 
The Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague ruled on Tuesday that China has no historic rights to its claimed &quot;nine-dash line&quot; and that it had violated the Philippines&#39; sovereign rights in the exclusive economic zone. 
 
Crucially for Taipei, it ruled that Taiwan-administered Taiping, the largest island in the Spratlys chain, was legally a &quot;rock&quot; that did not give it an exclusive economic zone, undermining Taiwanese claims to waters surrounding the island. 
 
Taiwan&#39;s government said the ruling was &quot;completely unacceptable&quot; and had no legally binding force since the arbitral tribunal did not formally invite Taipei to participate in its proceedings or solicit its views. 
 
&quot;The South China Sea ruling, especially the categorisation of Taiping island, has severely jeopardised our country&#39;s rights in the South China Sea islands and their relevant waters,&quot; Tsai told soldiers on the deck of ship in footage broadcast by news channels. 
 
&quot;This patrol mission will show Taiwanese people&#39;s determination to defend their country&#39;s rights,&quot; she said, before disembarking from the warship ahead of its departure.&nbsp; 
 
The defence ministry vowed to &quot;firmly defend Taiwan&#39;s territory and sovereignty&quot; and said there would be no change to Taiwan&#39;s claims in the strategic seas because of the ruling. 
 
It brought the deployment of the warship forward by a day in reaction to the ruling. 
 
The ministry said in a statement it would continue to send aircraft and ships for patrol missions to the region and remain &quot;highly vigilant&quot; to protect national security.&nbsp; 
 
Tsai&#39;s predecessor Ma Ying-jeou visited Taiping in January to press Taiwan&#39;s claims and show that Taiping is an island, not a rock, in a move that triggered criticism from the United States as well as protests from Vietnam and the Philippines. 
 
The Spratlys are also claimed in part or whole by China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP)

President Tsai Ing-wen rallied troops on the deck of the frigate, saying Taiwanese were determined to 'defend their country's rights'

A Taiwanese warship set sail for the South China Sea on Wednesday "to defend Taiwan's maritime territory", a day after an international tribunal ruled China has no historic rights in the waterway and undermined Taipei's claims to islands there. President Tsai Ing-wen rallied troops on the deck of the frigate, saying Taiwanese were determined to "defend their country's rights", before the warship headed for Taiwan-controlled Taiping island in the Spratly island chain from the southern city of Kaohsiung. The Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague ruled on Tuesday that China has no historic rights to its claimed "nine-dash line" and that it had violated the Philippines' sovereign rights in the exclusive economic zone. Crucially for Taipei, it ruled that Taiwan-administered Taiping, the largest island in the Spratlys chain, was legally a "rock" that did not give it an exclusive economic zone, undermining Taiwanese claims to waters surrounding the island. Taiwan's government said the ruling was "completely unacceptable" and had no legally binding force since the arbitral tribunal did not formally invite Taipei to participate in its proceedings or solicit its views. "The South China Sea ruling, especially the categorisation of Taiping island, has severely jeopardised our country's rights in the South China Sea islands and their relevant waters," Tsai told soldiers on the deck of ship in footage broadcast by news channels. "This patrol mission will show Taiwanese people's determination to defend their country's rights," she said, before disembarking from the warship ahead of its departure. The defence ministry vowed to "firmly defend Taiwan's territory and sovereignty" and said there would be no change to Taiwan's claims in the strategic seas because of the ruling. It brought the deployment of the warship forward by a day in reaction to the ruling. The ministry said in a statement it would continue to send aircraft and ships for patrol missions to the region and remain "highly vigilant" to protect national security. Tsai's predecessor Ma Ying-jeou visited Taiping in January to press Taiwan's claims and show that Taiping is an island, not a rock, in a move that triggered criticism from the United States as well as protests from Vietnam and the Philippines. The Spratlys are also claimed in part or whole by China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei. (AFP)

Taiwan sends warship to South China Sea to defend its 'maritime territory'

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Taiwan sends warship to South China Sea to defend its 'maritime territory'