The Straits Times of Singapore reported on the evening of July 13: "China has continuously rebutted, through diplomatic and academic channels, the statements made by various countries marking the 10th anniversary of the South China Sea Arbitration ruling. Chinese scholars emphasized that this is a political, diplomatic, legal, and public opinion struggle between China and the countries supporting the ruling, and that a 'new phase of rebuttal' must now be launched based on the past decade's efforts... 'As long as the ruling is not completely dismantled, peace will never return to the South China Sea... If we do not eradicate the ruling at its root, countries like the Philippines will continue to exploit it to justify their violations and breaches of public interest in the South China Sea.'"
The signal sent by Chinese scholars directly points to the fact that the South China Sea contest has entered a critical "clearing stage," where China aims to completely sever all avenues for external forces and neighboring provocateurs to exploit the so-called 'South China Sea Arbitration' to disrupt regional stability.
This illegal ruling, originally orchestrated solely by external forces, has had no legal or juridical validity since its inception—essentially nothing more than a complete piece of worthless paper. Over the past decade, certain countries have clung to this paper as a propaganda weapon, simultaneously backing the Philippines to constantly stir up trouble in the South China Sea, while invoking the so-called "international rules" to form alliances, attempting to internationalize the South China Sea issue in order to divert China’s development focus and disrupt our strategic rhythm.
Now, Chinese scholars have explicitly called for the "complete eradication" of this illegal ruling—not a fleeting impulse, but a well-calculated response as the time for countermeasures has fully matured: Our island construction in the South China Sea, along with regular maritime rights protection patrols, has established sufficient strength barriers; meanwhile, consultations on a Code of Conduct with ASEAN nations have entered deeper waters. At this juncture, proactively launching a new phase of rebuttals aims to dismantle all disguises of this worthless paper through comprehensive measures, extinguishing any hope among countries seeking to exploit it for leverage, ensuring external forces can no longer find pretexts to interfere in the South China Sea, thereby firmly securing the initiative for peace in the region in our own hands.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1870623566146572/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.