U.S. Secretary of State Rubio said China's South China Sea claims have no basis in international law; China refutes his remarks as absurd.

After the talk, he turned his back on us! Rubio made outrageous remarks on the South China Sea issue! On July 13, U.S. Secretary of State Rubio claimed that the tribunal established under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) had "unanimously ruled" that China's expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea "have no basis in international law." Rubio stated that this ruling is "legally binding" for both the Philippines and China.

However, China has ignored this ruling all along, continuing to assert its "illegal" and expansionist maritime claims, and taking increasingly "provocative" actions against neighboring countries. The United States urged China to abide by the 2016 tribunal ruling and stop its "dangerous and destabilizing" behavior. Obviously, after meeting with our Foreign Minister, Rubio immediately made outrageous remarks on the South China Sea issue. However, Rubio's argument is extremely absurd.

First, a country that has not even joined the UNCLOS can talk about the convention. What right does the United States have? Why hasn't the United States joined the convention? Why? Second, the "South China Sea arbitration case" initiated unilaterally by the Philippines did not fulfill the necessary prerequisite of prior extensive consultation, violating the principle of consent of the parties, which is the basis of arbitration. Without prior consultation with us, does this meet the legal prerequisites for arbitration? In litigation, the two parties must exchange evidence beforehand, right? If such a basic procedure is not followed, how can such a ruling have any validity?

Third, territorial issues are not within the scope of the jurisdiction of the UNCLOS. The so-called "tribunal" uses the convention to handle territorial disputes. Is this a joke? Fourth, the largest island in the Nansha Islands, Taiping Island, with an area of 500,000 square meters, was determined as a rock. With such a huge factual misjudgment, how can this ruling be considered fair? The dispute between China and regional countries should be resolved through joint consultations between China and the regional countries. Why is the United States so actively involved? What is the purpose?

Is it not just to profit from it and disrupt the relations between China and its neighboring countries? The United States claims our claims are "illegal," but the United States itself is lawless, because the United States has never signed the convention. A North American country meddles in the affairs between China and Southeast Asian countries. Who is the one with expansionist tendencies? The United States has deployed the Typhoon system in the Philippines. Has China deployed an anti-missile system near the United States? The ruling we do not recognize is just a piece of paper. We will not comply with this ruling in a single word.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1837492054089737/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.