UNCLOS
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South China Sea Tensions Flare as Vietnam Files Stance to Court
Tensions over the South China Sea were reignited after Vietnam said it had submitted its stance on the dispute to the international arbitration tribunal reviewing the Philippines’ challenge against China’s claims. Vietnam has asked the arbitration court to take into account its legal rights and interests in the disputed sea region, spokesman Le Hai Binh, said in a foreign ministry…
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The propaganda war over maritime rights
‘China will work with other countries to further promote a harmonious maritime order.’ Even after years of studying the maritime tensions on China’s periphery, I had to check that I had not misread the 9 December Xinhua dispatch quoting Liu Jieyi, China’s Ambassador to the UN. These reassuring words come on the heels of a position paper issued just two…
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Rebutting China’s Claims
Two years after the Philippines initiated arbitration proceedings against China under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, China belatedly published in the web site of its Ministry of Foreign Affairs its official Position Paper on the arbitration. The Chinese position was divided into three. First, that the UNCLOS ad hoc arbitral tribunal has no subject matter jurisdiction…
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China condemns US report on South China Sea claims
China claims almost all the South China Sea, believed to be rich in minerals, oil and gas, which has become one of Asia’s biggest potential flashpoints. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan have competing and sometimes overlapping claims on parts of it. The US State Department report, issued on Friday, said that China’s claims were both unclear and inconsistent.…
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Why China Won’t Accept International Arbitration in the South China Sea
On December 7, China’s Foreign Ministry released a copy of China’ s position paper regarding the Philippines’ appeal to international arbitration over South China Sea disputes. It’s the first time China has outlined in detail its position regarding the case. China has long stated that it will not participate in or accept the results of the arbitration; the release of…
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Philippines runs crying to the UN like a big baby: China state media
The Philippines has been acting like a crying baby by seeking international arbitration over its territorial spats with China in the South China Sea. It may get fondness, but will not help settle the disputes. Despite strong objection from Beijing, Manila unilaterally initiated and has been pushing forward with the arbitral proceeding since January 2013. Some blindfolded have questioned China…
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Interview with FM official on Chinese gov’ t Position Paper on jurisdiction in South China Sea arbitration initiated by Philippines
BEIJING, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) — Xu Hong, Director-General of the Department of Treaty and Law of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, gave an interview to Xinhua on Sunday as the ministry was authorized to release a position paper of the Chinese government on the matter of jurisdiction in the South China Sea arbitration initiated by the Republic of the Philippines. The…
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China slams Philippines over South China Sea case
BEIJING – China has again rejected an attempt by the Philippines to challenge its territorial claims over the South China Sea through international arbitration, releasing a lengthy paper a week before a deadline for China to respond to the case. China prefers to settle its disputes with discussions with the countries directly involved. But the Philippines has filed a case…
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China denounces PH ‘pressure’ over sea dispute
BEIJING — (UPDATED) China denounced the Philippines on Sunday for putting it under pressure with an international arbitration case over disputed waters, and refused again to participate a week ahead of a deadline to respond in the case. In a position paper, China outlined its arguments against the jurisdiction of the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague to take…
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Regional tensions on display at Fifth Xiangshan Forum
Arbitration, ASEAN, China, Code of Conduct, Memorial, Philippines, Scarborough Shoal, South China Sea Dispute, UNCLOSLast week’s Fifth Xiangshan Forum in Beijing demonstrated just how difficult it will be to resolve disputes in the South China Sea as long as key parties believe history must arbitrate the veracity of claims to sovereignty over contested islands. Scholars, officials and military officers from all around Asia were present, including many from the claimant countries in territorial disputes…