China says that the South China Sea arbitration case unilaterally filed by the Philippines at the Hague has gone beyond the tribunal’s jurisdiction. 

Xu Hong, the Director of the Department of Treaty and Law of Foreign Ministry, said in a news briefing that China has the right not to participate in the arbitration, and will reject its decision.

He said this stance is consistent with international law, adding that the Philippines lacks legal evidence. Xu also slammed the countries that have “incited” the Philippines to file the arbitration. He said these countries do not want to solve problems in a peaceful way. He said China will not pay attention to those countries who abused the U.N. convention on the Law of the Sea to forcibly file the arbitration.

“The arbitration case filed by the Philippines has gone beyond the jurisdiction of the tribunal. When it comes to territorial sovereignty, the countries under the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea have the right to reject the arbitration,” Xu said.

“China has also made the exclusion statement earlier in 2006. Even through other ways, the Philippines should not have unilaterally initiated the arbitration, and the tribunal should not have accepted it. 

“China and the Philippines had reached agreements to settle the South China Sea issue through bilateral negotiations, but the Philippines had never exchanged views with China. All such acts violate international law. And this tribunal should not have existed in the first place.”