Full coverage: The South China Sea Issue

The Deputy director of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region basic law committee, Elsie Leung, has said the South China Sea arbitration is a violation of both China's territorial sovereignty and of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

"The award was as we expected, and the tribunal did not consider China's statement. It is unfair and one-sided, totally ignoring the facts. The islands in the South China Sea have been China's territory since ancient times. The arbitration did not respect China's sovereignty. This is unacceptable for all of China...We will do everything to protect our land," Leung said.