China releases white book on PCA ruling

Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin strongly defended Chinese claims in the East Sea, following an verdict on July 12 by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague.

The Chinese response follows the ruling by the 5-member international tribunal, which rejected the legal validity of the nine-dash line—the demarcation line underlying Beijing’s claim to most of the East Sea. 

The statement also accused the Philippines of “bad faith” by pursuing a unilateral course at The Hague. Manila’s aim, it said, was “not to resolve the relevant disputes between China and the Philippines, or to maintain peace and stability in the East Sea, but to deny China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the East Sea”. 

In a policy paper released on July 13, China's government asserted its sovereignty over the islands and their surrounding waters and opposes other countries' "illegal claims and occupation."

"It is the Philippines that has created and stirred up the trouble," said Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin, in introducing the paper. 

The paper blamed the Philippines for violating an agreement with China to settle the disputes through bilateral negotiation and said Manila "distorted facts and concocted a pack of lies" to push forward the arbitrary proceedings.