BEIJING — China yesterday rejected an invitation by The Hague to provide input for an arbitration case with the Philippines on overlapping claims in the South China Sea, with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs issuing a sharp rebuke.
“China has repeatedly expounded its position of not accepting or getting involved in these proceedings initiated unilaterally by the Philippines,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said in a statement posted on the ministry’s website.
“On the issue of territorial sovereignty and maritime rights, China will never accept any imposed plan nor any solution arrived at by unilaterally resorting to a third party for resolving disputes.”
Beijing said it preferred to negotiate with Manila directly, stressing that the tribunal, which operates under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in The Hague, had no jurisdiction over their dispute.