African leader backs Beijing's stance

The Republic of the Congo has joined the list of more than 60 nations that have publicly voiced their support for China in an arbitration case on South China Sea issues.

Meeting with President Xi Jinping on Tuesday, the African nation's President Denis Sassou Nguesso said his country backs China on these issues and will closely coordinate with Beijing on global affairs.

The statement was made ahead of a ruling on July 12 by an arbitral tribunal in The Hague, established without the Chinese government's consent to tackle the case brought unilaterally by the Philippines.