US should end hype on arbitration farce

China means what it says. Thus when Foreign Minister Wang Yi asked the United States on Wednesday to "speak and act cautiously, and take no actions that harm China's sovereignty and security interests", Washington should take it seriously.

The message, conveyed during a telephone call between Wang and US Secretary of State John Kerry, may be interpreted as one of the last attempts by China to define its bottom line before Tuesday, when an arbitration tribunal in The Hague is due to deliver its ruling on the South China Sea arbitration case the Philippines unilaterally initiated.

Any ruling by the tribunal will be illegal, null and void from the outset, as it is exceeding and abusing its powers since it has no jurisdiction over the case.