Sovereignty of China is 'bottom line'

'We cannot lose one centimeter of inheritance left by the ancestors,' nation's top diplomat says

Beijing said on Thursday that it will respond resolutely if any party seeks to use the ruling in the unilaterally initiated arbitration on the South China Sea to harm China's interests.

State Councilor Yang Jiechi said he expected the new Philippine government to properly handle the issue to "start a bright future for bilateral ties".