Nations hyping up South China Sea issue

China said on Tuesday that the so-called "South China Sea Arbitration" was a political farce unilaterally initiated by the Philippines under the guise of law, and the resulting "award" is entirely illegal and invalid.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian made the remarks following a joint statement issued on Sunday on the "award" by countries including some European nations, the United States and the Philippines. The European Union also released a separate statement.

The head of the Department of European Affairs of the Foreign Ministry summoned and lodged strong protests respectively with the heads of the diplomatic missions of the countries concerned and the EU delegation to China. The European side was also urged to stop endorsing the illegal "South China Sea Arbitration Award".

Europe is not a party in the South China Sea and is in no position to make irresponsible remarks on China's legitimate territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea, Lin said.

The "arbitration" is nothing but a stunt pulled by the US and a handful of Western countries for the political purpose of containing China, he said.

China neither accepts nor recognizes the "award", he said, adding that Beijing also opposes and will never accept any claim or action arising from it.

In response to a statement issued by Japan's foreign minister marking the 10th anniversary of the so-called "South China Sea Arbitration", as well as a joint statement Japan issued with other countries, Shi Yong, charge d'affaires ad interim of the Chinese embassy in Japan, lodged a solemn representation and strong protest on Monday with Kanai Masaaki, director-general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Such actions have heightened vigilance among regional countries and the broader international community, the embassy said.

Experts said the "South China Sea Arbitration" has become a primary political tool for certain countries to hype up the South China Sea issue and interfere in regional affairs.

Liu Shuliang, an associate research fellow at the Tianjin Academy of Social Sciences, said the US and other Western countries have continued to engage in political and diplomatic maneuvering over the so-called "South China Sea Arbitration" in an attempt to use the case to exert "collective pressure" on China, sow division in the region, and disrupt peace and stability in the South China Sea.

The Philippines has remained unwilling to abandon its geopolitical ambitions to expand its territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea. Recognizing its own limited capabilities, it has pursued a strategy of "aligning with external powers to contain China", courting extra-regional countries such as the US, Japan and Australia to interfere in the South China Sea affairs, he said.

He added that the US has actively interfered in the South China Sea affairs by strengthening alliances and forming an "exclusive circle", in an effort to turn the region into a strategic front for containing China.

"It also seeks to curb China's maritime rights and interests and regional influence while maintaining its own military presence and strategic dominance in the Asia-Pacific. Meanwhile, Japan and Australia are seeking geopolitical gains by actively supporting the US strategy to contain China," Liu said.

Chen Hong, director of East China Normal University's Asia-Pacific Studies Center, said that the US has actively drawn its allies and partners into the South China Sea affairs, seeking to turn the region into a key front in strategic competition among major powers.

"The South China Sea is not inherently an arena for great power rivalry. Rather, it is Washington's continued introduction of alliance mechanisms, forward military deployments and China-containment strategies that have contributed to the region's growing militarization," he said.

The so-called "freedom of navigation" has been distorted into freedom of military operations, Chen said.

"Through joint patrols, access to military bases, intelligence sharing, military aid and joint exercises, these countries seek to transform the Philippines into a forward military outpost targeting China," he added.

Gao Jian, director of the Centre for British Studies at Shanghai International Studies University, said the United Kingdom's involvement in the South China Sea issue is driven by its global geopolitical and Asia-Pacific strategic interests, under the guise of upholding a "rules-based international order".

By being a party to the related statements, the UK is seeking to reinforce its international "presence", demonstrate the value of its "special relationship" with the US, and underscore its so-called "traditional ties" with Commonwealth countries rooted in the colonial era, he said.

Zhou Jin contributed to this story.