Chinese FM urges end to political manipulation, sensationalization regarding South China Sea

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi attends a press conference after the meeting between Chinese Foreign Minister and the counterparts from 10 ASEAN members in Vientiane, Laos, July 25, 2016. (Xinhua/Liu Ailun)

VIENTIANE, July 25 -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday urged an end to the political manipulation and sensationalization of the South China Sea issue.

Wang made the call at a press briefing following his meeting with the foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries in the Lao capital.

Wang said the so-called award rendered recently by an ad hoc tribunal handling the South China Sea arbitration is tantamount to filling a wrong prescription for the South China Sea disputes.

The South China Sea arbitration was unilaterally initiated by the former Philippine government.

The ad hoc tribunal issued an award on July 12, sweepingly siding with Manila's cunningly packaged claims. China has dismissed the biased ruling as "null and void with no binding force."

The Chinese top diplomat said the wrong prescription has led to increasingly hot ballyhoo over the arbitration and some countries outside the region have become extremely excited, as if running an unabated high fever.

The normal regional order and the overall interests of the regional countries have been undermined, he added.

According to Wang, all foreign ministers agreed at the meeting that the South China Sea disputes are not an issue between China and ASEAN and the disputes should not be allowed to affect the overall situation of the cooperation between the two sides.

He pointed out that ASEAN, as a whole, did not make comments or take sides on the arbitration, and it expressed support for China and the Philippines to resolve the issue through dialogue and consultation.

The Chinese top diplomat said China-ASEAN joint statement calling for full and effective implementation of the DOC has won support from all ASEAN countries.

According to Wang, the joint statement embodies a "dual-track" approach, which stipulates that historical disputes should be handled peacefully and properly through direct talks between the parties involved, and China and the ASEAN members should join hands to safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea.

Such an approach, first initiated by Brunei and supported by China. is the correct way to settle the disputes, Wang said.