Int'l law experts rebuke so-called "South China Sea Arbitration Award"

HONG KONG, July 13 (Xinhua) -- The spillover effects of the so-called "South China Sea Arbitration Award" have been eroding the improving stability in the South China Sea, said international law experts attending a roundtable dialogue on South China Sea security in Hong Kong on Monday, who called for eradicating the poisonous legacy of the "award."

The so-called "award" of the "South China Sea Arbitration" was political manipulation disguised as legal moves, said Qi Dahai, head of the Department of Treaty and Law of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a keynote speech at the event.

The "arbitral tribunal in the South China Sea Arbitration" handled the case ultra vires and rendered an illegal, null and void "award," Qi said.

China does not accept or participate in the "arbitration" and does not recognize the "award," which are legitimate actions aimed at upholding the international rule of law as well as the integrity and authority of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, he said.

Noting that a few countries, including the United States and the Philippines, have kept rehashing the so-called "award," Qi underlined the need to continuously refute it to uphold fairness and justice.

"The 'award' has limited, if any, impact on the development of international law," said Stephen Fietta, founder of a law firm in Britain, citing a review of relevant state practice, jurisprudence and commentary over the decade since the "South China Sea Arbitration Award."

Many academicians of international law at the event concurred that the "award" has neither set rules with universal influence nor gained broad acceptance from the international community.

The "award" has become a troublemaker and a source of unrest in the South China Sea, said Wu Shicun, chairman of Huayang Center for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance. It is also the largest obstacle in advancing negotiations on the Code of Conduct for the South China Sea, said Wu.

A new critique of the "South China Sea Arbitration Award," jointly compiled by the National Institute for South China Sea Studies and Huayang Center for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance, was issued at Monday's event. The document exposed the serious errors and flaws of the "award" in terms of legal interpretation and application, factual findings, and treatment of evidence.