Dai Bingguo, China's representative to the US, spoke yesterday at a forum in Washington denouncing the illegality of the Hague tribunal which on July 12 will publish the decision. It’s likely the UN will condemn the action of Beijing in the disputed waters, but China “will not be intimidated and won’t just stand sit and watch.”
Washington (AsiaNews/Agencies) – The international court ruling on China’s claims in the South China in sonly a “piece of trash paper”, said Dai Bingguo, former State Councillor and top diplomat in Washington. Dai made his comments yesterday during a forum held by US and Chinese think tanks in Washington. According to him, the ruling – due to be delivered on July 12th – shows the willing of Usa and other China’s opponents to intimidate Beijing.
“We Chinese would not be intimidated by the US actions, not even if the US sent all the ten aircraft carriers to the South China Sea,” said Dai.
The Chinese government claims most of the South China Sea, including sovereignty over the disputed Spratly and Paracel Islands, in opposition to Vietnam, Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei and Malaysia. Some US$ 5 trillion in trade goes through the sea. Beijing has started to build artificial islands with military installations. To counter Beijing’s militarisation of the South China Sea, the Philippines have turned to the United Nations tribunal.
China has refused to take part in the proceedings saying the tribunal has no jurisdiction in the matter. It argues that territorial disputes in the region should be settled by direct negotiations between the two nations involved.
Dai Bingguo has reiterated that: “No one, nor any countries, should enforce the ruling of an illegitimate trial and force China to implement the ruling. In particular, we have to strictly forbid the Philippines from taking any hostile actions”. “Otherwise China won’t just sit and watch,” he concluded.