China has fiercely protested a joint statement issued by 14 nations, including the United States and Japan, regarding South China Sea territorial disputes, blasting that "countries outside the region are constantly interfering in the South China Sea issue."

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A China Coast Guard vessel patrols the waters around Huangyan Island in the South China Sea. Beijing issued a stern warning in response to a joint statement by 14 nations, including the U.S. and Japan, that challenged China's South China Sea claims on July 13. / Photo courtesy of the Global Times

On July 13, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a bilingual video in Chinese and English titled "Listening to the Sound of the South China Sea Waves," stating, "China set sail in the South China Sea during the Qin and Han dynasties, and its administration and defense of the South China Sea continued uninterrupted across generations, even as dynasties changed."

The ministry pointed out that following Japan's surrender in 1945, China recovered sovereignty over the South China Sea islands in accordance with the Cairo and Potsdam Declarations. However, it noted that in recent years, certain regional countries have persisted in maritime infringements. It further claimed that several outside powers are constantly interfering in the South China Sea issue.

"China resolutely safeguards its national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests. We remain committed to peacefully resolving disputes through negotiations with directly concerned parties," the ministry emphasized, adding, "The affairs of the South China Sea belong to the countries of the region, and the future of the South China Sea must be shaped together by these regional nations."

The Global Times, a sister publication of the ruling Communist Party’s flagship organ, the People's Daily, also issued a stern warning on the same day: "Any attempt by external forces to utilize the South China Sea issue to stir up trouble is reckless. They will ultimately end up with their bodies smashed and bones crushed into powder." The state media outlet further asserted, "China reaffirms that the 2016 ruling by the arbitral tribunal constituted under Annex VII of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is null, void, and a mere 'scrap of paper' with no binding force. We do not accept or recognize the ruling, and we reiterate that we oppose and will not accept any claims or actions based on it."

Prior to this, 14 nations, including the United States, Japan, the Philippines, Australia, and the United Kingdom, issued a joint statement marking the 10th anniversary of the South China Sea arbitration ruling, reaffirming the tribunal's decision which concluded that China has no legal basis for its expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea.

Ahead of the joint statement, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also urgently summoned Minister Akira Yokochi from the Japanese Embassy to lodge a formal protest after Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi released a statement criticizing China's non-compliance with the tribunal's ruling. Simultaneously, Beijing fired back via a spokesperson's statement, declaring, "Japan is not a claimant state in the South China Sea. Therefore, it has no right to lecture China regarding its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the region."

The statement further pointed out, "During World War II, Japan committed numerous atrocities in China, including the illegal occupation of islands and reefs in the South China Sea. Now, it is attempting to interfere in the South China Sea under the pretext of being a 'stakeholder.'"

                                                                                                          Hong Soon-do