TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) — Japan urges China to follow The Hague tribunal’s ruling that denied China’s claims in the South China Sea in order to peacefully resolve disputes in the waterway, Japanese chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference on Wednesday (July 13).
“Japan sees the ruling as final and legally binding all parties based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. We believe both China and the Philippines should follow the ruling,” Suga said during a regular news conference in Tokyo.
China’s Foreign Ministry rejected the ruling, and said in a white paper released on Wednesday that the Philippines’ claims of sovereignty were “baseless”, and that their unilateral initiation of arbitration was an “act of bad faith”.
“We hope all parties will follow the ruling and strongly expect disputes over the South China Sea to be resolved peacefully,” Suga said.
The ruling is significant as it is the first time a legal challenge has been brought in the dispute, which covers some of the world’s most promising oil and gas fields and vital fishing grounds.
It reflects the shifting balance of power in the 3.5 million sq km sea, where China has been expanding its presence by building artificial islands and dispatching patrol boats that keep Philippine fishing vessels away.
Although the tribunal’s ruling has no enforcement power, the Philippine’s historic victory would benefit other claimants in the South China Sea, including Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia.