Stop playing with fire in South China Sea: Chinese diplomat

https://v.qq.com/txp/iframe/player.html?vid=q0305mrs9ag&width=500&height=375&auto=0Chinese Ambassador to the UK Liu Xiaoming has urged the Philippines to return to negotiations concerning the South China Sea dispute.

In a signed article published by the Daily Telegraph on Friday, Liu called for countries outside the region to “stop playing with fire.”

There is now much discussion about whether China should accept the ruling of the South China Sea arbitration process, he noted in the op-ed.

Proponents of this idea claim that China's rejection would "undermine" the "rule-based international system" and would put the peace and stability of the region "under immediate threat."

"We disagree," the article read.

He pointed out to the fact that more than 40 of China's islands and reefs in Nansha are illegally occupied by the Philippines and other countries, which have built airstrips and deployed weapons there. 

"The Philippines in particular has kept provoking disputes over islands and reefs time and again by, for example, 'grounding' a warship forcibly and illegally on China's reefs to lay its claim," Liu went on.

The diplomat said Beijing has responded with maximum self-restraint to Manila's provocations, and has called for disputes to be shelved and for joint development, pending the ultimate solution of the issue.

He added that it appears that the Philippine side sees China's self-control as being weak, and filed for arbitration unilaterally to legitimize its illegal occupation of the Nansha islands and reefs.

Liu also pointed out that territorial sovereignty is not within the scope of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), stressing that China's non-participation in the arbitration process upholds international law.

The ambassador indicated that the tribunal's imprudent decision to start the compulsory arbitration process "suggests a lack of even minimal respect for the spirit and principles of the UNCLOS to say the least."

"The parties directly involved in the South China Sea should consult and negotiate face to face, drawing on historical facts and international law. This is the only way we will resolve the South China Sea issue, restore harmony, and bring about lasting peace, cooperation and prosperity to this region," the article concluded.

Philippines' new leader sends positive signal to China

In a positive development, the incoming Philippine government on Thursday indicated a desire for talks to solve its territorial dispute with China, reviving hopes that the disharmony that has characterized the South China Sea issue over the past five years can be brought to an end.

China responded warmly by vowing to treat the Philippines as a "partner of priority" in regional cooperation.

President-elect  Rodrigo Duterte's spokesman, Salvador Panelo, said on Thursday that the incoming leader has "determined on friendly ties with China."

Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua said that good relations between Beijing and Manila are in line with the basic interests of the two peoples.

China is willing to view the Philippines as "a partner of priority" in the Belt and Road Initiative, in regional trade, industrial capacity cooperation and other areas, Zhao added.

The incoming Philippine leader has hinted that he hopes to defrost relations between the two Asian neighbors, calling Chinese leader Xi Jinping "a great president" in response to a message from Xi congratulating him on winning the election in May.