Western media have hyped up the South China Sea issue for a long time, with reports full of prejudice and distortion. They have purposely created rumors, smeared China and deliberately overlooked voices of justice.
However, the truth is apparent. China has gained wide support from politicians, experts and scholars in the South China Sea arbitration unilaterally initiated by the administration of former Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III.
They reached consensus that the so-called arbitration on the South China Sea is unreasonable and unlawful, that the U.S. involvement hampers resolving the issue, and that China's proposal of dialogue is vital to the stability in Asia.
Makoto Taniguchi, former Japanese ambassador to UN
-- Even if the Philippines proposes the arbitration request to the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), but its counterpart China does not participate in it, the tribunal should not hear the case. Unfortunately, the United States is backing the Philippines.
John Ross, well-known columnist in Britain, former deputy mayor of London
-- You can not have arbitration if one side says it does not participate, because arbitration is between two parties who want to participate.
This is particularly ridiculous when it comes to the United States because it does not adhere to a large number of international treaties.
This is ridiculous that the United States comes to the South China Sea about 8,000 km from the U.S. shore for political motives. It's deliberately trying to create problems.
Li Mingjiang, associate professor of S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore
-- The core disputes in the South China Sea will still need to be resolved through negotiations. An international legal mechanism is unlikely to resolve these disputes, unless all the parties concerned are willing to take this approach.
The fact China does not participate in arbitration is entirely legal. International laws and even the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) allow countries not to participate. So there is really no disagreement, no dispute on that observation.
Zheng Yongnian, director of East Asian Institute at National University of Singapore
-- The U.S. navy, the strongest in the world, will go wherever it wishes.
There are hostile forces in the United States, and they work together with the Philippines to make the arbitration case.
The United States is not part of the UNCLOS yet, but China has been a part of it.
The Philippine leadership made a mistake and misjudgment.
China and Vietnam have successfully solved the border dispute issue and Beibu Gulf issue. The same principle can be applied in the South China Sea issue.
Juan Carlos Capunay Chavez, Peruvian ambassador to China
-- The base and beginning of any dialogue or negotiation is the bilateral dialogue, because definitely when you go through some bilateral negotiation there are many details the court does not know, which is not part of the problem.
Let's solve the Asian problems through Asian dialogue.
Masood Khalid, Pakistani ambassador to China
-- China advocates a peaceful neighborhood. The South China Sea dispute should be addressed by the sovereign states which are directly concerned through negotiation and peaceful means.
Catherine West, shadow secretary of state for Foreign Affairs of the British Labour Party
-- We need to have a grown-up approach to dialogue. We just need to see the Middle East to understand how hard it is once we go down a particular route to get back to normal life.
