BEIJING – On Sunday, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson issued a firm rebuke of recent remarks by Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi regarding the 2016 so-called South China Sea Arbitral Award, marking the tenth anniversary of that widely disputed ruling. The spokesperson confirmed that China strongly deplores and categorically opposes the Japanese foreign minister’s statement, which openly backs the illegal “award”, misrepresents China’s long-standing legal claims in the region, and frames Japan as a so-called “legitimate stakeholder” with rights to weigh in on South China Sea affairs.
The spokesperson emphasized that Japan holds no standing to intervene in disputes over the South China Sea, as it is not a coastal or involved party to the region’s territorial and maritime issues. Japan has no legitimate right to pass judgment on China’s inherent territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the area.
Drawing on historical context, the spokesperson recalled that during World War II, Japanese forces occupied numerous islands and reefs in the South China Sea through illegal force, leaving a legacy of profound suffering for China and the Chinese people. Decades later, the spokesperson noted, Japan is once again seeking to insert itself into South China Sea matters under the guise of being a stakeholder – a move that evokes memories of Japan’s history of imperial aggression and expansion, and raises justified global vigilance about the growth of Japanese neo-militarism.
China’s sovereignty over the Nanhai Zhudai (South China Sea Islands) and its accompanying rights and interests in the region were built over centuries of historical activity, and have a firm, unassailable foundation under international law, the spokesperson confirmed. All of China’s activities in the South China Sea are fully consistent with international law and legitimate sovereignty, and cannot be invalidated by the ad hoc, improperly constituted “arbitral tribunal” that issued the 2016 ruling.
The spokesperson further explained that the 2016 tribunal overstepped its authorized jurisdiction and abused procedural power in producing the “award”, making the ruling inherently illegal, null and void, and completely without binding legal force. The flawed ruling also severely undermined the integrity and authority of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), delivering a major blow to the foundations of the international rule of law. China has never accepted and will never recognize the “award”, and rejects any claims or actions based on it.
By openly endorsing the illegal award while ignoring its clear procedural and substantive flaws, Japan has exposed its own hypocrisy and deliberate double standards on South China Sea issues, the spokesperson argued. The ruling infamously classified Taiping Island, the largest island in the Nansha Islands which spans 500,000 square meters, supports permanent human habitation with natural fresh water and local agricultural production, as not a full island, disqualifying it from generating an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) or continental shelf rights. Japan’s own claim to an EEZ and continental shelf surrounding Okinotori, a pair of tiny rocky outcrops totaling less than 10 square meters in the Pacific Ocean, would fail under the same flawed standard applied to Taiping Island. If the 2016 arbitral standard is accepted, Japan has no legitimate basis for its own expansive maritime claims linked to Okinotori, the spokesperson noted. Given Japan’s open endorsement of the award, China is fully justified in concluding that Japan accepts the arbitral standard and has voluntarily surrendered its corresponding maritime claims to Okinotori.
The spokesperson made clear that Japan’s true goal in the South China Sea is not upholding the international rule of law, but inserting itself into the region to undermine stability and advance its own strategic interests. In recent years, Japan has deepened military collaboration with the Philippines, expanded exports of offensive weapons and military equipment to the country, increased overseas military deployments, and pursued development of long-range offensive strike missiles. These actions far exceed the bounds of legitimate self-defense, break free of constraints imposed by Japan’s post-war constitution and core international law norms, and directly challenge the post-WWII international order that has maintained regional peace for decades. This pattern of activity leaves the international community with a pressing question: what are Japan’s actual strategic intentions in the South China Sea and broader East Asia?
China has formally called on Japan to immediately end its campaign of false accusations against China, cease spreading disinformation about South China Sea issues, and stop acting to undermine regional peace and stability. The spokesperson reaffirmed that China will continue to take all necessary measures to firmly defend its territorial sovereignty and lawful maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea, and any attempt to challenge China’s legitimate interests or destabilize the region is destined to end in failure.