July 11

The report "Critique of the South China Sea Arbitration Award," jointly authored by the Huayang Center for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance, the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, and the Chinese Society of International Law, was released in Beijing.
 

The report clarifies the essence of the relevant disputes in the South China Sea, and analyzes and rebuts the jurisdictional issues of the "South China Sea Arbitration Award," its legal interpretation and application and fact-finding issues of the "Arbitral Award" regarding historic rights, mainland states' outlying archipelagos, and status of maritime features, as well as the representational issues of the "Arbitral Tribunal." It further reveals to the international community the fallacies of the "Arbitral Award" and the harm it has caused to the international rule of law.
 

The report points out that eight years have passed since the so-called "Award" unilaterally initiated by the Philippines was issued, and it has not only failed to provide a solution to the South China Sea disputes but rather made the issues even more intractable, undermining the integrity, balance, and solemnity of the UNCLOS. The report also calls on the concerned parties to return to the right track of "resolving disputes through negotiation and consultation, easing differences through maritime cooperation, and managing crises through rule-making."