July 12

On July 12, the "Arbitral Tribunal" constituted at the request of the Philippines for the South China Sea Arbitration issued its "Award," which confirmed its so-called "award on jurisdiction," erroneously denied China's historic rights in the South China Sea, erroneously denied the integrity of the Nansha Qundao, and arbitrarily ruled that all "high-tide features" of the Nansha Qundao are "rocks."

On the same day, China issued the "Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China on the Award of 12 July 2016 of the Arbitral Tribunal in the South China Sea Arbitration Established at the Request of the Republic of the Philippines," stressing that the Philippines' initiation of the arbitration violated the bilateral agreement between China and the Philippines, violated the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and violated the general practice of international arbitration, and pointing out that the "Award" is null and void and has no binding force. 

On the same day, the Chinese government issued the " Statement of the Government of the People's Republic of China on China's Territorial Sovereignty and Maritime Rights and Interests in the South China Sea," reaffirming China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea.

July 13

The Chinese government released a white paper titled "China Adheres to the Position of Settling Through Negotiation the Relevant Disputes Between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea," reiterating that China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea shall under no circumstances be affected by the "award." China does not accept or recognize the "Award," and opposes and does not accept any claims or actions based on it.