SHANGHAI, April 26 (Xinhua) — Participants at a special seminar held in east China’s Shanghai on Sunday refuted the “Arbitral Award on the South China Sea,” stressing that it is illegal, null and void, and non-binding, ignores historical facts, deviates from the principle of fairness and justice, and undermines international rule of law and regional mutual trust.
Qi Dahai, Director-General of the Department of Treaty and Law of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, said the arbitral tribunal in the South China Sea arbitration overstepped its jurisdiction and perverted justice, and the “award” it rendered in 2016 is illegal, null and void.
The Philippines has attempted to legitimize the illegal award through various means and mislead international public opinion, falsely claiming the award as part of international law and sparing no effort to smear China, Qi said.
China insists on respecting historical facts and advocating international rule of law, firmly safeguarding its national maritime rights and interests, and making unremitting efforts to build the South China Sea into a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation, the official added.
Wu Shicun, Chairman of Huayang Center for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance, said the illegal award is fraught with major jurisdictional flaws and legal fallacies, violates the basic norms of international law, and is in essence a political farce.
Wu, who is also Chairman of the Academic Committee at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, called for resolutely countering unilateral infringements and public opinion manipulation based on the illegal award, while firmly upholding the international rule of law as well as regional peace and stability.
Participants stated that the illegal award contains fundamental fallacies in such aspects as the tribunal’s jurisdiction, historic rights, legal status of islands and offshore archipelago regime.
They reaffirmed that China has indisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea islands and their adjacent waters, as well as sovereign rights and jurisdiction over relevant maritime areas. China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea are supported by solid historical and legal evidence.
Participants called for continued endeavors in exposing the politically manipulated nature of the award and for continued work in pursuit of a fair and reasonable solution to the South China Sea issue.
The special seminar was held during the 2026 annual academic conference of the Chinese Society of International Law. Held from Friday to Sunday, the conference attracted over 1,500 participants, including government officials, experts, scholars, legal practitioners and young students.
During the conference themed “Uphold the International Rule of Law, Enhance Global Governance,” the Chinese Society of International Law issued a statement calling on all countries to abide by international law and oppose the unlawful use of force. ■
