Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday (July 12) China is dedicated to maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea but will not accept any positions or actions based on the outcome of an international tribunal's arbitration on the country's long-running spat with the Philippines.
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi had stronger words for the arbitral case, calling it a "farce" and saying it has put the dispute into dangerous territory of worsening tensions and confrontation.
The foreign ministry had earlier dismissed the ruling in Manila's favour by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, and reiterated China's sovereignty over the waterway. People's Daily, the Communist Party mouthpiece, also vowed to protect the country's maritime interests.
