South China Sea U.S.–China Military Military Diplomacy

Sharp Words | Repeatedly Rehashing the "Award" Cannot Change Its Illegal Nature

锐言丨反复翻炒“裁决”改变不了非法本质

PLA Daily (解放军报) 15 July 2026

Summary

Chinese military media published a commentary on July 12 rejecting the joint statement issued by the Philippines, United States, Japan, and other countries commemorating the tenth anniversary of the 2016 South China Sea arbitration award, reiterating China's position that the award is legally null and non-binding. The article documents Beijing's current framing of the South China Sea dispute as a problem of Philippine-led internationalization backed by extra-regional military entanglement — specifically naming the expansion of U.S. basing access in the Philippines from five to nine sites and the new Japan-Philippines Reciprocal Access and Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreements as the primary destabilizing factors. It also records China's counter-framing toolkit: ecological survey releases at Ren'ai Jiao, Xianbin Jiao, and Huangyan Island, and the establishment of a national-level nature reserve at Huangyan Island, presented as lawful administrative acts that reinforce sovereignty claims without conceding the arbitration framework.

Translation

On July 12, the Philippines, in collusion with the United States, Japan, and other countries, issued a so-called "joint statement commemorating the tenth anniversary of the South China Sea arbitration award," bringing that illegal arbitration of 2016 back to the table. The Philippines attempts to use this as a pretext to continue muddying the waters on the South China Sea issue and to entrench its illegal claims. This wanton, black-and-white-inverting conduct will ultimately bring retribution upon itself.

This so-called "South China Sea arbitration case" violated the basic principles of international law, violated the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea itself, and contradicted the basic facts of the South China Sea. It was riddled with errors from procedure to substance—nothing but a political farce dressed in legal disguise. The so-called "award" it produced is an illegal, null, non-binding scrap of paper that should long since have been swept into the dustbin of history.

China's sovereignty over the South China Sea islands and its relevant rights and interests in the South China Sea were established through more than two thousand years of practice. As early as the Western Han period in the second century BCE, our ancestors navigated the South China Sea and, through long-term practice, discovered the South China Sea islands. Under international legal instruments including the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, Chinese territory seized by Japan—including the South China Sea islands—was returned to China in law and in fact. China does not accept or recognize the so-called "award," and opposes and does not accept any claims or actions based on that "award."

The Philippines has hyped this scrap of paper for consecutive years, and this year has been especially provocative. Among the signatories to the joint statement are members of the "Five Eyes" alliance and certain European countries with no connection whatsoever to the South China Sea—with the Philippines alone being a South China Sea party. Domestic hype within the Philippines is equally telling: a dedicated "commemorative conference" was held in the capital Manila; commemorative stamps themed on the "arbitration award" were issued; and the foreign minister openly called the illegal "award" a "lighthouse" for South China Sea affairs. Using the "award" as endorsement, the Philippines has employed multiple means to promote its illegal claims. In essence, this is nothing more than yet another provocation to internationalize and instrumentalize regional disputes.

In recent years, the Philippines has continuously played the legal card and the public opinion card on the South China Sea situation. The Philippines enacted a so-called "Maritime Zones Act," attempting to entrench the illegal "award" through domestic legislation. It has repeatedly engaged in the tactic of the wrongdoer filing the first complaint—first committing infringement provocations against the Chinese side and manufacturing incidents, then distorting the facts and turning the blame around. The Philippines' recent series of militarization moves warrant even greater vigilance. The Philippines has expanded the number of military bases opened to the United States from five to nine; it has signed a Reciprocal Access Agreement and an Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement with Japan, with Japan-Philippines military entanglement growing ever tighter. The United States, as the Philippines' principal ally, has also continuously intensified its efforts to stir up trouble in the South China Sea, frequently conducting so-called "freedom of navigation operations" there. It is precisely this kind of militarized, coercive conduct that constitutes the primary challenge currently facing the South China Sea situation. The Philippines schemes to draw in extra-regional forces and push South China Sea affairs—which properly belong to the directly concerned parties—to the forefront of great-power competition. This extremely erroneous approach both increases the risk of miscalculation and compresses diplomatic space.

In sharp contrast to the Philippines' reckless actions, China's position has been consistent throughout: not a single step back on territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, but the door to maintaining peace and stability and advancing negotiation and consultation remains always open. In response to Philippine infringement provocations, China's measures have been reasonable, lawful, professional, and restrained. At the level of rules, China is working with ASEAN countries to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and accelerating consultations on a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC). At the level of facts, China has successively released ecological survey reports on Ren'ai Jiao (Ren'ai Reef), Xianbin Jiao (Xianbin Reef), and Huangyan Dao (Huangyan Island), and has established a new national-level nature reserve at Huangyan Island. Looking at the Philippines by contrast: it speaks of dialogue in words, but in practice wields the "award" as a command arrow; it advocates peace on the surface, then turns around and continuously draws in extra-regional forces. Who it is that is disrupting the South China Sea order—the answer goes without saying.

China has indisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea islands and the adjacent waters, and will absolutely not (绝不) waver because of a so-called "statement"; nor will the illegal and null "award" take effect simply by being repeatedly rehashed. If the Philippines truly has the peace of the South China Sea at heart—and the livelihoods of its own people at heart—it should discard this scrap of paper called the "award," return to the negotiating table among the directly concerned parties, and manage differences and advance cooperation through friendly consultation. If it continues to gang up with others and exploit the issue for ulterior purposes, it will in the end only lift a rock to drop on its own feet. History and reality have already proven: the peace and stability of the South China Sea can only be jointly maintained by the countries of the region. Any attempt to use extra-regional forces to stir up trouble in the South China Sea is destined to come to nothing.

Original Chinese

7月12日，菲律宾伙同美国、日本等国发表所谓“纪念南海仲裁案裁决”十年联合声明，将2016年那场非法仲裁重新搬上台面。菲律宾企图以此为借口，在南海问题上继续混淆视听，固化非法主张。这一肆意妄为、颠倒黑白的做法，最终必将自食恶果。这场所谓的“南海仲裁案”，违反国际法基本原则，违反《联合国海洋法公约》本身，违背南海的基本事实，从程序到实体都谬误百出，本就是一出披着法律伪装的政治闹剧。炮制出的所谓“裁决”，更是非法、无效、无约束力的废纸，早该被扫入历史的垃圾堆。中国对南海诸岛的主权和在南海的相关权益，历经两千余年实践确立。早在公元前2世纪的西汉时期，我们的先民就在南海航行，并在长期实践中发现了南海诸岛。根据《开罗宣言》《波茨坦公告》等国际法文件，被日本窃取的中国领土包括南海诸岛在内，均从法律和事实上归还中国。中国不接受、不承认所谓“裁决”，反对且不接受任何基于该“裁决”的主张和行动。菲律宾连续多年炒作这张废纸，今年更是挑衅频频。联合声明的联署名单中，“五眼联盟”成员、与南海毫无关联的一些欧洲国家赫然在列，仅菲律宾一国为南海当事国。菲国内的炒作动作同样耐人寻味：在首都马尼拉举行专项“纪念会议”，发行以“仲裁裁决”为主题的纪念邮票，外长公然将非法“裁决”称作南海事务的“灯塔”……菲以“裁决”为背书，通过多种手段为其非法主张张目，究其实质不过是将区域争端国际化、工具化的又一次挑衅。近年来，菲律宾在南海局势上不断打法律牌、舆论牌。菲出台所谓“海洋区域法”，妄图以国内立法形式固化非法“裁决”；屡屡“恶人先告状”，先对中方实施侵权挑衅、制造事端，再歪曲事实、倒打一耙。菲方近期的一系列军事化动作，更加值得警惕。菲向美国开放的军事基地从5处增至9处；与日本签订《互惠准入协定》与《物资劳务相互提供协定》，日菲军事勾连渐紧。美国作为菲最大盟国，也不断加大搅局南海的力度，频繁在南海实施所谓“航行自由行动”。此种军事化、胁迫性行径，才是当前南海局势面临的主要挑战。菲方图谋拉域外势力入场，将南海这本属直接当事国间的事务推向大国博弈前沿，这种极端错误做法既增加误判风险，也压缩外交空间。与菲方妄动形成鲜明对比，中方立场始终如一：领土主权和海洋权益寸步不让，但维护和平稳定、推动谈判协商的大门始终敞开。针对菲方侵权挑衅，中方措施合理合法、专业克制；规则层面同东盟国家全面有效落实《南海各方行为宣言》，加快推进“南海行为准则”磋商；事实层面先后发布仁爱礁、仙宾礁、黄岩岛生态调查报告，新建黄岩岛国家级自然保护区。反观菲方，口头称对话，实则把“裁决”当令箭；表面倡和平，转头却将域外势力不断引入。扰乱南海秩序者究竟是谁，答案不言而喻。中国对南海诸岛及其附近海域拥有无可争辩的主权，绝不会因一纸所谓“声明”而动摇；非法无效的“裁决”，也不会因反复翻炒而生效。菲方若真为南海和平计、为国内民生计，就应该扔掉“裁决”这张废纸，回到直接当事国谈判桌前，通过友好协商管控分歧、推进合作。如果其继续拉帮结派、借题发挥，最终只会搬起石头砸自己的脚。历史与现实已经证明：南海的和平稳定，只能由地区国家共同维护，任何借域外势力搅局南海的企图，注定不会得逞。