A Chinese scholar said the so-called "South China Sea arbitration award" is being used as a political tool to contain China rather than uphold international law, as China reiterated its rejection of the ruling a decade after it was issued.
The remarks came after China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement on Sunday rejecting and refusing to recognize the so-called "award" in response to a joint statement issued by 14 countries marking the 10th anniversary of the ruling.
China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea shall not be affected by the "award" under any circumstances, the ministry's statement said.
Yang Xiao, a research professor at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of Peaceful Development, said support for the "arbitration award" remains limited despite renewed political attention.
"Ten years after the 'arbitration,' there are only 14 countries, mostly U.S. allies, put out a joint statement reaffirming the so-called ‘award’. Out of 193 United Nations member states, that's not a coalition,” Yang said, meaning that there is abosolutely no international consensus.
He said that the ruling has been "weaponized" to provide a political and legal pretext for external interference in regional affairs.
"So, what is the real intention here? Quite simple, the 'award' has been weaponized. It is being used as a political tool to contain China and to fabricate a legal pretext for external interference in regional affairs. The countries driving this narrative, particularly those outside the region, aren't genuinely concerned about maritime order. They are using this old, legally-flawed piece of paper to maintain strategic hegemony, pressure China, and force a bloc confrontation in the Western Pacific. It is a classic case of selective justice: invoking international law only when it serves their unilateral interests. At the end of the day, true regional stability cannot be built on political theater or illegal rulings. It can only be achieved through genuine, bilateral dialogue between direct stakeholders. And that is exactly the message Beijing is sending," he said.
The ministry's statement was issued after the United States, the Philippines, Australia, Canada, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, New Zealand, Romania, Slovenia and the United Kingdom released a joint statement referring to the "arbitration award" on its 10th anniversary.
Expert says South China Sea "arbitration" used as political tool
