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China hits back after Canada wades into Hague South China Sea row
- Beijing continues to reject July 2016 Hague ruling which dismissed its claims to the region
- China hits back on five-year anniversary as Canada and other countries urge it to comply with international law
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Laura Zhouin Beijing
China has warned against “further damage” to its relationship with Canada and to regional peace and stability after Ottawa urged Beijing to abide by a five-year-old ruling rejecting most of its South China Sea claims.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Chinese embassy in Canada hit back at Ottawa, saying Beijing had undeniable sovereignty rights in the South and East China Seas irrespective of what was said at a tribunal in 2016.
The embassy said the decision by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague to deny China’s historic title over the waters was “illegal”.
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It urged Canada to “stop provoking and causing trouble on maritime-related issues, respect China’s sovereignty and rights and interests in the relevant maritime areas, and not to go further and further down the wrong path so as not to cause further damage to China-Canada relations as well as regional peace and stability.”
The Chinese statement followed a Canadian foreign ministry call for China to live up to its commitment in the South China Sea. Canada spoke out on July 11 to mark the fifth anniversary of the ruling made on July 12, 2016.
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