China has issued a stark rebuke of a looming court decision on its maritime claims in the South China Sea, with a senior official labelling the lawsuit launched by the Philippines “a vicious act aimed at deception”.
Xu Hong, director of treaties and law at the foreign ministry, reiterated Beijing’s position that a UN arbitration tribunal in The Hague had no jurisdiction when it came to a lawsuit over the status of 15 islands, reefs and shoals claimed by China.
The tribunal, launched in 2013, will rule based on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which counts both Beijing and Manila as signatories.
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