At a maritime forum on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Minister (FM) Wang Yi said that disputes over maritime territory should be resolved through friendly consultation between directly concerned parties.
The Chinese FM said that the South China Sea arbitration is “an example of political manipulation of the international rule of law of the sea,” which undermines “the atmosphere for maritime peace and cooperation in the region,” erodes “the basic values of fairness and justice, and should be a cause for alarm and be rejected by the international community.”
Wang made the comments at the opening ceremony of the Symposium on Global Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance 2023, during his speech titled “Working together to make our oceans a peaceful, tranquil, clean and beautiful home with fairness, justice and prosperity.”
Wang stated that “the world today is far from tranquility,” and “maritime development faces unprecedented risks and challenges as Cold War mentality and zero-sum thinking threaten peace and stability at sea.”
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In addition, he noted that “climate change and overexploitation are undermining the ocean’s sustainable development; environment pollution and willful discharge are damaging the clean and beautiful marine environment; and natural disasters and illegal activities of piracy are disrupting the tranquility and order of the oceans.”
In this light, Wang said it is the “shared aspiration” of all countries “to strengthen maritime cooperation and improve ocean governance.”
To tackle such issues, Wang proposed that the international community “stay committed to dialogue and consultation and safeguarding maritime peace and tranquility.”
“It is important to take the legitimate concerns of all countries seriously, settle disputes and disagreements through dialogue and consultation, continuously improve emergency communication mechanisms and step up regional security cooperation, so as to build solidly grounded and truly lasting maritime security,” he underscored.
The FM also assured that China will continue to work with ASEAN countries to “foster a peaceful and secure order” in the volatile South China Sea.