Study on South China Sea arbitration awards published

BEIJING - A study on the South China Sea arbitration awards, compiled by the Chinese Society of International Law (CSIL), was published by the Foreign Languages Press Monday.

The book, titled "The South China Sea Arbitration Awards: A Critical Study," has both Chinese and English versions, according to a press release issued on the CSIL website.

The Aquino III administration of the Philippines unilaterally initiated an arbitration on disputes between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea in January 2013. The tribunal rendered two awards in October 2015 and July 2016.

Upholding its position of non-acceptance and non-participation, and objection to the arbitration being pushed forward, the Chinese government maintained that the arbitral tribunal has no jurisdiction over the claims.

China stated that the awards are null and void, and it does not and would not accept or recognize them.

Based on international laws including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and relevant international legal practices, and through a comprehensive and in-depth study, the book concluded that the arbitral tribunal has no jurisdiction and the awards are groundless both in fact and law, the statement said.

The research was also published in English by the Oxford University Press in the Chinese Journal of International Law as a special issue.