Bilateral talks best option to solve South China Sea dispute

BARCELONA - "Bilateral agreement is the best solution" for resolving the dispute in the South China Sea, Spanish political scientist and PhD in Intercultural Studies Marc Selgas Cors said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

It is expected that the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague will soon announce the decision on the arbitration case brought by the Philippines.

"An inclusive negotiation favors cooperation over any jurisdiction of any court," Selgas said.

"If we know the inclusive and harmonious culture of the parties, we will understand that the bilateral agreement is the best solution for the conflict," he added.

According to Selgas, "Conflict resolution does not go through a Court unilaterally, in this case, but should be addressed at the political level between the two countries involved."

In addition, the court's decision "should not have any implications, if one of the parties no longer recognizes the legitimacy of the Court in this mediation, as in the case of China," Selgas said.

He explained that in the convention of 2002 between China and 10 ASEAN countries, the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea was signed, in which Article IV states that any dispute between two parties must be resolved "through friendly consultations and negotiations."

"Therefore, the Court itself is acting, in this case, unilaterally, therefore its legitimacy in the process is void," he said.

According to Selgas, bilateral negotiation would be the key to the resolution of the dispute, noting "the decision of the Court, will not facilitate the resolution of the conflict but may even aggravate, increasing tensions and clashes with other international actors."