Chinese FM calls for end to politicization of S. China Sea issue

The ad hoc tribunal issued an award on July 12, siding with Manila's cunningly packaged claims and denying China's long-standing historic rights in the South China Sea.

"The Philippines' territorial claim over part of Nansha Qundao is groundless from the perspectives of either history or international law," the Chinese government said in a white paper issued on July 13.

"The arbitral tribunal established at the Philippines' unilateral request has no jurisdiction over relevant submissions, and awards rendered by it are null and void and have no binding force," said the document.

Wang said the wrong prescription has led to increasingly hot ballyhoo over the arbitration and some countries outside the region have become extremely excited, as if running an unabated high fever.

The normal regional order and the overall interests of the regional countries have been undermined, he added.

In his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on the sidelines of the ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting Monday, Wang said he expected the United States to take steps to support China and the Philippines in resuming their talks over the South China Sea issue.x The United States will not take a position on an arbitral ruling of the South China Sea arbitration case, Kerry said, adding that his country supports the resumption of talks between China and the Philippines.

In a separate meeting with his Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida, on Monday, Wang said Japan, which is not a claimant in the South China Sea disputes, should avoid interfering in and hyping up the maritime spats.

China has always been maintaining the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, Wang said.