China will insist on its rights over the South China Sea whatever the U.N. tribunal’s decision will be on the arbitration case filed by the Philippines. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson called the impending decision as "illegal," according to a report by rt.com.
A Reuters report on Friday, May 6, cited Hong Lei as saying that "those who expect that the arbitration could compel China to yield or make it an accomplished fact are doomed to be disillusioned. The arbitration is illegal and invalid whatever it will be. China will reject and will never acknowledge it."
Lei made the remarks as reports said that the U.N. tribunal is set to release its final decision in the coming weeks.
The report said that China may get an unfavorable verdict after it snubbed and questioned the legality of the case, which it said was out of the jurisdiction of the U.N. Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
China said it will protect its territorial sovereignty as it will continue to adhere to international law and maintain the authority of the UNCLOS.
"China is rock-firm in safeguarding the international rule of law and the integrity and sanctity of UNCLOS," the spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, another Foreign Ministry official named Ouyang Yujing said that China will bounce back with equal or even greater force depending on the pressure that will be applied, comparing itself to a spring.
"If they are aimed at putting pressure on China or blackening its name, then you can view it like a spring, which has an applied force and a counterforce. The more the pressure, the greater the reaction," Quyang said, probably referring to reactions on to structures erected by China in the disputed islands.
China and the Philippines are locked in a debate over the Scarborough Shoal, located 500 miles from China and more than 100 miles (160 km) from the Philippines.
"The core of the territorial dispute between China and the Philippines is that the latter is attempting to harm China's interests in the Nansha Islands," Ouyang said. "China firmly opposes a certain country's taking hostage the international rule of law for its own selfish gains. They are violating the law under the guise of the 'rule of law,' and China won't accept any of these acts."
China is claiming its rights over the largest part of the territory, defined as "nine-dash line," which it said historically belonged to them.
Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan are claiming parts of the disputed region and challenging China's assertions.