China defies US, Australia: Sea disputes to be resolved through consultations with Philippines

Ignoring calls for its compliance to an international arbitral ruling which denigrated its legal claim to the South China Sea, Beijing has insisted that maritime disputes with the Philippines will only be settled through bilateral consultations.

"China's position on the South China Sea is consistent and clear. As has been proven, properly handling this issue is in the interests of both China and the Philippines and regional peace and stability," Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a press briefing in Beijing on July 28.

Despite strong statements from the Philippines, US and Australia, Wang said China is "ready to properly resolve maritime disputes with the Philippines through friendly consultations to jointly safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea and the entire region."

China, which considers the sea disputes a purely Asian issue, is opposed to any foreign intervention, particularly the US.

On July 12, the Philippines, through Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., publicly called on China to comply with the 2016 arbitral ruling, which invalidated its massive claim over the resource-rich South China Sea, four years since the decision was handed down by an international court in The Hague, Netherlands.

The award, Locsin said, is "non-negotiable."

It was the strongest statement so far made by the Philippines in commemorating the anniversary of the arbitral ruling.

Following Manila's statement, the United States expressed solidarity with Southeast Asian nations locked in territorial disputes with China, saying it will not allow the Asian superpower to rule and control the resource-rich South China Sea.

Australia followed suit, rejecting Beijing's claims over the waters and supporting the 2016 award of the tribunal that heard the case brought by the Philippines against China.

But in his annual address to the nation on July 27, Duterte softened his stance on China, saying he will not confront Beijing on the South China Sea issue, and that he will continue to uphold an independent foreign policy, and will not side with either rivals China and the US - Manila's long-time defense ally.

Wang praised Duterte's statement, saying it keeps with "the fundamental interests of the Philippines, the shared aspiration of regional countries, and the trend of the times for peace and development."  — RSJ, GMA News