Screenshot of the statement posted on the website of the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines on July 12, 2025.

US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson made remarks at a forum hosted by the Philippine think tank Stratbase on July 11, claiming that the 2016 South China Sea arbitration ruling is final and binding, and criticizing China’s position in the South China Sea as lacking legal basis. Ambassadors from the UK, Canada, Germany, and Japan expressed similar views during the forum. In response, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines said on Saturday that China’s position on the South China Sea arbitration case remains consistent, clear and firm. The South China Sea arbitration case is essentially a political farce, the spokesperson said.
 
The Philippines violated the consensus it had reached with China to resolve relevant South China Sea disputes through bilateral consultations and negotiations. It has also breached the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, which calls for the peaceful resolution of disputes through negotiations between directly concerned parties. It has abused the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) dispute settlement mechanism, ignored China’s declaration which, according to UNCLOS, excludes maritime delimitation from compulsory dispute settlement procedures, and insisted on initiating the arbitration unilaterally. The so-called tribunal exceeded its jurisdiction and made an illegitimate ruling, rendering the decision illegal and invalid. China does not accept or participate in the arbitration, does not accept or recognize the so-called ruling, and firmly rejects any claims or actions based on it, the spokesperson said.
 
China's sovereignty and rights in the South China Sea have been established through long-standing historical practices, with ample historical and legal basis, and are not affected by any illegal arbitration rulings under any circumstances, said the spokesperson.

The US Ambassador to the Philippines and the diplomats from a few other countries disregard the facts and distort reality. Every year, on the anniversary of the illegal arbitration ruling, they hype up and create false narratives in an attempt to pressure China into accepting the illegal ruling, said the spokesperson.

Such actions are destined to fail, and China firmly opposes them. It is well known that both the initiation of the "arbitral tribunal" and the subsequent hype have been orchestrated by external countries outside the region, with the aim of disrupting the South China Sea for their own benefit, said the spokesperson.

An increasing number of countries have seen through the nature of this farce. China's position is precisely to uphold the spirit of international law and maintain the authority of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. With the joint efforts of China and ASEAN countries, the situation in the South China Sea is stable, and freedom of navigation and overflight is effectively guaranteed. China is accelerating consultations with ASEAN countries to reach an early conclusion of the "Code of Conduct in the South China Sea" and to build a new narrative of peace, cooperation, and friendship in the South China Sea. Any attempts to stir up trouble and sow discord will ultimately fail, said the spokesperson.

Global Times