Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin has criticized The Hague decision that ruled Beijing has no right over the South China Sea, saying the judges were bribed.
The comment from the senior official has come following the UN-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration Tribunal’s decision where it was held that the nation’s territorial claims in the sea were illegal. He said that the judges gave a biased verdict and they were influenced by money and foreign powers.
Liu released a white paper on Wednesday that was a recapitulation of the country’s claims over the South China Sea islands under dispute. He completely seemed to ignore The Hague’s decision taken on Tuesday. He claimed that there were five judges in the tribunal, who were not aware of the issues completely as they all have been living in Europe for long.
On the other hand, he also stated that a Permanent Court of Arbitration judge, who was given the responsibility to select the panel of five judges for the purpose, also belonged to Japan, which is known as an old rival of China. “These judges are paid, so who’s really behind this tribunal,” Liu addressed a media conference.”Who was paying them? Was it the Philippines or some other country?”
The Wall Street Journal reported that the top Chinese official stated that the judges rendered “paid service” to the Philippines and gave a ruling in favor of it. “Do they understand Asian culture?” Liu said while referring to the five arbitrators. “Do they understand Asia’s complex geopolitics? Do they understand the history of the South China Sea?”
Shunji Yanai helped influence the decision to be taken against China, Liu claimed. He came to such conclusion as he knew that the judge worked as a Japanese diplomat and had confronted Cina several times over the South China territorial disputes.
Meanwhile, Chinese ambassador to the US, Cui Tianki, said that the decision is expected to “intensify conflicts and even confrontation.” “In the end, it will undermine the authority and effectiveness of international law,” Tianki addressed the issue at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.
The Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs has not released any statement regarding the claims yet.
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