Still refusing to honor The Hague’s ruling as “final” and “indisputable,” China has warned that it would respond to attempts to implement the ruling on the South China Sea arbitration. Speaking at a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said “China neither accepts nor recognizes it and will never accept any claim or action based on the award.” In a landmark ruling on July 12, 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague said there was no evidence that China had exercised exclusive control historically over the South China Sea and awarded the case to the Philippines.

Lee-Brago, P., & Villanueva, R. E. (2022, July 15). China refuses to honor SCS ruling. The Philippine Star, pp. 1-7.