China slammed the Philippines’ declaration of the South China Sea ruling by an international tribunal as “non-negotiable” with no possibility of “compromise” or “change,” as Beijing highlighted the consensus reached by the two countries on handling the arbitration case. The Chinese embassy in Manila issued the statement Monday in response to Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr.’s pronouncement that certain actions of China within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) “violated the Philippines’ sovereign rights and were thus unlawful.” “It has to be highlighted that China and the Philippines have already reached consensus on properly handling the so-called arbitration case, which has laid down solid ground for the turning-around of bilateral relations,” the embassy said.

Lee-Brago, P. (2020, July 15). China blasts Locsin statement. The Philippine Star, p. 5.