One needs to acknowledge the fact too, that as a Permanent Member of the UN Security Council, China has always stood for safeguarding peace and stability and promotion of cooperation and prosperity, and is fully committed to resolving disputes peacefully through consultations and negotiations in accordance with international law and the spirit of the DOC.

In this regard, I am particularly impressed by the Joint Statement on Promotion of International Law signed by China and Russia on 25 June 2016, which reaffirmed the principle of peaceful settlement of disputes.

Coming back to my point, non-acceptance of and non-participation in the arbitration is the move China has taken to safeguard the international rule of law.

The so-called arbitration is in itself a breach of international law. It only serves to impair regional efforts to build up confidence and trust and properly settle territorial sovereignty disputes.

Many countries as well as experts and scholars have deplored the moves by the Philippines and the tribunal as an obvious intervention in the sovereignty of countries in the region, which would only exacerbate bad will between countries.

The illegal, illegitimate and invalid arbitration initiated by the Philippines and the tribunal may be noisy and high-profile, yet it looks pale against historical facts and international law and the trend of the times.

It is nothing but a farce in passing. As Mr. Wang Yi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, said early this year on the South China Sea issue, "history will eventually prove who is just passing through, and who is the real master."

By H.E. Ambassador Yang Yanyi, Head of the Chinese Mission to the EU

July 13, 2016