EditedbyZoe
OuyangYujing,bornAugust1965,iscurrentlyservingasdirectorgeneraloftheDepartmentofBoundaryandOceanAffairsoftheChineseMinistryofForeignAffairs.SincehebeganworkingwiththeForeignMinistryin1990,OuyanghaslongbeenfocusedonworkrelatedtoChina鈥檚borders,oceanicterritory,andavailablecountermeasures.Recently,astheheadofChina鈥檚governmentagencyresponsibleforforeignaffairsrelatedtoboundaryandoceanaffairs,OuyangspokeontheSouthChinaSeaissue,whichisgainingglobalfocus,fromfouraspects.HepointedoutthatChinaunswervinglypursuesindependentforeignpolicyofpeace,especiallyfriendlyrelationswithneighboringcountries.Chinahasbeenmaintainingthisbasicpolicytoresolveterritorialdisputesoverlandboundariesandmaritimeinterestsandrightswithneighborsacrossbothlandandsea.Andthisstancewillnotchange.
ChinaRejectsArbitrationonSovereigntyIssue
OuyangpointedoutthattheNanshaIslandshavebeenChina鈥檚territorysinceancienttimes.ThecoreoftheSouthChinaSeaissueistheterritorialdisputecausedbythePhilippines鈥檃ndothercountries鈥檌llegaloccupationofChineseislandsandreefsinthewatersaroundtheNanshaIslandsandthemaritimedemarcationthatresultedfromtheformationandestablishmentofnewregulationsonthelawofthesea.InJanuary2013,thePhilippinesunilaterallyfiledanarbitrationcaseagainstChinaovertheissuewiththePermanentCourtofArbitrationatTheHague.Chinahasrefusedtotakepartintheproceedings.OuyangremarkedthatChina鈥檚positionofnon-acceptanceandnon-participationinthearbitrationisclearandconsistent,andisbasedonthefollowingthreefactors:First,ChinaandthePhilippineshavealreadysignedjointcommuniquesanddeclarationsthatthetwopartieswouldresolvedisputesthroughbilateralnegotiationsandconsultations.Second,accordingtoArticle4ofDeclarationontheConductofPartiesintheSouthChinaSea(DOC),whichwassignedbyChinaandtenASEANcountriesin2002,鈥渢hePartiesconcernedundertaketoresolvetheirterritorialandjurisdictionaldisputesbypeacefulmeans,throughfriendlyconsultationsandnegotiationsbysovereignstatesdirectlyconcerned.鈥漈hird,in2006,ChinasubmittedadeclarationonoptionalexceptionsunderArticle298oftheUNConventionontheLawoftheSea.SincetheArbitrationCourtjurisdictionconcernssovereignty,historicrightsandentitlement,Chinaisexemptfromthearbitration.ThereisnoprovisionintheconventiontoenforceanadverseawardonChina.