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China-South China Sea/Legal Basis
FILE: Beijing, China - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Ministry of Foreign Affairs building
2. Sign reading "Ministry of Foreign Affairs"
3. National flag of China
Beijing, China - July 17, 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
4. Screenshot showing Foreign Ministry spokesperson's remarks on Philippines' statement
5. Spokesperson's refutation
Dalian City, Liaoning Province, northeast China - July 17, 2025 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
6. Building at Dalian Maritime University
7. Various of seminar in progress
8. Interview with Zhang Xinjun (R), professor of Public International Law, Tsinghua University, in progress
9. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Zhang Xinjun, professor of Public International Law, Tsinghua University (partially overlaid with shot 10/ending with shot 11):
"We believe that the tribunal exceeded its authority by ruling on issues beyond its legal jurisdiction under the UNCLOS. Thus, all subsequent substantive rulings are founded on an invalid [basis]."
++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++
10. Animation showing ocean-related issues under UNCLOS
++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++
11. Interview in progress
12. Attendees at seminar
13. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Lei Xiaolu, professor of international law, China Institute of Boundary and Ocean Studies, Wuhan University (ending with shot 14):
"Despite clearly lacking jurisdiction, [the arbitral tribunal] proceeded to issue final rulings on these disputes. Consequently, China regards the tribunal's rulings as illegal and invalid."
14. Web page showing China's exclusion from settlement of maritime boundary delimitation disputes under UNCLOS
FILE: South China Sea, China - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
15. Aerial shots of sea, reefs, beach, seagulls
FILE: Beijing, China - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
16. National flag of China
17. Various of Tian'anmen Square, national flag
FILE: Manila, Philippines - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
18. Philippine national flag
FILE: Manila, Philippines - Nov 13, 2018 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
19. Various of Philippine national flags, Rizal Monument
China rejects the so-called "2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea" as illegal and void, arguing the tribunal overstepped its authority by ruling on sovereignty issues that fall outside the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
On July 12, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson responded to the Philippines' statement marking the ninth anniversary of the "2016 Arbitral Award," calling it nothing more than "a piece of waste paper."
A seminar hosted by Dalian Maritime University on Thursday gathered top scholars and legal experts to discuss the case.
Participants said the tribunal fundamentally exceeded its mandate under UNCLOS, which only covers ocean-related issues, such as Exclusive Economic Zones, freedom of navigation, and marine resource rights. The convention does not authorize any tribunal to decide territorial sovereignty or maritime boundary delimitation.
"We believe that the tribunal exceeded its authority by ruling on issues beyond its legal jurisdiction under the UNCLOS. Thus, all subsequent substantive rulings are founded on an invalid [basis]," said Zhang Xinjun, professor of Public International Law at the Tsinghua University.
According to the seminar, the essence of the Philippines' claims ultimately concerns territorial sovereignty, not just maritime rights.
By asking the tribunal to declare that certain Chinese islands and reefs fall within the Philippines' Exclusive Economic Zone, Manila was in effect challenging China's sovereignty over these features, an issue UNCLOS cannot adjudicate, it said.
The Philippines' claim about traditional fishing rights near Huangyan Dao could not be properly adjudicated without first deciding whether China or the Philippines holds sovereignty over the island itself.
Only after establishing sovereignty could the tribunal determine the legal status of the surrounding waters and applicable rules for fishing activities, experts said.
Plus, Article 298 of UNCLOS explicitly allows countries to opt out of compulsory dispute settlement for issues like maritime boundary delimitation.
In 2006, China exercised this sovereign right by officially excluding such matters from arbitration.
"Despite clearly lacking jurisdiction, [the arbitral tribunal] proceeded to issue final rulings on these disputes. Consequently, China regards the tribunal's rulings as illegal and invalid," said Lei Xiaolu, professor of international law at the China Institute of Boundary and Ocean Studies under the Wuhan University.
China-South China Sea/Legal Basis
Dateline : July 17, 2025/File
Location : China;Philippines
Duration : 1'38
FILE: Beijing, China - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Ministry of Foreign Affairs building
2. Sign reading "Ministry of Foreign Affairs"
3. National flag of China
Beijing, China - July 17, 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
4. Screenshot showing Foreign Ministry spokesperson's remarks on Philippines' statement
5. Spokesperson's refutation
Dalian City, Liaoning Province, northeast China - July 17, 2025 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
6. Building at Dalian Maritime University
7. Various of seminar in progress
8. Interview with Zhang Xinjun (R), professor of Public International Law, Tsinghua University, in progress
9. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Zhang Xinjun, professor of Public International Law, Tsinghua University (partially overlaid with shot 10/ending with shot 11):
"We believe that the tribunal exceeded its authority by ruling on issues beyond its legal jurisdiction under the UNCLOS. Thus, all subsequent substantive rulings are founded on an invalid [basis]."
++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++
10. Animation showing ocean-related issues under UNCLOS
++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++
11. Interview in progress
12. Attendees at seminar
13. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Lei Xiaolu, professor of international law, China Institute of Boundary and Ocean Studies, Wuhan University (ending with shot 14):
"Despite clearly lacking jurisdiction, [the arbitral tribunal] proceeded to issue final rulings on these disputes. Consequently, China regards the tribunal's rulings as illegal and invalid."
14. Web page showing China's exclusion from settlement of maritime boundary delimitation disputes under UNCLOS
FILE: South China Sea, China - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
15. Aerial shots of sea, reefs, beach, seagulls
FILE: Beijing, China - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
16. National flag of China
17. Various of Tian'anmen Square, national flag
FILE: Manila, Philippines - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
18. Philippine national flag
FILE: Manila, Philippines - Nov 13, 2018 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
19. Various of Philippine national flags, Rizal Monument
China rejects the so-called "2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea" as illegal and void, arguing the tribunal overstepped its authority by ruling on sovereignty issues that fall outside the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
On July 12, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson responded to the Philippines' statement marking the ninth anniversary of the "2016 Arbitral Award," calling it nothing more than "a piece of waste paper."
A seminar hosted by Dalian Maritime University on Thursday gathered top scholars and legal experts to discuss the case.
Participants said the tribunal fundamentally exceeded its mandate under UNCLOS, which only covers ocean-related issues, such as Exclusive Economic Zones, freedom of navigation, and marine resource rights. The convention does not authorize any tribunal to decide territorial sovereignty or maritime boundary delimitation.
"We believe that the tribunal exceeded its authority by ruling on issues beyond its legal jurisdiction under the UNCLOS. Thus, all subsequent substantive rulings are founded on an invalid [basis]," said Zhang Xinjun, professor of Public International Law at the Tsinghua University.
According to the seminar, the essence of the Philippines' claims ultimately concerns territorial sovereignty, not just maritime rights.
By asking the tribunal to declare that certain Chinese islands and reefs fall within the Philippines' Exclusive Economic Zone, Manila was in effect challenging China's sovereignty over these features, an issue UNCLOS cannot adjudicate, it said.
The Philippines' claim about traditional fishing rights near Huangyan Dao could not be properly adjudicated without first deciding whether China or the Philippines holds sovereignty over the island itself.
Only after establishing sovereignty could the tribunal determine the legal status of the surrounding waters and applicable rules for fishing activities, experts said.
Plus, Article 298 of UNCLOS explicitly allows countries to opt out of compulsory dispute settlement for issues like maritime boundary delimitation.
In 2006, China exercised this sovereign right by officially excluding such matters from arbitration.
"Despite clearly lacking jurisdiction, [the arbitral tribunal] proceeded to issue final rulings on these disputes. Consequently, China regards the tribunal's rulings as illegal and invalid," said Lei Xiaolu, professor of international law at the China Institute of Boundary and Ocean Studies under the Wuhan University.
ID : 8437040
Published : 2025-07-18 15:50
Last Modified : 2025-07-18 20:27:14
Source : China Central Television (CCTV),China Global Television Network (CGTN)
Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland
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