Hong Kong, China - July 13, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of roundtable dialogue on South China Sea security in progress, attendees
2. Various of report titled "A New Critique of the South China Sea Arbitration Award"

FILE: South China Sea - Date Unknown (CCTV/CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
3. Aerial shots of reefs, seawater

Hong Kong, China - July 13, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
4. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Xu Xiaodong, Executive Vice Chairman, Huayang Center for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance in China:
"With regard to this illegal award, we must persistently and continuously refute it. Looking back over the past ten years since its issuance, certain countries and certain individuals with ulterior motives in the international community have continuously hyped it up, attempting to turn this award into an international consensus. This is a highly erroneous narrative and a highly erroneous practice."
5. Various of attendees
6. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Yu Minyou, Dean, China Institute of Boundary and Ocean Studies, Wuhan University:
"It once again proves to the world who is truly upholding international rule of law, and what a genuine international legal order should look like. We must not be deceived by the guise of this false arbitration award."
7. Various of dialogue in progress

Upholders of international law must persistently refute the so-called "South China Sea arbitration award" unilaterally initiated by the Philippines, said attendees at a roundtable dialogue on South China Sea security, following the release of a report rebutting the award on Monday.

The report titled "A New Critique of the South China Sea Arbitration Award" was released at the roundtable dialogue held in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

The report provides a 10-year impact analysis and assessment of the so-called 2016 "South China Sea arbitration award."

Its core conclusion is that although the "award" once drew international attention at the political and diplomatic level, in terms of the sources of international law and state practice, its influence is far lower than its supporters had expected. To some extent, according to the report, the results of the unilateral arbitration have been largely ignored or deliberately avoided by the international community.

The release of the critique once again exposes the significant fallacies in the "award" regarding legal interpretation and application, factual findings, and evidentiary acceptance.

"With regard to this illegal award, we must persistently and continuously refute it. Looking back over the past ten years since its issuance, certain countries and certain individuals with ulterior motives in the international community have continuously hyped it up, attempting to turn this award into an international consensus. This is a highly erroneous narrative and a highly erroneous practice," said Xu Xiaodong, Executive Vice Chairman of the Huayang Center for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance in China.

"It once again proves to the world who is truly upholding international rule of law, and what a genuine international legal order should look like. We must not be deceived by the guise of this false arbitration award," said Yu Minyou, Dean of China Institute of Boundary and Ocean Studies at Wuhan University.

Legal representatives and scholars from various countries and regions attended the event.