China protests Japan's South China Sea stance after backing landmark 2016 ruling

A fresh diplomatic dispute has emerged between China and Japan after Beijing summoned Japan's envoy in protest over Tokyo's support for a landmark international ruling on the South China Sea. The move came after Japan joined 13 other countries in reaffirming the 2016 tribunal decision that rejected China's expansive maritime claims under international law.

China's foreign ministry summoned the chief minister of the Japanese Embassy in Beijing to lodge what it described as "solemn representations" and express "strong dissatisfaction and protest" over Japan's position.

According to Chinese state news agency Xinhua, Beijing accused Tokyo of interfering in regional affairs, undermining peace and stability, and challenging China's sovereignty over the South China Sea.

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China insisted that its sovereignty over the disputed waters has "never changed" despite the 2016 ruling.

Japan backs tribunal ruling

The diplomatic row followed a joint statement by 14 countries, including Japan, the US, Australia, the UK, the Philippines, and nine others, marking the 10th anniversary of the Permanent Court of Arbitration's decision.

The group reaffirmed that China's sweeping maritime claims have "no legal basis" under international law.

Separately, the European Union also endorsed the ruling, prompting criticism from Beijing.

Earlier, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said China's refusal to accept the 2016 decision goes "against the principle of peaceful settlement of disputes" and "undermines the rule of law in the international community."

Beijing rejected the remarks, saying Japan had no standing in the dispute.

"On July 12, Japan's Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi made a statement ten years after the "2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea."

The statement blatantly endorses the illegal "award," attacks China's lawful claims, and mischaracterizes Japan as a "legitimate stakeholder who uses the South China Sea." "China strongly deplores and firmly opposes it," the Chinese foreign ministry said, according to the China government's mouthpiece Global Times.

China also accused Japan of attempting to revive its wartime ambitions.

"Now decades later, Japan, in the name of a 'stakeholder,' is again attempting to meddle in the South China Sea. This reminds people of Japan's history of aggression and expansion and heightens their vigilance against Japan's neo-militarism agenda," the spokesperson said.

Why the dispute intensified

The diplomatic protest followed a joint declaration reaffirming the July 12, 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague.

The tribunal concluded that China's "nine-dash line" claim covering most of the South China Sea has no legal basis under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The joint statement was issued by the US, Australia, Canada, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, New Zealand, the Philippines, Romania, Slovenia, and the United Kingdom.

The countries described the ruling as "a significant milestone" that is "final, legally binding, and definitive between China and the Philippines with respect to the maritime entitlements and claims" examined by the tribunal.

They also reiterated that maritime disputes should be resolved peacefully under international law and opposed the use of military, coast guard, and maritime militia forces to intimidate other countries in the contested waters.

Separately, the 27-member European Union described the ruling as "a landmark decision in the peaceful settlement of disputes."

Beijing rejects arbitration ruling

China has consistently refused to recognize the 2016 arbitration award, maintaining that the tribunal lacked jurisdiction and that its historical rights over the South China Sea remain valid.

The foreign ministry again dismissed the ruling, calling it "a piece of waste paper that is illegal, invalid and nonbinding."

Beijing also urged other countries to stop "undermining peace and stability" in the South China Sea and respect what it described as China's territorial sovereignty.

To reinforce its position, China's foreign ministry released a video titled "What the South China Sea Waves Tell Us", portraying the waterway as an inseparable part of Chinese civilisation and history.

Why the South China Sea is strategically important

The South China Sea is one of the world's busiest maritime trade routes, with around one-third of global maritime trade passing through it every year.

China claims most of the waterway under its "nine-dash line", but those claims overlap with those of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

The 2016 arbitration case, brought by the Philippines, ruled that China had no historic rights over resources within the nine-dash line and that many of its actions violated UNCLOS.

Although the ruling is legally binding, Beijing has continued to reject it while expanding its military and coast guard presence in the disputed waters.