Voices

“People may think that since it has sufficient justifications， why doesnt China want to participate in the proceedings？ Frankly speaking， there are a lot of nonlegal factors in international relations affecting judicial decisions. When it comes to territorial sovereignty， not every country has confidence in international arbitration. For this reason， the UNCLOS allows member states to declare optional exceptions of compulsory arbitration， and more than 30 countries have made declarations excluding compulsory arbitration under Article 298… China is merely exercising its legitimate rights to not take part in any unilaterally initiated arbitration.”

Chinese Ambassador to Belgium Qu Xing made these remarks at a round table discussion on the South China Sea issue on June 21.

“China values its relations with the U.K. This position remains unchanged. Whether the U.K. is in the EU or not， we will take a strategic and long-term perspective when it comes to China-U.K. ties， as we have always done.“Our view has been consistent. China and the U.K. are countries of global influence. A healthy， stable and win-win China-U.K. partnership serves not only the fundamental interests of the people of our two countries but also the peace and prosperity of the world.“We hope that， regardless of any British domestic political changes， a positive relationship with China will remain the consensus for both the U.K. government and opposition political parties. We also hope that， despite any possible foreign policy adjustments here in the U.K.， advancing ties with China will continue to be a priority of the U.K. government.”

Chinese Ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming made these comments at the 48 Group Club Young Icebreakers Dinner on June 30， 2016.