Why China Says No to the Arbitration on the South China Sea

中国为什么对南海仲裁案说不

Fu Ying

傅莹

July 10, 2016

2016年7月10日

The Hague tribunal in the much-discussed South China Sea arbitration case between China and the Philippines has notified the world that it will issue a final verdict on July 12. Many Western countries seem to think they already know the result of the arbitration – that China will lose. They have already started urging China to accept the ruling. But Beijing’s position is clear: no acceptance, no participation, no recognition, and no implementation. There is solid international legal basis for China to oppose this case. And by doing so, China is not only safeguarding its national interests, but also protecting the integrity and legitimacy of the international maritime order.

菲律宾单方提起的南海仲裁案备受关注，海牙仲裁庭已经宣布将于7月12日公布最终裁决结果。一些西方国家和媒体似乎知晓裁决结果将对中国不利，早早开始敦促中方接受裁决。但中国对仲裁案的立场十分明确，即“不接受、不参与、不承认、不执行”。中国反对南海仲裁案有充分的国际法理依据。中国这样做不仅是在维护自身的国家利益，也是在捍卫国际海洋秩序的完整性和合法性。微博@高斋翻硕 公众号:高斋翻译学堂

Why does China refuse to accept and participate in the proceedings of this tribunal, being heard at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague? Because China, as a sovereign state, is entitled to choose its preferred means of dispute resolution – a legitimate right under international law. Moreover, the Philippines’ case is inherently flawed and illegitimated by such irregularities as the country’s abuse of the dispute settlement procedures, its distortion of concepts, and its deliberate disguise of the real nature of the disputes.

为什么中国拒绝接受和参与仲裁程序？因为中国作为主权国家，有权选择解决争议的方式，这是国际法赋予主权国家的合法权利。同时也是因为菲律宾单方提起的南海仲裁案存在滥用争端解决程序、偷换概念和刻意掩盖争议实质的诸多问题，自始就存在瑕疵，因此缺乏合法性。

The Philippines’ arbitration relates to the dispute over the sovereignty of islands and reefs in the South China Sea, and to maritime delimitation. But these territorial issues are not regulated by – and therefore beyond the scope of – the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). And in 2006, China declared it would exclude “disputes concerning maritime delimitation” from compulsory arbitration, under Article 298 of UNCLOS. Second, the Philippines’ unilateral initiation of compulsory arbitration did not meet UNCLOS preconditions for such initiation. The “no arbitration without the existence of a dispute” principle requires that before resorting to compulsory arbitration, there must have existed a real dispute between the parties. However, China has not yet presented specific claims with individual islands: Instead, it has always treated them as part of its Zhongsha Islands or Nansha Islands in the South China Sea.

首先，菲律宾提起仲裁的诉求涉及与中国一些岛礁争议和两国之间的海域划界问题。领土主权问题不属于《联合国海洋法公约》（以下简称《公约》）调整范围;对于海域划界问题，中国已于2006年依据《公约》298条规定作出排除性声明，因而不再接受使用强制争端解决程序。

第二，菲方单方面提起的强制仲裁未满足《公约》规定的前置条件。根据“无争议不仲裁”的原则，提起任何强制仲裁前，双方就仲裁事项须确实存在争议。但是，例如菲律宾在仲裁中提出关于单个岛礁法律地位的问题，而中方从未就单个岛礁主张海洋权益，是一直将其当作群岛的组成部分。微博@高斋翻硕 公众号:高斋翻译学堂

UNCLOS also stipulates that the Philippines must exchange views related to the arbitration over the dispute with China. But the Philippines has never consulted with China on the subject matters of the arbitration. And it was not telling the truth when it reported an “impasse” with China in “the bilateral exchanges” and “the great many subsequent exchanges.” In fact, it was China that tried in vain to engage in meaningful dialogue with the Philippines.

《公约》也规定，提起诉讼前相关方须充分交换意见，但菲律宾从未与中国就仲裁事项进行任何沟通。菲在申诉报告中声称，因与中国的“双边磋商”以及“后续的众多沟通”都“陷入僵滞”无法解决问题而提起仲裁。这不是实话，事实上，是中方一直试图与菲律宾进行有意义的沟通而得不到回应。

Therefore, the Philippines’ unilateral initiation of arbitration has fallen short of meeting the UNCLOS conditions. Besides, by unilaterally initiating the arbitration, the Philippines has violated an earlier agreement it reached with China: Both countries previously stated their commitment to bilateral negotiations and consultations as the means to settle disputes.

因此，菲单方面提起的仲裁并未满足《公约》规定的法定前置条件。此外，菲方单方面提起仲裁也违反了其先前与中方达成的共识，即：双方承诺通过双边谈判和协商解决争议。

Why does China find it impossible to recognize and implement the tribunal’s upcoming decision? Although Article 288(4) of UNCLOS stipulates that the tribunal should decide whether it has jurisdiction, the application of this provision is not unconditional. Indeed, there is no such thing as absolute power in international law. This tribunal, whose authority and power are conferred by states, is an international dispute settlement mechanism under UNCLOS. If the tribunal abuses its power, China – along with any other members in the international community – would have the right to reject its decisions. And in this case, the tribunal has acted in a reckless and arbitrary fashion. In doing so, it has violated the basic principles of international rule of law and undermined China’s and other nations’ faith in UNCLOS.

为什么中国“不承认、不执行”仲裁庭即将作出的裁决？尽管《公约》288(4)条款规定，仲裁庭有权决定自身管辖权，但是该条款的适用不是无条件的。国际法中不存在所谓“绝对权力”，仲裁庭作为《公约》制度下的一个国际争端解决机制，其权威和权力是所有缔约国让渡的。如果仲裁庭滥用权力，包括中国乃至国际社会有权拒绝接受裁决。我们不难看到，仲裁庭在该案的审理过程中过度任性，明显违反国际法治基本准则，动摇中国和其他国家对《公约》的信心。微博@高斋翻硕 公众号:高斋翻译学堂

We don’t yet know the outcome, but we do know that the tribunal failed to fully understand and investigate the real dispute between China and the Philippines. It disregarded the essence and purpose of the Filipino claims in filing the case, deliberately regarding it as a mere issue of the interpretation and application of UNCLOS – but in fact, the submissions handled are far beyond this scope. There is deep concern in China that the tribunal is failing to consider the specific geographical framework and situation in the South China Sea where the maritime claims of the two countries potentially overlap.

虽然我们还不知道最终结果，但可以确信，仲裁庭在管辖权裁决中没有了解和确认中菲间存在的争议是什么，忽视菲律宾提起该案的目的和诉求的实质，刻意将其视为纯粹的《公约》解释和适用问题，而实际处置的内容又远远超出这个范畴。另外，中方高度关切，仲裁庭未考虑南海的特定地理框架和海洋划界态势，也就是中菲两国在相关海域的海洋权益主张上是有重叠的。

I hope it is not hard to understand why China has decided not to recognize and implement the tribunal’s ruling. More than 60 countries have voiced their support for China’s position on resolving the South China Sea issue through negotiations and consultations. China, as a state party to UNCLOS, supports and respects the treaty’s principles and spirit. What China opposes is not UNCLOS and compulsory arbitration, but the tribunal’s abuse of power in handling the case.

鉴于上述，中方做出“不承认、不执行”的决定应是不难理解的。目前，已有60多个国家公开支持中国关于通过协商谈判解决南海争议的立场，不少专家开始质疑仲裁庭的程序问题。中国作为《公约》的缔约方，支持和尊重其原则和精神，我们反对的不是《公约》和强制仲裁机制本身，而是仲裁庭在审理此案中的滥权行为。

Today, most disputes are resolved through negotiations between the countries directly involved. The prerequisite for such negotiations, whether bilateral or multilateral, is the agreement or consent of those countries. China’s claim and position in the arbitration case are consistent with the basic spirit of international law, as well as state practice in international relations.

当今世界上绝大部分争端都是由直接当事国之间通过谈判协商解决的。无论是双边、多边谈判，还是通过国际机制解决，其前提都是要直接当事国达成协议或者形成共识。中国对此案的主张和立场符合国际法的基本精神和国际关系实践。微博@高斋翻硕 公众号:高斋翻译学堂

This arbitration cannot resolve the disputes between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea. Instead, it will only increase tensions and undermine peace and stability in the region. If the coastal countries in the South China Sea region do not intend to aggravate tensions, they have to return to the path of seeking resolution through negotiation. China and the countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have agreed to handle the issue through a dual-track approach – in other words, to resolve disputes through peaceful negotiations. Consultations on the code of conduct in the South China Sea region are making progress. The momentum should not be interrupted.

仲裁解决不了中菲在南海的争议，只会刺激对立情绪，损害地区和平与稳定。南海沿岸存在争议的国家如不打算激化矛盾，总还需要回到双边谈判解决争议的轨道上来。中国和东盟国家现在都支持通过“双轨思路”处理南海问题，即直接当事国通过友好协商谈判寻求和平解决争议，中国与东盟国家共同维护南海和平稳定。商谈“南海各方行为准则”的努力也已取得先期成果。这个势头不应被中断。

As President Xi Jinping said, China is committed to upholding international justice and is opposed to forcing one’s will upon other people. The handling of the South China Sea issue has a bearing on justice as well as peace and stability. Countries in this region need to work together to build rules-based cooperation. The international community should support the efforts made by China and other littoral states to manage and resolve disputes in a peaceful manner, respect China’s choice of using negotiations as the means to settle disputes, and protect the legitimacy and fairness of international mechanisms – especially UNCLOS.

习近平主席指出，中国坚持维护国际公平正义，反对把自己的意志强加于人。南海问题的处理事关和平稳定，也事关公平正义。本地区的国家需要共同努力，建立基于规则的合作机制。国际社会应支持中国和其他南海沿岸国以和平方式管控和解决争议所做的努力，尊重中国以谈判解决分歧的选择，维护国际机制特别是《公约》的合法性和公正性。微博@高斋翻硕 公众号:高斋翻译学堂