China refuses to drop South China Sea claims, says pending UN tribunal decision ‘illegal’

8 May 2016 GMT Political Manipulation War and Terror

‘China is set to be firm on its maritime rights in the South China Sea regardless of what UN tribunal will decide in the case initiated by Philippines since the arbitration decision will be “illegal”, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.
“Those who expect that the arbitration could compel China to yield or make it an accomplished fact are doomed to be disillusioned. The arbitration is illegal and invalid whatever it will be. China will reject and will never acknowledge it,” Hong Lei noted on Friday, speaking at a regular press briefing, as cited by Reuters.
The remarks were made in response to reports that the UN tribunal is to render its final decision in the coming weeks. The verdict is expected to turn out against China since Beijing shrugged off the case throwing into question its legality, saying that its falls outside the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea jurisdiction.’
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