CCTV News: According to the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on July 12, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi made a speech on the tenth anniversary of the "South China Sea Arbitration Award". He blatantly defended the illegal "award", attacked China's legitimate claims, and falsely claimed that Japan is a stakeholder in South China Sea affairs.China strongly condemns and firmly opposes this.

Japan is not a party to the South China Sea and is not qualified to make irresponsible remarks on China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea.During World War II, Japan committed numerous crimes in China, including illegally occupying islands and reefs in the South China Sea, which brought serious disasters to China and the Chinese people.Now Japan is once again trying to intervene in the South China Sea under the banner of a so-called "stakeholder". This will only remind people around the world of Japan's history of foreign aggression and expansion and make them more wary of Japan's "remilitarization" plot.

China’s sovereignty over the South China Sea Islands and related rights and interests in the South China Sea were established during a long historical process and have sufficient historical and legal basis.China's relevant activities in the South China Sea are reasonable and lawful and cannot be criticized.China's rights in the South China Sea cannot be negated by a temporary so-called "arbitral tribunal".The so-called "arbitration" is an ultra vires trial and a violation of the law. The "award" made is illegal, invalid and has no binding force. It seriously damages the seriousness and authority of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and seriously impacts the international rule of law.China does not accept or recognize the relevant "award", and opposes and does not accept any claims and actions based on the "award".

Japan ignores the absurdity of the "ruling" and openly advocates the "ruling". In fact, it "says one thing and does another", which fully exposes its hypocritical nature.According to the "ruling" standard, if even Taiping Island in the Nansha Islands, which covers an area of ​​500,000 square meters and has fresh water to drink, fruits, vegetables and poultry to eat, is not an island and cannot claim an exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, then what right does Japan have to claim an exclusive economic zone and continental shelf of hundreds of thousands of square kilometers of Okinotori Reef, which is only composed of two rocks with an area of ​​less than 10 square meters and hangs alone in the Pacific?According to this standard, many other Japanese islands and reefs will also lose the basis for claiming maritime rights and interests.Since Japan has issued a statement in favor of the content of the "award", China has reason to believe that Japan has voluntarily given up its corresponding maritime claims in accordance with the same standards.

What Japan cares about is not international rule of law at all, but wants to intervene in the South China Sea and disrupt the region.For some time, Japan has been strengthening its ties with the Philippines and exporting weapons and equipment to the Philippines.Japan has dispatched military forces overseas several times and launched offensive missiles. These actions go far beyond the scope of "self-defense". They are breaking the rules of Japan's constitution and international law and challenging the post-war international order.With all this happening, we can't help but ask, what exactly does Japan want?

We advise Japan to stop slandering and attacking China, stop stirring up trouble on the South China Sea issue, and stop undermining peace and stability in the South China Sea.China will continue to firmly defend its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea.Any attempt to challenge China's legitimate rights and interests and undermine peace and stability in the South China Sea is doomed to failure.