Naypyidaw, Feb 16 China’s actions constitute a systematic assault on the international legal order. By asserting adherence to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) — while violating its core provisions, spreading disinformation to obscure violations, intimidating monitors and negotiating in bad faith- Beijing demonstrates that law matters only when it aligns with Chinese interests, a report said on Monday.
According to a report in Myanmar’s media outlet 'The Irrawaddy', China’s stated commitment to upholding international law appears hollow amid growing evidence of systematic violations of the UNCLOS — a treaty Beijing ratified in 1996.
“The scene of these egregious violations is the South China Sea, where China lays spurious claim to sovereignty over the Scarborough Shoal, a resource-rich atoll in the Philippines’ so-called Exclusive Economic Zone. Known as Bajo de Masinloc in the Philippines and Huangyan Island in Chinese, the shoal has been effectively occupied by a permanent Chinese Coast Guard presence since a 2012 standoff, both because of the rich fishing grounds that surround it and its strategic position on international shipping routes,” the report detailed.
“An international arbitration ruling in 2016 invalidated China’s expansive claims and found that the shoal is a traditional fishing ground for several nations. But rather than abiding by the arbitration it signed up to, China has responded by escalating its maritime aggression, combined with a coordinated disinformation campaign designed to obscure its illegality,” it added.
The report highlighted that China’s Coast Guard presence at the Scarborough Shoal more than doubled in 2025, with 1,094 “ship days,” patrolling the area — compared to 516 in 2024 — maintaining a near daily presence in the disputed territory.
If China, the report said, can reject binding tribunal judgments, flout ratified treaty obligations, and suppress facts through diplomatic coercion and narrative warfare, it sets a dangerous precedent.
“The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei have so far maintained remarkable restraint and fidelity to international law in the South China Sea. They were rewarded with escalating coercion, disinformation campaigns, and intimidation,” it mentioned.
“The choice before the international community is clear: either maritime law grants coastal states enforceable rights within their EEZs, or it does not. Either arbitration rulings are binding, or they are suggestions. Either UNCLOS signatories are obligated to comply, or international law is merely rhetoric. China’s conduct is a test for the whole world: will it permit these principles to be abandoned?” the report questioned.
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