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MONROVIA, July 8 (Xinhua) -- The Liberian government believes that all disputes in the South China Sea should be resolved through peaceful negotiations between the parties concerned, the country's foreign minister said in a statement issued on Friday.
Foreign Minister Marjon Kamara said that no party involved in this matter will gain from rising tensions in the South China Sea as countries in the region are closely intertwined by trade and proximity.
Liberia will continue to support international efforts to safeguard regional peace and stability, the statement added.
China is playing a pivotal role in Liberia's reconstruction after a bloody civil war and the impact of Ebola on the country. A number of prominent Liberians concerned about the situation in East Asia also expressed their support to bilateral talks.
The Philippines ditched negotiations with China and unilaterally brought its maritime dispute with the country to a court in The Hague. China has refused to participate in the arbitration because the Philippines has reneged on past agreements to resolve disputes through peaceful bilateral negotiations. China won't recognize the court's verdict, which is expected on Tuesday.
"The Chinese are friends of Liberia and have been very positive in helping to move us forward. What is happening in the South China Sea is of concern to all, and we hope maximum restraint will be taken in its resolution," said Abdullai Kamara, president of the Press Union of Liberia.
Tamba W. Bundor, the executive director of the Community Development Services which is a non-government organization specialized in the water sector, noted that should the dispute escalate it would undermine progress and stability in that region.
Bundor, an expert in water and sanitation, advised dialogue instead of confrontation, which will generate unnecessary tensions and harm the free movement of people and economic progress.
Bundor says China is a peace-loving nation, which subscribes to international protocols and carries out constructive engagement in settling the dispute in the South China Sea. All parties should exercise restraint for the good of the region, Bundor added.
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China will not be "forced" into accepting South China Sea arbitration decision
BEIJING, July 8 (Xinhua) -- China on Friday dismissed the United States plea to accept any decision in the South China Sea arbitration to be announced next week.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague is set to announce its final decision next Tuesday in territorial disputes between China and the Philippines. Full story
Spotlight: Truth about South China Sea should not be misrepresented by Western media
BEIJING, July 8 (Xinhua) -- On the South China Sea issue, some Western media have spared no efforts to make "news", tapping lies to cover the truth and misguide public opinions thereon, which is considered by experts and scholars to be unfair and misleading.
"Beijing says 60 countries back stance on international tribunal; only 8 have publicly stated support," wrote the Wall Street Journal in a recent article sub-title. Full story
Sri Lanka supports China's stance on South China Sea issue
COLOMBO, July 8 (Xinhua) -- The Sri Lankan government understands China's stance on the South China Sea issue and supports countries concerned in solving the maritime disputes through negotiation, Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera said on Friday.
He made the remarks when meeting with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Full story
Interview: South China Sea arbitration likely to stir more regional tensions: Italian expert
ROME, July 8 (Xinhua) -- The forthcoming arbitration on the South China Sea dispute by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague is likely to stir more tensions in the region, said an Italian expert.
"I reckon the judgement of the court will not help the dialogue between the two parties involved, China and the Philippines, but rather worsen the crisis," Domenico Losurdo, a famous Italian historical philosopher and professor at the University of Urbino, told Xinhua in a recent interview. Full story
Spotlight: U.S. stokes unwanted tensions in South China Sea: Russian experts
MOSCOW, July 8 (Xinhua) -- The United States' activities in the South China Sea are raising tension unacceptable for the countries in the region and may force China to abandon the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Russian experts said.
"The U.S. has always advanced the freedom of navigation issue in the South China Sea pointing to its special role in world trade, but such an approach is misleading," said Vasily Kashin, a senior research fellow at the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies of the Moscow-based Higher School of Economics (HSE). Full story
African media voice support for China's stance on South China Sea
BEIJING, July 8 (Xinhua) -- China's position on the South China Sea is getting more support from international experts, said several media from African countries while commenting on the unilateral arbitration initiative by the Philippines.
Manila has been unilaterally pressing ahead to bring a maritime dispute with China to an international tribunal since January 2013. Full story
Equatorial Guinean ruling party calls for peaceful solution to South China Sea dispute
MALABO, July 7 (Xinhua) -- Jeronimo Osa Osa Ecoro, Secretary General of Equatorial Guinean ruling Democratic Party, on Thursday called for peaceful solution to the South China Sea dispute.
In an interview with Xinhua, Osa insisted that the disputed countries should solve their dispute through dialogues and negotiations. Full story
PARIS, July 7 (Xinhua) -- Arbitration by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) following the unilateral application of the Philippines over its dispute with China in the South China Sea "would endanger the peace and stability" in the region, said French sinologue Pierre Picquart.
"What seems questionable is a so-called 'international arbitration,' unrecognized by China, trying to impose a settlement between Beijing and Manila," Picquart told Xinhua in a recent interview. Full story
PNG says respecting China's position on South China Sea
BEIJING, July 7 (Xinhua) -- Papua New Guinea (PNG) said on Thursday that it respected China's position on the South China Sea issue and supported direct consultation between parties concerned.
PNG upholds that maritime disputes should be peacefully resolved by parties directly concerned through consultation and negotiation in accordance with international law, according to a joint press release between China and the PNG, issued after the meeting between President Xi Jinping and visiting PNG Prime Minister Peter O'Neill at the Great Hall of the People. Full story
