Diplomat slams 'biased' Nansha arbitration panel

A senior Chinese diplomat has accused The Hague's Permanent Court of Arbitration of being biased toward the Philippines and said China does not accept, participate in or recognize the arbitration.

Xiao Jianguo, deputy director-general of the Foreign Ministry's Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs, made the comments on Saturday at an international seminar on the South China Sea arbitration in Wuhan, Hubei province.

He said the tribunal had failed to be impartial, was careless and irresponsible, and that many loopholes could be found in its awarding of jurisdiction and admissibility, made at the request of the Philippines in October.