Commenting on the recent issue on the South China Sea, Nicholas Chan, a lawyer and a Hong Kong deputy of the National People's Congress (NPC), said that arbitration was one of the best ways to resolve disputes as court cases were often time-consuming and ineffective.
"One of the reasons why arbitration is so popular is that the parties to a dispute can agree to a neutral arbitrator to deal with the matter fairly, and the arbitration can only proceed with the consent of all parties."
Among the many international maritime arbitration cases, however, Chan said the South China Sea Arbitration is one of the biggest jokes and a typical counter-textbook.
"If a so-called disputing party does not commit to participating in an arbitration, if the arbitrator is biased, and if the legislation or convention cited as the basis for the arbitration does not contain any sovereignty disputes but only maritime disputes, does anyone still think that the arbitration is a fair and impartial one?" he said, "Does it have any credibility?"
According to Chan, this is a good time to reflect on the fact that 'gangsterism' will no longer have a market or place in the world.
"Such a repetition of the old, 'divide and conquer' tactic will only create a situation where certain people with ulterior motives will fan the flames, which will not lead to any good results."
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