China continues to stand its ground in rejecting the ruling of the Hague-based arbitral court on the South China Sea dispute. Beijing warned other countries on Wednesday against threatening its interests and territories in the region.

The five-member panel of the Permanent Court of Arbitration on Tuesday released its ruling saying that China has no legal basis for its claims under its so-called 'nine-dash line' in the South China Sea. The court stated that China's claims violate the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the sovereign rights of the Philippines to its exclusive economic zone in the strategic waterway.

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In a press conference held right after the ruling was handed down, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin said it is possible for China to declare an air defense identification zone over the waters if its maritime interests are threatened.

"If our security is being threatened, of course, we have the right to demarcate a zone. This would depend on our overall assessment," Liu said.

ADIZ

In 2013, China set up the East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) covering most of the East China Sea where Beijing announced that it was introducing new air traffic restrictions.

The area consists of the airspace from about, and including, the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands north to South Korean-claimed Socotra Rock. China is claiming Senkaku Islands which is known as the Diaoyu Islands in the mainland.

The ADIZ requires all aircraft to notify Chinese authorities before entering the zone. Pilots who fail to obey Beijing's orders will be subjected to military consequences.

Volatile situation

Although Liu said he hopes other countries will not take advantage of the volatile situation in the South China Sea after the Hague court ruling, he emphasized that the Chinese military is prepared to neutralize any threats as part of its duty to uphold China's sovereignty.

"We hope that other countries will not take this opportunity to threaten China and work with China to protect the peace and stability of the South China Sea, and not let it become the origin of a war," he pointed out.

Liu maintained that the islands in the South China Sea are "inherent territories" of China and that the territorial case filed by Manila for arbitration only complicated the dispute.

Negotiations

While Beijing has blamed Manila for "stirring up trouble" by taking the case to court, Liu said the government is open to negotiations with the newly-installed Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte as long as the discussions would not be based on the Hague-based court's ruling.

"After the storm of this arbitration has passed, and the sky has cleared, we hope the negotiations will come quickly, but whether it can come, we still have to wait," Liu said.

Liu said he is certain that negotiation and cooperation would benefit the Filipinos and other South China Sea claimants in the areas of gas and oil explorations and fishing, among others.

Beijing had earlier said that it would not accept any future proposition or action by other countries based on the arbitral ruling which it dismissed as "illegal" and a "farce."

Tagsair defense identification zone, arbitral court ruling, nine dash line, South China Sea, Senkaku Islands, china, Philippines