Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Sunday said the Chinese Embassy’s rejection of the 2016 Arbitral Award exposes the “true intentions” of the Chinese Communist Party in dealing with the Philippines.

“It clearly shows their insincerity and duplicity, which are amply personified by their Embassy officials,” Teodoro said.

“The Chinese Embassy statement replying to our Department of Foreign Affairs is a window into the true intentions of the Chinese Communist Party in dealing with our country,” he added.

Teodoro’s remarks came after the Chinese Embassy, in a statement dated 23 June, rejected the landmark 2016 Arbitral Award, which affirmed the Philippines’ sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea.

Last week, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) condemned China’s continued refusal to recognize the ruling, stressing that the award is final and binding under international law.

The DFA said the ruling, issued by a tribunal constituted under Annex VII of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), “has become an unassailable part of the corpus of international law,” providing legal clarity on maritime rights and entitlements in the South China Sea.

It added that the award has since been cited in several international decisions and judgments and clarified important obligations under UNCLOS concerning marine environmental protection, biodiversity conservation and the prevention of severe environmental harm.

The Chinese Embassy, however, dismissed the ruling as “illegal, null and void,” describing it as “a political manipulation disguised in legal garb.”

It also claimed that the arbitral tribunal “distorted and abused” the dispute-settlement mechanisms under UNCLOS, fabricated China’s positions, wrongly determined facts, and incorrectly interpreted and applied the law.

The Philippines will mark the 10th anniversary of the arbitral ruling on 12 July.