A crew member takes part in a fire drill on China's largest and most advanced patrol vessel Haixun 01 on the South China Sea, April 4, 2016. (Photo: Xinhua/Xing Guangli)
The Russian Foreign Ministry on Thursday voiced support for China's stance on the South China Sea issue, saying disputes should be resolved through negotiations.
"All relevant disputes should be resolved peacefully through friendly negotiations and agreements between the parties concerned, without internationalization or external interference," the ministry said in an online press note.
Russia's official stance on the South China Sea issue is the same as the "consolidated position" of member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), as written in the press communique of Tuesday's SCO foreign ministers' meeting in Uzbekistan's Tashkent, the ministry said.
The ministry said that SCO Secretary-General Rashid Olimov also released a statement particularly on the South China Sea issue.
The SCO countries reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining the legal order of the sea on the basis of the principles of international law, in particular the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea, the ministry said.
It added that the SCO foreign ministers called for full respect of all provisions of relevant conventions, as well as the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and the Guidelines for the Implementation of the DOC.
China has been protesting against a pending arbitration over the South China Sea issue unilaterally initiated by the Philippines.
Beijing has repeated its stance of non-acceptance and non-participation in the case, saying the Philippines' act has violated international law.
