By The South Asia Times

BEIJING — China has lodged formal diplomatic protests against several European countries and the European Union after they joined a U.S.- and Philippine-backed statement marking the 10th anniversary of the 2016 South China Sea arbitration ruling, while also rejecting separate allegations of Chinese cyber threats raised by the United States and Paraguay.

Speaking at a regular news briefing on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Beijing was "strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed" statements issued by Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, and the European Union, accusing them of misrepresenting facts and unfairly targeting China, according to Global Times.

According to Lin, officials from the Chinese Foreign Ministry's Department of European Affairs summoned representatives from the embassies of the countries concerned, as well as the EU Delegation to China, to lodge formal diplomatic representations.

The dispute centers on the 2016 South China Sea arbitration ruling, issued by a tribunal in The Hague under the Permanent Court of Arbitration>, which invalidated many of China's expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea. The case was brought by the Philippines under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

China has consistently rejected the ruling, refusing to recognize or accept its legal validity.

At Tuesday's briefing, Lin reiterated Beijing's long-standing position, saying China's sovereignty over islands and maritime rights in the South China Sea is based on what he described as historical and legal evidence. He argued that the arbitration tribunal lacked authority and impartiality and accused Western countries, particularly the United States, of using the case to contain China.

"China neither accepts nor recognizes the so-called ruling and opposes any claims or actions based on it," Lin said.

The spokesperson also criticized several European governments, accusing them of applying "double standards" on international law and warning that their support for the arbitration ruling could damage China-Europe relations.

"Europe is not a party to the South China Sea issue," Lin said, urging European countries to refrain from endorsing what Beijing calls the "illegal award."

The comments came after several European nations joined the United States, the Philippines and other partners in issuing a joint statement reaffirming support for the 2016 arbitration decision and the rules-based international maritime order.

China rejects US, Paraguay cyber accusations

At the same briefing, Lin also dismissed accusations by the United States and Paraguay regarding what they described as cyber threats originating from China.

He said China "has always opposed and cracked down on hacking activities in accordance with the law" and accused Washington of politicizing cybersecurity issues.

"The US has long conducted systematic cyberattacks around the world," Lin said, adding that Washington was using cybersecurity allegations to "smear China" for political and geopolitical purposes.

Beijing expressed strong opposition to the accusations and urged other countries not to become, in Lin's words, "accomplices" in spreading what China considers false claims about Chinese cyberattacks.

Cybersecurity has become another major source of friction between China and the United States, with both governments repeatedly accusing each other of conducting state-backed hacking operations targeting critical infrastructure, government institutions and private companies.

The latest diplomatic exchanges underscore continuing tensions between Beijing and Western governments over maritime disputes, regional security and cybersecurity, issues that remain central to the increasingly strained relationship between China and its international partners.