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The Philippine side recently hyped up the so-called South China Sea arbitration issue again, as its foreign affairs department issued a "rejection" of China's position and certain individuals criticized the Chinese Embassy. The embassy had reiterated that the arbitration was a political farce disguised in legal clothing, and that the so-called award is illegal, null and void. A Chinese expert said the so-called award is nothing more than a piece of waste paper, while some groups in the Philippines are using the 10-year timing of the ruling to garner attention and pursue personal interests. Such moves do nothing to benefit bilateral ties or ease tensions in the South China Sea, experts said.

A report from the Philippine Star on Wednesday claimed that the Department of Foreign Affairs rejected a recent statement of the Chinese Embassy in Manila against the 2016 South China Sea arbitral award.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila on Tuesday posted a statement on X, stating that the embassy rejects the so-called South China Sea Arbitration which was a political manipulation disguised in legal garb. The arbitral tribunal distorted and abused the dispute-settlement mechanisms of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), fabricated China's positions, wrongly determined facts, and incorrectly interpreted and applied the law. Its award is illegal, null and void, the embassy said.

China neither recognizes nor accepts the award, nor does it accept any claim or action based on it. China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea are under no circumstances affected by the award, read the statement.

The Chinese Embassy also stated that it rejects the misuse of arbitration over territorial matters, rejects the numerous errors committed by the tribunal in addressing issues concerning maritime rights, the legal status of maritime features, and China's conduct.

The so-called arbitration is nothing more than a scrap of paper. However, certain individuals in the Philippines are leveraging the 10-year timing to hype up South China Sea issue and sensationalizing the alleged new structure at Huangyan Dao, Chen Xiangmiao, a research fellow at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Jay Tarriela, spokesperson for the Philippine Coast Guard, recently took to social media to hype up the so-called "arbitral award."

Chen said that by hyping up South China Sea issues and anti-China narratives, Tarriela and some others have been clamoring to portray themselves as "heroes." Yet their words have no basis in facts and are driven by deception and political calculation. Their real purpose is to grab headlines and pander to the US and far-right factions within the Philippines.

"Certain people in the Philippines should immediately stop maritime provocations and the victim narrative. Tarriela's so-called 'documenting' and 'recording' of China's law enforcement activities to safeguard its rights in the South China Sea is a habitual ploy to hype up the 'China threat' narrative, complicate the maritime situation, and incite international public opinion," the Chinese Embassy in Manila said in a post on June 22.

On June 21, Deputy Spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy Guo Wei said in a post on X that the so-called award is illegal, null and void. "China has no intention of spending more time debating the matter, but wishes to raise the following questions: In the ten years since the award was issued, what has the Philippines gained? Have China-Philippines relations improved or deteriorated? Has the situation at sea become more stable or more tense? Who exactly has been manipulating the arbitration issue, obstructing the improvement of China-Philippines relations and undermining regional peace and stability? Now that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has expressed a desire to reset China-Philippines relations, why do you, as a government official, continue to provoke China? What is your real objective?" Guo said in the post.

The questions raised by the Chinese Embassy hit the Philippines' sore spot. The so-called ruling has brought neither peace nor stability to the South China Sea, nor has it served the interests of the Filipino people. Instead, it has damaged China-Philippines relations and dragged some Philippine politicians deeper into political infighting, Chen said.

The international community can clearly see that the Philippines is using international law as political cover, a move that has only undermined its own reputation within ASEAN. The so-called ruling has brought nothing but instability, confrontation and conflict, Chen said.

During the 36th Meeting of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea held on June 17, in response to the Philippines' hyping of the so-called "arbitral award," Sun Lei, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said that at present, thanks to the joint efforts of China and ASEAN countries, the situation in the South China Sea is generally stable. China is working with ASEAN countries to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, accelerate consultations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, and jointly strive to make the South China Sea a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation.

When asked to comment on Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr.'s claim that he would continue to perform his duties and safeguard national interests following China's imposition of sanctions on him and his relatives, Senior Colonel Chen Xi, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, said that the Chinese Foreign Ministry had elaborated on the relevant situation on multiple occasions. The sanctions imposed by China on Teodoro and his relatives are entirely self-inflicted, constituting a legitimate measure taken by China to uphold its national sovereignty, security and development interests.

Chen said that should a small clique of anti-China elements be allowed to act unscrupulously, such acts would directly harm the Philippines' economy and people's livelihoods and exert a destructive impact on bilateral relations as well as military-to-military ties between China and the Philippines. 

"We advise such individuals to conduct themselves properly and put an end to their hollow, grandstanding political theatrics," Chen added.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday called for efforts to promote the improvement of governance rules in the face of multiple new challenges in new domains.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, emphasized at a press conference the need to ensure that the climate governance process does not backtrack, the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities is upheld, and the global transition to green and low-carbon development is continuously advanced.

"We should improve governance rules for outer space, polar regions and cyberspace, to build a widely recognized governance framework," he noted.

Despite objections from China and Russia, which said the United Nations Security Council had already ended its review of the Iran nuclear issue, the UN Security Council still held a public meeting early Wednesday morning and approved a procedural measure by vote. Sun Lei, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said in response that certain countries deliberately ignored the Security Council members' differences and concerns, forcibly pushed for the Security Council to reimpose sanctions on Iran, insisted on convening a Security Council meeting on an issue that has already been terminated, bearing full responsibility for the current difficulties facing the Council, China Central Television reported on Wednesday. 

This move will not only deepen divisions within the Security Council, but will also seriously hinder the process of achieving a political resolution to the Iranian nuclear issue, Sun stated, noting that China is deeply concerned about this development and is disappointed with the outcome of the vote.

Sun stressed that threats of force or the imposition of war will only push the Iranian nuclear issue and the situation in the Middle East toward a dangerous abyss.

Sun said that the US’ unilateral withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and its use of force against Iran on two occasions during the negotiation process have seriously damaged diplomatic efforts and are the primary cause of the current difficult and complex situation.

Sun said that the parties concerned should learn from past lessons, abandon power politics, engage in equal and sincere dialogue, commit to refraining from the use of force, and ensure the effective implementation of any future agreement in order to restore the confidence of the international community through concrete actions. 

Maintaining the ceasefire is the top priority. The parties concerned should focus on peace and work toward preserving the ceasefire, ending the conflict, and reaching an agreement at an early date that serves the interests of all parties involved, Sun added. 

When asked to comment on reports citing several sources that the Japanese government had claimed it remains committed to its exclusively defense-oriented policy and its path of development as a peace-loving nation has not changed, following a joint statement issued by China and Pakistan in late May stating that both countries "oppose any attempt to revive fascism and militarism," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Thursday that while Japan verbally proclaims "peace" and "defense," its actions are recklessly pushing toward "remilitarization."

Japan has continued to significantly expand its military budget, ease restrictions on the export of lethal weapons, advance the deployment of medium- and long-range missiles, bolster offensive military capabilities, stockpile large quantities of sensitive nuclear materials, push for revisions to its pacifist Constitution, and even advocate turning Japan into a nation "capable of waging war." In doing so, it has effectively removed the mask of a so-called "peace-loving nation" itself, Lin said, adding that the international community should be highly vigilant about this and must not allow Japanese militarism to resurface and wreak havoc on the world again.

Chinese scientists have made a major breakthrough in precision machining research for humanoid robot "joints," expected to promote greener, more efficient production of high-end precision transmission components. 

A research team led by Peng Ruitao, professor from Xiangtan University in Central China's Hunan Province, has recently published a new research paper in machining for large-pitch gothic-arch ball screws, the core transmission components of humanoid robot joint actuators, in the Journal of Manufacturing Processes, chinanews.com reported on Thursday.

According to Peng, ball screws, as key precision transmission components in humanoid robot joint actuators and other high-end equipment such as industrial robots, directly affect the dynamic response and service life of the entire system. 

Despite high transmission efficiency and high load-bearing capacity, large-pitch gothic-arch ball screws face significant machining challenges due to their complex helical surface geometry, Peng said. 

Given that traditional grinding processes are hindered by low efficiency, high cost and heavy cutting-fluid use, greener and more efficient production of this type of high-end precision transmission component has been limited.

However, the research team's study offers a theoretical foundation and process reference for overcoming key challenges in green and efficient manufacturing of this high-end precision transmission component by revealing the mechanisms behind various machining issues in this precision transmission component. 

Meanwhile, the research team has closely focused on common technical challenges in the field of high-end power equipment manufacturing, continuously conducting systematic research on core areas of high-end precision component machining, and has gradually built a complete research framework ranging from mechanism understanding and process optimization to engineering validation, according to chinanews.com. 

General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with General Secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party Central Committee and Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith in Beijing on Friday.

Noting that China has always regarded Laos as a priority in its neighborhood diplomacy, Xi said China is willing to work with Laos to achieve a new leap in bilateral ties and build an all-weather China-Laos community with a shared future in the new era.

Laos fully agrees with China and supports the upgrading of bilateral ties, and stands ready to work with China to consolidate high-level political mutual trust, Thongloun said.

China has recently taken a series of responsive actions, including a special maritime law enforcement operation on Saturday in waters east of Taiwan island, after Japan and the Philippines announced plans to start talks on maritime delimitation in the waters east of China's Taiwan island. A Chinese expert said the coordinated moves demonstrate China's sovereignty and jurisdiction, as well as its capability and resolve to safeguard its maritime rights and interests. 

China launched a special maritime law enforcement operation, led by China's Ministry of Transport and jointly undertaken by the Fujian Maritime Safety Administration, the Guangdong Maritime Safety Administration, the Eastern Navigation Service Center of the National Maritime Safety Administration, and the East China Sea rescue bureau, in the waters east of Taiwan island on Saturday. It is a necessary move in response to Japan and the Philippines' unilateral announcement of the "maritime delimitation talks" on the east of China's Taiwan island, which constitutes a serious violation of China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

The move came after Japan and the Philippines claimed last month that they would begin so-called formal talks on delimiting the maritime boundary of the so-called exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf between the two countries "in accordance with international law," according to a Reuters report.

Previously, a necessary responsive operation was carried out on June 1, as the China Coast Guard (CCG) task group conducted routine law-enforcement patrols in accordance with the law in the waters east of China's Taiwan island, CCG's spokesperson Jiang Lue said.

"We urge Japan and the Philippines to immediately cease all illegal acts that undermine China's sovereign rights and interests. The CCG will continue to strengthen control and management over relevant waters and take real actions to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and maritime rights and interests," Jiang said, according to CCG.

No matter it is law enforcement operations of CCG or maritime safety administration, these operations affirm China's sovereignty and jurisdiction over waters east of the Taiwan island, showing the country's resolve, capability and maritime management strength to safeguard maritime rights and interests, Zhang Junshe, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Sunday.

Given the complex maritime conditions in the waters east of Taiwan island, which present a test for vessel performance and law enforcement operations, these operations demonstrate that CCG and maritime authorities are fully capable of conducting regular law enforcement patrols and maritime control in the area, Zhang said.

It further shows that China has set up a sound framework for protecting sovereignty, maritime rights and interests and managing waters around Taiwan island, according to Zhang.

The so-called unilateral delimitation talks between Japan and the Philippines are tantamount to attempting to "carve up" these waters, which seriously infringes upon China's maritime sovereignty and rights and interests, Zhang added.

According to China's domestic law and international law including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), China has exclusive economic zone and continental shelf in this area. Japan and the Philippines' so-called maritime delimitation talks constitute a severe violation of China's maritime rights and interests, UNCLOS and other international law and basic norms governing international relations, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stressed during a previous press conference on May 29 after the claim by Tokyo and Manila.

"The so-called delimitation talks are completely illegal, null and void, and will have no effect on China's claims to rights in the area east of the Taiwan island or exercise of China's lawful rights," Mao said, adding that China urges Japan and the Philippines to immediately stop any violation of China's maritime rights and interests and take concrete actions to uphold regional peace and stability.

In violation of the international law, Zhang said that Japan and the Philippines aim to jointly contain China and restrict its maritime operations as part of their coordination with the so-called Indo-Pacific strategy with the plan.

The expert added that Japan also seeks to provoke China alongside the Philippines in adjacent waters, hoping to ease the pressure from China's countermeasures over its actions concerning the Diaoyu Islands.

In response to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities' echoing of the move by Japan and Philippines, Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office said on June 3 that compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits belong to the Chinese nation, according to CCTV News.

"We should stand firm on our national stance, uphold national righteousness, and jointly safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as the overall interests of the Chinese nation. If the DPP authorities dare to collude with external forces and betray national interests, they will surely be spurned by compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits and punished by history," Zhu added.

Faced with public opinion pressure, the DPP authorities still haven't voiced strong protests. Such a compromising stance essentially amounts to acts that harm national and ethnic interests, Zhang said. "Chinese people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits should work together to safeguard our country's sovereignty, maritime rights and interests as well as national interests," he added.

Regardless of how external forces behave, the steps taken by China's relevant departments make clear China's position, the expert said, and is a testament to China's resolve and capacity to secure national sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.

In his keynote speech at the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue held in Singapore, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did not mention Taiwan — a rare omission — and instead highly praised a series of outcomes achieved during US President Donald Trump's recent visit to China. In response, Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said on Wednesday that the Taiwan question is China's internal affair and brooks no external interference. She said that maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits represents the greatest common interest shared by China and the US.

As of March 18 this year, Boeing's stock price had fallen by 28 percent, while the international rating agency Fitch Ratings stated that Boeing's default risk is gradually approaching junk bond status.

The American news website Quartz recently sorted out "A timeline of Boeing's brutal 2024 (so far)." On January 5, a Boeing 737 Max jetliner's built-in emergency door fell off, starting Boeing's "chaotic year." Subsequently, from February 6 to March 15, there were at least five safety incidents, including a stuck rudder pedal, wheel detachment, rapid air descent, a tire explosion, and missing external panels. On March 9, the death of former Boeing employee John Barnett, who had previously exposed serious deficiencies in Boeing's oxygen system, also sparked media speculation.

Industry insiders and experts reached by the Global Times revealed that behind the frequent incidents is the American hegemony that has fallen apart like scattered nuts and bolts on the floor. The serious safety problems of the head of the US aerospace industry and the world's leading manufacturer of civil and military aircraft have also made the US media, scholars and the public think of the long-standing systemic problems in the country's manufacturing industry, and reflect on the entire trajectory of "deindustrialization" and "re-industrialization" in the US.
Competitive pressure

Chinese student Li Yu, who lives in St. Louis, Missouri, where Boeing has a factory and is one of the local pillar industries, told the Global Times that she often encounters Boeing employees attending advanced training classes at the university.

Although she has heard of the recent incidents, Li admitted that in the US, it is difficult to avoid Boeing planes for most people when traveling.

"When taking a plane, although I feel uneasy, I can only grit my teeth and go through with it," Li said.

A former airline employee from Georgia told the Global Times that the majority of the planes used by airlines in the US are Boeing planes, many of which are quite old. Airlines have detailed operating instructions for Boeing planes, and he guessed that the airlines involved in the recent incidents might not have maintained the Boeing planes as directed.

"It's as if I'm watching a troubled child," said Captain Dennis Tajer, the lead spokesman of the Allied Pilots Association, when describing flying a Boeing 737 Max, according to BBC.

Tajer stated that if the plane is not safe, he would never board it, and he can no longer assume that the planes he pilots are of good quality.

However, according to the American online media outlet Axios, US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg has made continued attempts to assure the US public that flying is as safe as ever. In Buttigieg's view, the "real concerns" are Boeing's quality control, but he would still sit by the window on a Boeing plane.

According to the American Forbes magazine website, fortunately, there have been no fatalities due to Boeing plane malfunctions in recent weeks. However, five years ago, within nearly five months, two crashes involving Boeing 737 Max jets occurred in Indonesia and Ethiopia, killing 346 people.

In September 2021, PBS's Frontline channel and The New York Times co-produced a documentary titled "Boeing's Fatal Flaw," which, after an in-depth investigation, revealed the systemic causes behind the Boeing crash incidents - competitive pressure, inadequate pilot training, and regulatory absence.

According to the documentary, the 737 Max model was born under intense competitive pressure. In 2011, Airbus launched the new, more energy-efficient, and higher-efficiency model A320neo, and reached a preliminary agreement with a US airline, marking the airline's first order with Airbus in over a decade. Under this pressure, Boeing urgently initiated the design program for the 737 Max model.

Former employees involved in the work revealed that Boeing executives consistently pressured the staff to design the new model "faster, better, and cheaper," continually trying to reduce costs and minimize changes to the new plane to simplify pilot training differences, and to get the new model to market as quickly as possible.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which was supposed to regulate Boeing, authorized some of the safety inspection work to Boeing's own employees, leading to numerous cover-ups.

Increased risks

In this year's safety issues with Boeing, the far-reaching impact of the aforementioned systemic problems is still evident.

Analysts noted that Boeing's decline is the result of prioritizing profits over decades. Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, who influenced Boeing's culture with his "lean management" philosophy, focused on cutting manufacturing processes and workforce to boost stock prices.

Boeing's excessive reliance on outsourcing, as reported by The Wall Street Journal in January, has also led to safety issues and increased risks, with critical components being manufactured globally.
Moreover, interviews with industry executives revealed that production pressure and loss of experienced workers caused further problems. Boeing, needing to meet growing aircraft demand, reduced quality checks while prioritizing production speed, Reuters reported.

The international logistics media site Polar Star reported that the US aviation industry has long been troubled by supply chain issues. Many parts are in short supply, with delivery times for some metal parts and windshields being 2 to 5 times longer than normal.

The shortage of aircraft mechanics and other aviation industry professionals also strains the supply chain. Media reports say that some machine shops have sophisticated equipment but lack the labor to operate it, making licensed aircraft mechanics "as rare as unicorns," citing local experts.

Similar dilemmas

Shen Yi, director of the Research Institution for Global Cyberspace Governance at Fudan University, told the Global Times that the frequent Boeing incidents actually manifest the falling of US hegemony.

Boeing, based on neoliberal business and management concepts, once enjoyed the dividends of the Cold War. Now the company has shifted its focus from quality control to cost control, Shen said.

He pointed out that additionally, the US government, driven by the so-called "identity politics" movements that emphasize diversity and equality, has made technical skills, capabilities, and experience secondary factors in personnel selection and appointment.

Therefore, after a period of sedimentation and accumulation, the lack of focus on the expertise has led to the increase in safety-related accidents this year, he noted.

Recently, the US magazine Foreign Affairs published an article pointing out the problem of the "privatization and the hollowing out of the US defense industry." In addition to the defense field, many other manufacturing sectors are reportedly facing similar troubles.

According to the Financial Times, the decline of the US shipbuilding industry is causing anxiety in the US. Industry insiders widely attribute this decline to several factors. First, in the 1980s, the Reagan administration pursued a free-market economy and thus eliminated most subsidies for the shipbuilding industry. US defense officials and unions have stated that due to the shrinking domestic manufacturing base and outsourcing, a significant portion of the materials and components needed to produce new ships are no longer available domestically. And this is also happening in other manufacturing sectors.

In addition, due to the "just-in-time" production methods adopted in recent decades, US contractors are reluctant to maintain redundant capacity. Furthermore, industry consolidation and the rise of shipbuilding industries in Japan, South Korea, and China have led to reduced investment in technology, factory equipment, and worker training in the US, according to the article.

Analysts pointed out that the real issue with US labor is its low productivity as workers have long demanded high wages and work-life balance. Moreover, the infrastructure conditions in the US are not promising.

Reports showed that much of the existing infrastructure in the US was built in the 1960s. Therefore, much of it is virtually defunct.

While the US Congress passed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act) in 2021, the real process of upgrading the infrastructure is slow as there is no consensus on funding and building.
Misplaced obsession

According to the 2024 manufacturing industry outlook issued by Deloitte, the manufacturing sector in the US will continue to face challenges this year. However, several US media outlets and think tanks are optimistic about the country's manufacturing industry.

In October 2023, the Cato Institute, a US think tank, published an analysis titled "The Reality of American Deindustrialization," arguing that "American manufacturing has not disappeared but has undergone a transformation instead."

While US politicians have been actively advocating for the reviving of manufacturing, an article published by The Hill pointed out that "unfortunately, this obsession with manufacturing is misplaced."

"This manufacturing subsidy war will be expensive and will support inefficient sectors, raising costs for households and firms. For example, most estimates of semiconductor chip fabrication in the US are that it costs up to 50 percent more than fabrication elsewhere. American taxpayers will eventually bear the cost of subsidizing this kind of relative inefficiency," it said.

Several experts told the Global Times that reviving the manufacturing industry requires good infrastructure, research and development investment, industrial support, a continuous supply of adaptable labor, as well as a global network supporting the supply chain and trade value chain.

Even the US, once known as the "world's factory," would find it difficult to fill the gap and revive its manufacturing sector, Zhang Yugui, dean of School of Economics and Finance in Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times.

"If the US tries to revitalize its manufacturing industry, it must abandon the zero-sum game mentality and instead form an effective division of labor and cooperation with major manufacturing powers such as China, Europe, Japan, and emerging economies. It should not continue to artificially build 'small yard and high fence'. However, even if some advanced manufacturing industries are lured back to the US, it would be a short-sighted strategy that is unlikely to succeed, Zhang noted.