On the 10th anniversary of the so-called South China Sea "arbitration ruling," 14 countries led by the United States and the Philippines issued a joint statement once again, using the "ruling" to pressure China. 

CGTN's Wang Guan argues that the illegal "ruling" itself was the product of political manipulation rather than a genuine application of international law, reflecting a broader pattern of Western powers weaponizing legal mechanisms to serve geopolitical competition. He believes this playbook has been increasingly recognized by Asian countries, and that regional disputes should be resolved through dialogue among the countries directly concerned, rather than through externally driven "lawfare."