Distinguished judges from the Hague：
It is said that the so-called Arbitration on the South China Sea will declare its result in the International Court of Justice in Hague in the near future. The Chinese government has already clearly stated its stance, that is non-participation, non-acceptance, and non-recognition. Chinese representatives will be absent in the court, so it is impossible to bring the trial with China’s absence. Concerning the China’s absence, it dates back to 1919. 97 years ago, also on the European continent, with its mild and wet climate, the Chinese representatives resolutely chose to be absent by refusing to sign the treaties of the Paris Peace Conference. After these 97 years, could we Chinese change our standing?
Exhausted and deprived, China in 1919 was plagued by foreign aggression and internal conflicts. The nationalist government at that time was tore apart by the warlords. China was impotent in handling the sovereignty disputes, so she had to remain silent in the face of foreign aggression. On the Shandong Peninsula and military ports occupied by Germany, which is the properties of China, Japanese expeditionary force launched attack against Germany and became a victor in WWI. While China, also a victor in WWI, had to endure another humiliation of losing territory and was demanded to cede Shandong to Japan during the Paris Peace Conference . This scene was vividly reproduced in the patriotic film A blockbuster Founding of the Republic when Chinese representative Gu Weijun refused to sign the treaty and delivered a sublime and heroic speech. Undoubtedly, Shandong is the territory of China. And why could we China, being the victor of the war, give away a part of our country to Japan?
These words are well-founded. Because the May 4th Movement just broke out at that time, during which all the young Chinese, with the burning flame in the heart with patriotism and indignation, gave their perseverant support to the diplomats for the sake of nation and people. What to build the foundation of this weak country were exactly those patriotic souls of young Chinese. Today, after nearly a century, the Chinese are once again absent from the so-called arbitration and agreement concerning territory and sovereignty dispute. And at this time, the backbone of these diplomats are not only the students burning with righteous indignation, but also a country with surging power.
A well-known general of the Western Han dynasty, Chen Tang has written in a memorial to the throne that for those who encroaches upon we great China, we shall be bound to revenge no matter how far they run away! This sentence has become a slogan which supports hundred generations of the Chinese to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China. When enemy invades, no matter how far the frontier is, no matter how little the territory is, all the Chinese, men, women, young and old, will rise up and fight back. In the 21st century, when sea power conscience is in full fledge, anyone who bears the illusion that China will shrink back and give up a little island because of its vast distance is committing a serious mistake. All territories, far or near, rich or desolate, are sacred parts of China. It constitutes the treason to the history and dereliction to the future. We must be responsible to the young Chinese and our future. The court may have such doubt that since China attaches such an importance to the scattered islands in the South China Sea, then why does it choose to be absent instead of taking part in the arbitration against the Philippines?
The answer is, we are never absent.
The manner holds the key for a man living in this world. This applies to the international relations. China is seemingly absent because the arbitration on the South China Sea is apparently illegal. It is unnecessary to reiterate the stance of Chinese government to you judges, let alone the bilateral agreement China signed with the parties concerned. All we need to do is to inform all the judges that in a court where ethic is the rule, China is never absent; in a trial where sovereignty is at stake, China is never absent; in the history written by power, China is never absent. The China’s absence 97 years ago demonstrates that China at that time had no choice if she would defend her sovereignty. But today the absence is due to the fact that we concentrate on the practical solutions to solve the problem. President Xi Jinping has said that empty talk will hamper the development of country, while solid work will revitalize the country. The contemporary young Chinese are united by the inspiration of Chinese dream in their struggle for a prosperous China, and the inharmonious sound from the other end of the world will no longer be disturbing.
Recently，Foreign minister Wang Yi responded the inquiry from a Arab media reporter, he said he didn't like naming a century as “a nation’s century，whether it is “the 20th century of the United States”or “the 21st century of China”. Because the fate of every century，and even the fate of human beings are written by the world people. But like a rafter, this giant pen must follow the way people from different countries can accept, must be written along the path of justice, rather than following an unwise strategy some countries have put forward which is to internationalize the problem of the South China Sea, then solve this problem hastily. In the complicated international environment and the changeable situation of the South China Sea, the Chinese had not been absent in the past, not absent today, and definitely not absent in the future, and they will make their own game rules, so who will be the winner or loser, let’s wait and see.
This letter comes from a group of ordinary young people, in the busy study life, which express out feeling to you similarly busy judges in the Hague. No matter how different between you and us on age and status, obviously, we have not too much time to taste the noise in life, so we are supposed to do something practical, just like a poetry says, “Too much complaint would make your heart break; so look farther when you make judgment .”
With respect!
Yours sincerely
Nankai University Yao Chun
Liren College of Yanshan University Wang Yue
Shanxi University Ji Ming
Inner Mongolia University of Technology Jia Jinxiao
Jilin University Ma Chen
East China University of Political Science and Law Kan Qi
Suzhou University Zhu Lin
Ningbo University Yao Danchun
Hefei University of Technology Wang Bin
Xiamen University Cai Xiaona
Fujian Normal University Zheng Ying
Nanchang University Wu Xuechen
Shandong University Li Tong
Zhengzhou University Yu Yao
Hunan University Wang Wenjuan
Xiangtan University Zheng Xulin
South China University of Technology Wu Zhiyi
Neusoft Institute,Guangdong Jiang Xudong
University of Science & Technology Beijing Lv Xin
Datong University Cheng Shengyu
Northeast Agricultural University Li Shu’ai
Donghua University Fu Huang
Henan Polytechnic University Yan Liyue
Henan Institute OfEngineering PengTuoya
May the 28th，2016