UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has asked countries involved in South China Sea dispute to settle their differences peacefully and "avoid any escalation or misunderstandings that could put security and development in the region at risk".
"As secretary-general, I cannot comment on the arbitration case in which the ruling may be issued shortly," Ban said at a joint news conference with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi here yesterday.
"However, the disputes should be resolved in a peaceful manner," he said.
He also asked countries involved in the dispute to "avoid any escalation or misunderstandings that could put security and development in the region at risk".
Ban's visit to China is taking place days ahead of the Arbitral Tribunal constituted by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) under UN Convention of Law of Seas (UNCLOS) which is set to deliver verdict on the petition filed by the Philippines on July 12.
China which boycotted the proceedings said it will not accept the verdict.
The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan contest China's claims over almost all of the South China Sea.
On the dispute resolution, Wang said China also wants a peaceful resolution, but is opposed to "any effort to reject dialogue, or to unilaterally initiate arbitration without the consent of the other party".
"This approach will not help bring out a peaceful resolution of the disputes," Wang said.
"On the contrary, it will only escalate the disputes and the tensions and should be resisted by all countries and people who uphold justice in the world," he added.
Ban also met with President Xi Jinping.
During his talks with Ban, Xi said that China supports political resolution of international hot spot issues and encourages dialogue and negotiations, state-run china.Org.Cn reported.
As a permanent member of the UN Security Council and the largest developing country, China will continue to be a firm supporter of and participant in the UN, Xi said, adding that the UN should be the main channel for coordinating international relations.
