The Chinese Embassy’s statements, issued under the direct supervision of Ambassador Jing Quan, sound like a broken record. Repetitive, offering nothing new, yet never tiring of the replay — defying logic, legal argument, and at times even common sense.

First, China’s sovereignty over Ayungin Shoal is anything but indisputable. The 2016 Arbitral Award found no legal basis for the nine-dash line or the historic rights claimed within it, and …