U.S. unfit to lecture other countries about int'l law, has 'double standards': U.S. lawyer

A prominent American lawyer has said the United States has no right lecture other countries on international laws as it has "double standards" in dealing with global affairs due to its "empire mentality."

"We (The U.S.) expect other countries to comply with international decrees but we don't, because we don't feel like it. There is a double standard here. It's glaring," Xinhua quoted Bruce Fein, a veteran constitutional and international law attorney, as saying.

Fein criticised Washington for refraining as much as it can from adhering to international instruments that would limit its ability to "act just based upon sheer power."

Noting that the U.S. hasn't itself ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Fein said, "How do we lecture on other countries on complying with UNCLOS? We aren't even a signatory ourselves."

An arbitral tribunal last week issued the award on the South China Sea arbitration case unilaterally initiated by the former Philippine government and the U.S. expected both China and the Philippines to comply with their obligations under it.

Comparing the US maneuvers of warships carrying out repeated operations in the adjacent waters of some Chinese islands and reefs on the excuse of exercising what Washington calls the "freedom of navigation," to "preemptive attack", Fein faulted the logic behind these operations.

Fein also blasted what he said the U.S. attempts to "encircle" China, citing Washington's moves to increase its military presence in the Asia-Pacific region, from agreeing with South Korea to deploy a sophisticated missile defense system called THAAD, to enhancing security ties with Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Expressing worry over the rising tensions in the South China Sea region, Fein called on the U.S. to come back to senses and abandon its mentality of exceptionalism.