The Truth about the South China Sea and the Chinese Government's Position |
2024-06-29 18:30 |
--Ambassador Xiao's article published in Kathimerini The South China Sea is home to some of the busiest sea lanes in the world. The peace and stability of the South China Sea and the unimpeded access to and safety of its sea lanes are truly worthy of attention. The relevant facts should be presented to the world. Historical facts cannot be denied. As recorded in many historical works and maps, the South China Sea Islands have been China’s territory since ancient times. After World War II, in accordance with the provisions of the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Declaration, the Chinese Government recovered the Spratly Islands and Paracel Islands, which had been illegally occupied by Japan. Prior to the 1970s, the sovereignty of the South China Sea Islands had never been questioned before the international community, and some countries publicly acknowledged this reality by means of diplomatic notes and published maps. Unilateral arbitration cannot be recognized. In 2013, the Philippines unilaterally initiated arbitration proceedings of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea against China's Spratly Islands. The real purpose of this, however, was to cover up the Philippines’ own illegal occupation of some islands and reefs in the Spratly Islands area by taking advantage of certain provisions of UNCLOS. The territorial limits of the Philippines are in fact defined in a series of international treaties, including the Treaty of Paris (1898). The Spratly Islands and Scarborough Shoal are not included in its territory at all. From a legal perspective, the so-called award on South China Sea arbitration was issued by an ad hoc arbitral tribunal under the secretarial services of the Permanent Court of Arbitration. This ad hoc tribunal was an entirely temporary agency. It was set up arbitrarily and hastily, comprised of members who lacked the required expertise and had no formal relationship whatsoever with any authoritative international judicial institution. Both the International Court of Justice and the United Nations have issued statements clarifying their positions on the South China Sea case. Running vessels aground illegally to declare sovereignty cannot succeed. There have always been frictions in the South China Sea, and the issue concerning the Second Thomas Shoal is the most prominent. The Second Thomas Shoal forms part of China’s Spratly Islands. In 1999, a dilapidated Philippine Navy vessel suddenly ran aground at Second Thomas Shoal. The Philippines claimed that “the vessel bilged” and promised to tow it away once it was repaired. More than 20 years later those “repairs” are still ongoing… Seeking to preserve peace and stability in the South China Sea, the Chinese side has never tried to forcibly tow the vessel away. The Philippine side has not only violated the clear provisions of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea(DOC), which it has signed along with China, but has also falsely denied that it had ever pledged to tow the vessel. This kind of invasion of another country's territory is indeed rare. Greece has many uninhabited islands and reefs in the eastern Mediterranean. If any country attempted to assert its sovereignty over Greek islands and reefs by gaining a long-term presence there through running vessels aground and creating shipwrecks, China would resolutely oppose it. Because condoning such illegal acts will drag the global maritime order into chaos. China attaches great importance to and earnestly implements international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, insists on dealing with issues in a responsible and constructive manner, and pledges to resolve problems through negotiation and consultation. China and ASEAN countries are fully implementing the DOC in an effective way and are actively advancing consultations on a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea. All parties have agreed to handle the South China Sea issue by following the dual-track approach, namely that maritime disputes should be handled properly by the countries directly concerned through negotiations and consultations in accordance with international law and on the basis of respect for historical facts. Peace and stability in the South China Sea should be jointly safeguarded by China and ASEAN countries. Despite disputes over maritime rights, the freedom of navigation and overflight enjoyed by all states in the South China Sea under international law has never been a problem. The South China Sea currently contains some of the safest and freest sea lanes in the world, with more than 100,000 ships and one third of the world's maritime trade passing through every year. As more than 60 percent of China's foreign trade and energy transportation passes through the South China Sea, China values peace and stability in the South China Sea more than any other country and attaches the utmost importance to ensuring that these sea lanes remain safe and accessible to all. |