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China maintains: 9-dash line valid basis of rights over South China Sea
China maintains: 9-dash line valid basis of rights over South China Sea
At A Glance
- According to the Chinese Embassy in Manila, the US has even recognized jurisprudentially China's sovereignty over Nanhai Zhudao following the issuance of the Cairo Declaration and signature of the Potsdam Proclamation during World War II.
China has urged the United States of America (USA) anew to stop meddling in the South China Sea issue as it stressed that its claims on the disputed waters have solid historical and lawful basis.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila said this after US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson, in support of the Philippines, branded China's nine-dash line as a "cartoon" and that China's maritime claims are not a factual representation of international maritime laws.
In a statement, the Embassy said China was the first to have discovered, named, explored, and exploited Nanhai Zhudao and relevant waters. It claimed that China was also the first to have continuously, peacefully, and effectively exercised sovereignty and jurisdiction over them, thus establishing territorial sovereignty and relevant rights and interests in the South China Sea.
"China’s sovereignty and rights and interests in the South China Sea have been established in the long course of history, and are solidly grounded in history and the law.
After World War II, the Embassy said China recovered and resumed the exercise of sovereignty over Nanhai Zhudao, which Japan had supposedly illegally occupied during its "war of aggression" against China.
"To strengthen the administration over Nanhai Zhudao, the Chinese government officially published Nan Hai Zhu Dao Wei Zhi Tu (Location Map of the South China Sea Islands) on which the dotted line is marked as early as February 1948," it said.
According to the Chinese Embassy in Manila, the US has even recognized jurisprudentially China's sovereignty over Nanhai Zhudao following the issuance of the Cairo Declaration and signature of the Potsdam Proclamation during World War II.
"After the War, it was onboard the US-provided warships that Chinese troops formally recovered Nanhai Zhudao," it said.
"In the 1950s again, it was with the approval of the Chinese authorities in Taiwan to whom multiple preceding US requests had been made that American survey ships were allowed to operate in the South China Sea," it added.
With this, the Chinese Embassy in Manila called out the US for questioning China's claims in the South China Sea by falsely labeling the nine-dash line as a fabricated "cartoon" due to its own geopolitical interests.
It also said the US has consistently been "discretionary" when it comes to the application of international law.
"We can't help but ask: if the US is as committed to international law as it claims to be, why not start with upholding the post-WWII international order underpinned by the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation?" the Embassy said.
"Why has it yet to join the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), while citing the UNCLOS to restrain others and let itself off the hook?" it added.
According to the Embassy, the US should cease "sowing discord" between claimants of the South China Sea.
"The US is not a party to the dispute of the South China Sea and is in no position to interfere in the maritime issues between China and the Philippines. We urge the US to stop sowing discord and inciting confrontation, respect China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea," it said.
"Stop all words and actions that are not conducive to regional peace and stability, and refrain from being a troublemaker to peace and stability in the South China Sea," it added.