By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — China has rejected the Philippines’ maritime claims in the South China Sea anew, branding them “illegal” and warning that Beijing will take what it calls resolute measures to defend its territorial claims and maritime interests.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun made the statement Tuesday after Manila reaffirmed its sovereign rights and jurisdiction over Mischief Reef and Subi Reef, which the Philippines identifies as low-tide elevations within its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.
Guo disputed Manila’s position, insisting that the two features, along with Thitu Island, are part of what Beijing calls the Nansha Qundao, or Spratly Islands, which China claims as its inherent territory.
“Nansha Qundao, including Meiji Jiao, Zhubi Jiao and Zhongye Dao, are China’s inherent territory,” Guo said.
He argued that Chinese construction and other activities on the disputed features are legitimate because Beijing considers them part of Chinese territory.
Guo also attacked the Philippines’ position on Subi Reef, arguing that Manila had at one point placed the feature within its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf but later said it falls within the territorial sea generated by Thitu Island.
He described the Philippine position as “absurd and random” and said it rendered Manila’s claim “totally untenable.”
Beijing likewise renewed its rejection of the 2016 South China Sea arbitral award issued under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Guo characterized the arbitration as political manipulation by the Philippines and declared the resulting award “illegal, null and void,” maintaining that it has no binding force on China.
The Philippines has consistently maintained the opposite position, relying on UNCLOS and the 2016 ruling in asserting its maritime rights in the West Philippine Sea.
Guo also condemned the Philippines’ Maritime Zones Act, saying Manila’s law improperly includes China’s claimed Huangyan Dao, or Scarborough Shoal, as well as much of the Spratly Islands and surrounding waters within Philippine maritime zones.
China considers the Philippine legislation a “grave violation” of its claimed territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and declared it “illegal and null and void.”
The latest exchange highlights the fundamental legal divide between Manila and Beijing. The Philippines bases its maritime position on UNCLOS and the 2016 arbitral ruling, while China rejects the tribunal’s findings and continues to assert its own territorial claims over disputed features and waters.
The dispute remains unresolved, with both governments holding sharply conflicting positions over sovereignty, maritime jurisdiction and the legal status of contested areas in the South China Sea.
IA/XF
