China rejects Philippines' claims over disputed shoal

“We believe it runs counter to historical facts and violates the law,” said Liu Weimin, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry.

Philippine navy and Chinese maritime patrol vessels engaged in a standoff last week over a fishing incident near the Scarborough shoal in the South China Sea, an area both sides claim as sovereign territory.

Liu said China had “lodged solemn representations” with the Philippines and that Fu Ying, a vice foreign minister, had called in the Philippine envoy on Wednesday over the issue.

The Philippines plans to seek a resolution in an international court, arguing that the shoal is well within the country's 230-mile exclusive economic zone that is recognized under the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Liu said the Philippines is violating international law by using the U.N. convention to call into question sovereignty over the territory, known as Huangyan island in Chinese.

“China has sufficient legal evidence for its jurisdiction over the Huangyan island. China was the earliest to discover and name the island, and has included it on maps and exercised its sovereignty over it ever since,” Liu said.

Liu said the Philippines never objected to China's territorial control of the shoal before 1997 and its claim now is “completely baseless.”

The shoal is among numerous islands, reefs and coral outcrops in the South China Sea claimed by China, the Philippines and other nations for their potential oil and gas deposits, rich fishing grounds and proximity to busy commercial sea lanes.

The controversy flared on April 10 when two Chinese ships prevented a Philippine warship from arresting several Chinese fishermen who were accused of illegal entry and poaching. The fishermen slipped away from the shoal over the weekend, angering Philippine officials.

Manila lodged a protest with China on Monday, accusing one of the Chinese ships and an aircraft of harassing a Philippine-registered yacht that was conducting archaeological research in the shoal.

Liu said the tension started to ease after bilateral talks.

“We hope that the Philippines can stay with their commitment and pull back their ships as soon as possible, and resume peace and stability in waters near the Huangyan island,” Liu said.

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April 19, 2012    lightcrusaderjr@

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The Scarborough shoal is not a livable island that could have been claimed by China legitimately as its territory. It is within the 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone of the Philippines and part of its Continental Shelf. This claim of China is a clear case of bullying. Small states should be wary of this ploy.

April 20, 2012    bibotkngo57@

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Refusal of China to take the case to the International Tribunal on the Law of the Seas (ITLOS) based in Hamburg, Germany and duly commissioned by the United Nations is a sure sign of guilt and weakness by the Chinese government's arguments about the scarborough shoal being a "Chinese Territory". Preferring instead to intimidate the smaller Philippine state to give up its claim.

April 22, 2012    nit_nit_fuego@

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China is really a bully! And maybe stupid. How will they own an island which is just 124NM off the nearest country which is the Philippines?

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