“ThePhilippines’territorialclaimoverpartoftheNanshaIslandsisgroundlessfromtheperspectivesofeitherhistoryorinternationallaw,”saidthedocumentissuedbytheStateCouncilInformationOffice.
ThecoreoftherelevantdisputesbetweenChinaandthePhilippinesintheSouthChinaSealiesintheterritorialissuescausedbythePhilippines’invasionandillegaloccupationofsomeislandsandreefsofChina’sNanshaIslands,itsaid.
Inaddition,withthedevelopmentoftheinternationallawofthesea,amaritimedelimitationdisputealsoarosebetweenthetwostatesregardingcertainseaareasoftheSouthChinaSea,itadded.
Thetwocountriesheldmultipleroundsofconsultationsonthepropermanagementofdisputesatseaandreachedconsensusonresolvingthroughnegotiationandconsultationtherelevantdisputes.Thisconsensushasbeenrepeatedlyreaffirmedinanumberofbilateraldocuments,accordingtothewhitepaper.
In2013,thethengovernmentoftheRepublicofthePhilippinesunilaterallyinitiatedtheSouthChinaSeaarbitration.
Bydoingso,thePhilippineshasviolateditsstandingagreementwithChinatosettletherelevantdisputesthroughbilateralnegotiation,hasviolatedChina’srighttochoosemeansofdisputesettlementofitsownwillasaStatePartytotheUnitedNationsConventionontheLawoftheSea(UNCLOS),andhasabusedtheUNCLOSdisputesettlementprocedures,itsaid.
“TheArbitralTribunalestablishedatthePhilippines’unilateralrequesthasnojurisdictionoverrelevantsubmissions,andawardsrenderedbyitarenullandvoidandhavenobindingforce,”saidthedocument.
“China’sterritorialsovereigntyandmaritimerightsandinterestsintheSouthChinaSeashallundernocircumstancesbeaffectedbythoseawards.Chinadoesnotacceptorrecognizethoseawards.Chinaopposesandwillneveracceptanyclaimoractionbasedonthoseawards,”itadded.
Thewhitepaper,consistingofmorethan20,000Chinesecharacters,alsoexplainedthattheSouthChinaSeaIslandsareChina’sinherentterritory,sayingtheactivitiesoftheChinesepeopleintheSouthChinaSeadatebackover2,000years.
Chinaisthefirsttohavediscovered,named,andexploredandexploitedtheSouthChinaSeaIslandsandrelevantwaters,andthefirsttohavecontinuously,peacefullyandeffectivelyexercisedsovereigntyandjurisdictionoverthem.
“China’ssovereigntyovertheSouthChinaSeaIslandsandrelevantrightsandinterestshavebeenestablishedinthelongcourseofhistory,andaresolidlygroundedinhistoryandlaw,”itsaid.
ChinaabidesbythepurposesandprinciplesoftheCharteroftheUnitedNationsandiscommittedtoupholdingandpromotinginternationalruleoflaw.Itrespectsandactsinaccordancewithinternationallaw,thewhitepapersaid.
Whilefirmlysafeguardingitsterritorialsovereigntyandmaritimerightsandinterests,Chinaadherestothepositionofsettlingdisputesthroughnegotiationandconsultationandmanagingdifferencesthroughrulesandmechanisms,itadded.
Source:china.org.cn