The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday reaffirmed the government’s sovereignty over several island groups in the South China Sea following bids by Malaysia and Vietnam to extend the outer limits of their continental shelves to include the disputed areas.
In a statement, the ministry said the Republic of China (ROC) had “unquestionable” sovereignty over the Spratly Islands, the Paracel Islands, the Macclesfield Bank, the Pratas Islands and surrounding waters based on historical and geographical considerations as well as international law.
‘ALL DUE RIGHTS’
“The ROC is entitled to all due rights in these four island groups and their waters, seabed and subsoil. The ROC government does not recognize any claims over or occupation of the islands by any country for any reason,” the statement said.
The ministry called on Malaysia and Vietnam to seek a peaceful resolution to the dispute through negotiations and dialogue in accordance with the UN Charter, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea signed between the People’s Republic of China and ASEAN in 2002.
The disputed island chains and the surrounding waters are claimed either entirely or in part by Taiwan, China, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines.
JOINT APPLICATION
On Wednesday, Malaysia and Vietnam jointly submitted an application to the UN to have their continental margins widened beyond 200 nautical miles (370km), an extension that would include part of the region in dispute.
Vietnam filed a second, separate application the next day.
The moves came one week before the May 13 deadline set by the UN for countries to submit claims for extending their continental shelves.
The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea allows countries to seek to extend their right to exploit natural resources from 200 nautical miles to 350 nautical miles off their coasts if they can show that their terrestrial land naturally extends beyond that boundary.
BEIJING
Also asserting its sovereignty over the region, China’s Foreign Ministry on Friday described the claims by Malaysia and Vietnam as “illegal” and “invalid” and urged the UN not to review their submissions.
Beijing was referring to regulations of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf stating that “in cases where a land or maritime dispute exists, the commission shall not consider and qualify a submission made by any of the states concerned in the dispute.”
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