The Chinese Embassy in Washington issued a response yesterday, to the declaration issued earlier in the day by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, that China‛s offshore claims in the South China Sea are illegitimate. A spokesperson for the embassy, according to Xinhua, said in a statement that the U.S. declaration disregards the efforts of China and ASEAN countries for peace and stability in the South China Sea, deliberately distorts the facts and international law including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), exaggerates the situation in the region and attempts to sow discord between China and other littoral countries.
“China’s position on the South China Sea issue has been consistent and clear-cut. While firmly safeguarding its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, China has been committed to resolving disputes through negotiation and consultation with countries directly involved, managing differences through rules and mechanisms, and achieving win-win results through mutually beneficial cooperation,” said the spokesperson.
“The United States is not a country directly involved in the disputes. However, it has kept interfering in the issue,” the spokesperson said, and continuing that under the pretext of preserving stability, it is flexing muscles, stirring up tension and inciting confrontation in the region. “Under the pretext of endorsing rules, it is using UNCLOS to attack China while refusing to ratify the Convention itself. Under the pretext of upholding freedom of navigation and overflight, it is recklessly infringing on other countries’ territorial sea and airspace and throwing its weight around in every sea of the world,” the spokesperson stated.
“We advise the U.S. side to earnestly honor its commitment of not taking sides on the issue of territorial sovereignty, respect regional countries’ efforts for a peaceful and stable South China Sea and stop its attempts to disrupt and sabotage regional peace and stability,” the spokesperson said.
