Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China on the Delimitation of the So-Called “Baselines of the Territorial Sea” of China’s Territory of Huangyan Dao by the Republic of the Philippines

The Philippines’ delimitation of the so-called “baselines of the territorial sea” of China’s territory of Huangyan Dao (Huangyan Island) is a grave infringement upon China’s territorial sovereignty and a serious violation of international law including the United Nations Charter and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). It is illegal, null and void. China firmly rejects and will never accept it.

Huangyan Dao is China’s inherent territory. China has indisputable sovereignty over it and its adjacent waters, and has sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the relevant waters. China has continuously, peacefully and effectively exercised sovereignty and jurisdiction over Huangyan Dao. The territory of the Philippines has been defined by a series of international treaties, and Huangyan Dao has never been a part of it. The Philippines’ illegal territorial claim over China’s Huangyan Dao is completely baseless under international law.

The Philippines’ unilateral initiation of the “South China Sea arbitration” violates the fundamental principles of international law, including pacta sunt servanda and estoppel, international law including UNCLOS, as well as the bilateral agreement between China and the Philippines and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC). The so-called “award” is illegal, null and void, and has no binding force. China neither accepts nor recognizes the “award,” and opposes and will never accept any claim or action based on it.

The Philippines’ so-called “Maritime Zones Act” issued under the pretext of UNCLOS illegally includes China’s Huangyan Dao and most of the islands and reefs of China’s Nansha Qundao (Nansha Islands), and relevant waters into the maritime zones of the Philippines, and attempts to solidify the illegal “award of the South China Sea arbitration” in the form of domestic legislation. It severely violates China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea, and is illegal, null and void. China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests over Huangyan Dao and Nansha Qundao shall under no circumstances be affected by the so-called “Maritime Zones Act.”

For some time, the Philippines has been frequently making provocations in the waters of Huangyan Dao and hyping the maritime issues between China and the Philippines. These maneuvers trample on China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, heighten maritime tensions, and undermine peace and stability in the South China Sea. China urges the Philippines to earnestly respect China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and refrain from any act of infringement or provocation in Huangyan Dao. Otherwise, China will respond resolutely.