The Chinese mainland summoned the Philippine ambassador to address concerns over two newly enacted Philippine laws: the \"Maritime Zones Act\" and the \"Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act.\" According to Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, these laws unjustly incorporate China's Huangyan Dao and most of the islands and reefs of China's Nansha Qundao into Philippine maritime zones.
Mao emphasized that the \"Philippine Maritime Zones Act\" aims to entrench the controversial arbitral award on the South China Sea through domestic legislation, a move that China firmly opposes. \"This action severely violates China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea. We strongly condemn and firmly oppose it,\" Mao stated.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry maintains that China's territorial claims in the South China Sea are historically and legally substantiated, in line with international laws including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Mao reiterated that these claims remain unaffected by the Philippine legislation.
China has urged the Philippines to respect its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights, calling for an immediate halt to any unilateral actions that could escalate tensions and destabilize the region. Mao also pointed out that parts of the Philippine \"Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act\" conflict with international law and resolutions of the International Maritime Organization. \"We ask the Philippines to earnestly abide by international law and not to undermine other countries' lawful rights under UNCLOS and other international laws,\" Mao added.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
