Beijing Dismisses U.S. Report on South China Sea Claims

JAKARTADAILY.ID - Beijing has strongly objected to a new U.S. analysis arguing that its maritime claims in the South China Sea are "unlawful," considering it deceptive and a violation of international law, The Straits Times reported on Thursday (January 13, 2022).

At a daily news briefing, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the report, published on Wednesday by the U.S. State Department's Office of Ocean and Polar Affairs, "distorts international law, misleads the public, sows discord and disrupts the regional situation".

He also mentioned on Thursday that, unlike China, the U.S. has not ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) but "considers itself a judge of the Convention."

The 47-page report discusses Washington's case against Beijing in great depth, stressing the geographic and historic underpinnings for Chinese claims are "inconsistent with international law," according to UNCLOS.

"The overall consequence of these maritime claims is that the PRC unlawfully claims sovereignty or some kind of exclusive jurisdiction over the majority of the South China Sea," according to the report, which uses the acronym for the People's Republic of China.

Dismissing the claim, Wang stated: "As an extraterritorial country, the United States frequently creates disputes in the South China Sea and sows discord among countries in the region, this is completely unpopular. The international community sees this very clearly."

He went on to say that Beijing would cooperate with ASEAN countries to attain "peace and stability in the South China Sea and promote regional prosperity and development".

China's assertions in the South China Sea are contested by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam, all of which have conflicting claims.