Beijing, Feb 3 (EFE).- China has reaffirmed its sovereignty over a disputed shoal in the South China Sea and rejected the Filipino territorial claims over the atoll, the official Xinhua news agency reported.<\/p>
China disputes Huangyan Island, the Chinese name for the Scarborough Shoal, and its adjacent waters with its neighbor.<\/p>
“Huangyan Dao is inherently Chinese territory and is beyond the limits of Philippine territory,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a press conference on Friday.<\/p>
Wang emphasized that China has indisputable sovereignty over the island and exercises sovereignty and jurisdiction in \u201ca continuous, peaceful, and effective manner.\u201d<\/p>
He was responding to the Philippine National Security Adviser Eduardo A\u00f1o’s recent remarks related to Huangyan Dao.<\/p>
The Chinese spokesperson refuted Philippine claims based on geographical proximity or the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), considering them inconsistent with international law.<\/p>
Wang said the territorial limits of the Philippines were clearly defined by international treaties such as the Peace Treaty of 1898, the Treaty of 1900 for the Cession of Outlying Islands, and the 1930 Convention on the Boundaries between the State of North Borneo and the Philippine Archipelago.<\/p>
The spokesperson dismissed the 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, which the Philippines considers the basis for its claims in the South China Sea.<\/p>
“The award is illegal, null, and void. China does not accept or recognize it, and will never accept any claim or action based on the award,” Wang said.<\/p>
\u201cChina’s sovereignty rights and interests in the South China Sea shall under no circumstances be affected by the illegal award.\u201d<\/p>
China and the Philippines agreed on Jan. 18 to improve communication and dialogue to maintain “maritime peace and stability,” amid a surge in incidents and tensions due to the dispute over several territories in the South China Sea.<\/p>
The South China Sea has become a flashpoint in Asia, putting the United States and China on a collision course. China claims the entire strategic waterway, but the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan also claim sovereignty over islands in the disputed waters. EFE<\/p>
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