By Pia Lee-Brago (The Philippine Star)
MANILA, Philippines - China slammed yesterday a United States diplomat in the Philippines for saying that Beijing’s expansion of its claim over the South China Sea with a new “10-dash line” has no basis in international law.
The Chinese embassy in Manila reminded the US that Washington is not a party to the dispute in the South China Sea.
It expressed concern over remarks made by US Ambassador Philip Goldberg at the Philippine Constitution Association (Philconsa) that China’s new “10-dash line” was without basis in international law.
“The US is not a party concerned in the dispute in the South China Sea, and it has not ratified the UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) either,” the embassy said in a statement.
“It is our hope that it could do more to promote peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific, rather than the opposite.”
Reiterating its historical claim dating back 2,000 years, the embassy said China maintains sovereignty over the Spratly Islands and adjacent waters.
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“China always maintains that the South China Sea dispute should be solved through bilateral negotiation and consultation between countries directly concerned based on respect for historical facts and international law,” the embassy added.
At the Philconsa gathering, Goldberg expressed support for Manila’s protest against China’s reclamation activities in disputed waters.
“Obviously, artificial creations are not part of (international law), so I think you can take it from there, and UNCLOS speaks about artificial creations not being the kind of features that would be covered,” he said.
He said the Philippines’ move to contest China’s claim before the United Nations arbitral tribunal is an ideal approach to resolving territorial conflicts.
He added that maritime claims should be in accordance with international law and must be based on established land features supported by the UNCLOS.
The ambassador said China and other claimants “may have historical arguments for many things but we believe that the way forward to settle this issue is through tribunals, code of conduct, observance of declarations of conduct, negotiations directly with parties.”
The Philippines is studying whether the country will protest China’s publication of its new map with a more prominent South China Sea area marked out by a nine-dash demarcation line.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday that the core issue remains China’s excessive and expansive claim in the South China Sea as represented by its nine-dash line and its growing aggressiveness in asserting its claim.
Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose said the maps published by China will be invalidated if the UN arbitral tribunal hands down a favorable decision on the case filed by the Philippines.
He said China’s map does not comply with the UNCLOS.
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