Q: On March 23, the Spokesperson of the European External Action Service (EEAS) released a statement, expressing concerns over the incidents which occurred in the South China Sea on the same day, and said that China’s actions threatened security in the region. The EU calls for the respect of the Arbitration Award of 2016, as well as other relevant international rules and regulations to ensure the freedom of navigation. What’s your comment?
A: On March 23, in disregard of China’s strong opposition, the Philippines once again broke its promise by sending a supply vessel and two Coast Guard vessels to illegally intrude into the adjacent waters of Ren’ai Jiao of China’s Nansha Qundao. In fact, this Philippine resupply mission is to bring construction materials to the military vessel illegally grounded at Ren’ai Jiao for its repair and reinforcement in an attempt to build a permanent outpost on China’s uninhabited reef so as to permanently and illegally occupy Ren’ai Jiao. In the face of the intrusion by the Philippine vessels, China Coast Guard had to take necessary law enforcement measures. The actions taken on the scene were justified, lawful, professional, restrained, and beyond reproach.
Nansha Qundao and its adjacent waters, including Ren’ai Jiao, have always been China’s territory. The state of “having no personnel or facility” on Ren’ai Jiao is a clear requirement of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and the foundation of peace and stability in the South China Sea. The root cause of the Ren’ai Jiao issue is that the Philippines has continuously undermined the status quo, given rise to disputes, broken its promise and inflamed the situation.
The EU is not a party to the South China Sea issue, and the statement is a clear misrepresentation of facts. China is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to the EU’s groundless accusations against China on its justified and lawful actions to safeguard rights and interests.
It is important to stress that the South China Sea Arbitration violated the basic principle of state consent in international law. The award is illegal, null and void, and has no binding effect whatsoever. It’s a total political farce. There has never been any problem with the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. Over 100,000 merchant vessels now travel in the region annually and not a single ship has ever encountered hurdles.
China is committed to safeguarding its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and at the same time working with regional countries to keep the South China Sea peaceful and stable. We urge the EU side to see the facts and truth, maintain objectivity, and fully respect China's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and legitimate rights and interests, as well as efforts made by regional countries for a peaceful and stable South China Sea.