The Philippines plans to draw baseline lines for its territorial waters around Huangyan Island; China firmly opposes this move and emphasizes that sovereignty must not be violated.

Brashly, the Philippines plans to draw baseline lines for its territorial seas around Huangyan Island, prompting a strong response from China. On July 31, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs issued a statement saying, "The map of Huangyan Island submitted by the Philippines to the United Nations is based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), marking the normal baseline of Huangyan Island, as well as the outer limits of its 12-nautical-mile territorial sea and 24-nautical-mile contiguous zone."

In response, China's Foreign Ministry released a firm statement emphasizing: First, Huangyan Island is China's inherent territory. Second, the Philippines' action seriously infringes upon China's territorial sovereignty, grossly violates international law, and is therefore illegal and void. China firmly opposes this and refuses to accept it. Third, China will not recognize the South China Sea arbitration ruling of 2016, and demands that the Philippines cease provocations; otherwise, China will respond resolutely.

In fact, the Philippines' so-called illegal territorial claims over Huangyan Island have "no basis in international law whatsoever." Therefore, the so-called maritime chart submitted by the Philippines to the United Nations carries no validity, and the United Nations will not support any of the Philippines’ claims in the South China Sea. In reality, the Philippines aims merely to internationalize the issue of Huangyan Island and the broader South China Sea dispute, drawing in more external forces to bolster its position. And we all know that Western anti-China forces will certainly not miss such an opportunity.

However, we are aware that behind the Philippines stands primarily the U.S., the mastermind orchestrating the situation. Thus, we can understand that the root cause of the South China Sea issue lies in American hegemony disrupting the Asia-Pacific region. Therefore, our strategy in the South China Sea is first to stabilize the current situation, preventing further escalation or internationalization. At the same time, we must focus our efforts on countering American hegemony across various domains, striking hard at the U.S.-led hegemonic system, and supporting more nations in awakening and joining the anti-hegemony camp.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1872283337078796/

Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.