BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th July, 2021) China firmly protests the new US administration's statement reaffirming that it views Beijing's South China Sea maritime claims unlawful, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Monday.
On Sunday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the Biden administration would pursue the same stance on maritime disputes in the South China Sea as its predecessor, calling on Beijing to "cease its provocative behavior" in the region.
"The US statement ignores the objective facts regarding the South China Sea issue, violates the norms of international law, goes against the public promises of the US administration to adhere to a neutral position on disputes over the South China Sea, sows discord between the countries of the region, and undermines regional peace and stability. This is extremely irresponsible. The Chinese side expresses extreme dissatisfaction and resolute protest," Zhao told a briefing.
Statements that Beijing's maritime claims in the region have no legal grounds are "absolutely untrue," the diplomat continued, rejecting the July 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague as a "mere scrap of paper" and a "political farce" that had no force.
The Hague court's verdict concerns the issue of the Spratly archipelago located in the South China Sea and disputed for decades among Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam over its significant hydrocarbon reserves. The arbitration proceeding was initiated by the Philippines in January 2013. Blinken's statement marked the 5th anniversary of the ruling.
