The Philippines protested China's move to establish new districts under its jurisdiction in the disputed South China Sea, the Philippine Foreign Ministry said on Thursday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th April, 2020) The Philippines protested China's move to establish new districts under its jurisdiction in the disputed South China Sea, the Philippine Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.
Earlier in April, China announced the creation of two districts in the South China Sea under the jurisdiction of China's Sansha city in the Hainan province. These districts include Spratly island group in the West Philippine Sea and Paracel island group near Vietnam.
"The Philippine government strongly protests the establishment of the so-called districts of 'Nansha' and 'Xisha' under the supposed administrative jurisdiction of its self-declared 'Sansha City,' announced on 18 April 2020, by the People's Republic of China," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
According to Manila, Beijing unlawfully incorporates Philippine territory and maritime zones under its jurisdiction.
The Philippines also called on China to respect international and maritime laws.
The Asia-Pacific region has several territorial disputes in the South China and East China seas that involve Brunei China, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. China considers the Spratly archipelago to be its territory, despite the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling, which said there was no legal basis for China's maritime claims. The arbitration proceeding was initiated by the Philippines in January 2013.
