By Li Hongmei People's Daily Online
On the heels of the Chinese government making a submission to the United Nations on May 11, asserting that Beijing will not tolerate other countries claiming the islands, which lie near vital shipping lanes and which some believe may be rich in oil and gas, the Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said in a statement put on the Ministry's website that China possessed indisputable sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the South China Sea islands and their near seas, and China would continue protecting its maritime rights and interests based on its consistent position and stance.
Under the law of the sea, a seazone over which a state has special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources, known to all as Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), is an area stretching from the edge of the state's territorial sea out to 200 nautical miles from its coast. In casual use, EEZ may include the territorial waters and even the continental shelf beyond the 200- mile limit. The U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea and the U.N. Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, as well as other international platforms normally accepted to stage and clarify the outer limits of states' sea claims, are in essence providing the rival parties with some likelihood to put forward their claims, argue for their rights and interests, and try to gain an international recognition.
But unfortunately, very often, these claims tend to be overlapping and clashing with other maritime claims. That is why for years disputes over sea claims amid the countries neighbored by waters have seen ever increasing. The snub not only occurs between archrivals like the U.S. and Russia, but also arises between allies, say, the sovereignty claims over waters of the Arctic Ocean between the U.S. and Canada.
Maritime rights are part of a state's sovereign rights and the core of its national interests. Thus, all the parties involved will never yield an inch in this regard. Even if no rock-solid proof available, some countries would prefer to concoct facts in order to seize as much as possible of the substantial favor. Even if no ground for argument, they would rather create one to win the footing in an attempt to launch a dispute.
All these years, China has stayed alongside the rival statements about its territorial waters and nearby islands, and Beijing has remained open to negotiations on sea boundaries. Even to those who have long coveted for the South China Sea, and unceasingly challenged China's sovereign rights over the vast sea area using whatever means including malfeasances, China has always been lenient and consistently adhered to the principle of ‘setting aside disputes for joint exploration' on the conditions that China's sovereignty over the South China Sea is indisputable and should be strictly observed.
But in recent days, among the upsurge of clamors made by others on the issue, by no means should China remain silent and let its voice submerged. Although lots of people inside of the Chinese mainland have already expressed discontent about the international deliberation and scrutiny on China's claims over its maritime rights and interests, and deem it a blaspheme against China's sovereign rights, it is undoubtedly an opportune time for China to stand up for its sea rights and interests by convincing the international community to recognize what it deserves. As a famous blogger wrote in his recent article, ‘you cannot kill others' appetite for your delicacies, therefore what you can do is trying not to feed it, for appetite is such that if you feed it, it will grow.'
Met with others' growing appetite for the tangible treasure staying at the seabed of China's territorial waters, China should, without hesitation, spell out its legitimate claims to the international community and, to the states in question, that China will make no compromise in its sovereignty over the South China Sea islands and their near seas, even though China will continue to strive for the peaceful coexistence with all its neighbors.
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article