News Analysis

US formally rejects China claims over S. China Sea

It backs 2016 arbitral tribunal's ruling; Beijing says Washington distorts facts and global law

A January 2017 photo showing Chinese military drills in the South China Sea. China claims a large swathe of the South China Sea within its "nine-dash line", including waters and maritime entitlements within the exclusive economic zones of other coast
A January 2017 photo showing Chinese military drills in the South China Sea. China claims a large swathe of the South China Sea within its "nine-dash line", including waters and maritime entitlements within the exclusive economic zones of other coastal states like Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines. Those claims were rejected by an international arbitral tribunal in 2016. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

The United States has formally rejected most of China's claims to the South China Sea, issuing a statement that backed an international arbitral tribunal's ruling in 2016 that they are illegal.

"Beijing's claims to offshore resources across most of the South China Sea are completely unlawful, as is its campaign of bullying to control them," said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday.

China responded almost immediately, with the embassy here saying it firmly opposed the statement. An embassy spokesman said the US had deliberately distorted the facts and international law, exaggerated the situation in the region, and attempted to sow discord between China and other coastal states in the South China Sea.

"The US is not a country directly involved in the disputes. However, it has kept interfering in the issue," said the spokesman in a statement.

"We advise the US side to earnestly honour its commitment of not taking sides on the issue of territorial sovereignty, respect regional countries' efforts for a peaceful and stable South China Sea and stop its attempts to disrupt and sabotage regional peace and stability."

In his statement, Mr Pompeo said the US was aligning its position with the tribunal's 2016 decision, which rejected China's maritime claims as having no basis in international law.

China claims a large swathe of the South China Sea within its "nine-dash line", including waters and maritime entitlements within the exclusive economic zones of other coastal states like Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Those claims were rejected four years ago by the international arbitral tribunal constituted under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, in a case brought by the Philippines.

While Washington has objected to China's claims before, sending navy ships to the contested waters for freedom of navigation operations, analysts said Monday's statement is the first time the US has definitively rejected the claims.

In the statement, Mr Pompeo explicitly sided with South-east Asian nations. "America stands with our South-east Asian allies and partners in protecting their sovereign rights to offshore resources, consistent with their rights and obligations under international law.

"We stand with the international community in defence of freedom of the seas... and reject any push to impose 'might makes right' in the South China Sea or the wider region," he said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a media briefing that China "never seeks to establish a maritime empire in the South China Sea". He added that it "always treats the neighbouring countries of the South China Sea as equals, and always maintains the utmost restraint in safeguarding the sovereignty and rights of the South China Sea".

Mr Zhao said China is committed to working with Asean countries to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea, and that they are negotiating a more binding Code of Conduct in the waterway to jointly safeguard peace and stability.

But US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs David Stilwell said there were "clear red flags" about Beijing's aims in talks on the Code of Conduct. Speaking at a webinar organised by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, he said that behind closed doors, Beijing had pushed Asean states to accept limits on core matters of national interests, including who they can partner with for military exercises and offshore drilling, and dilute their references to international law.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on July 15, 2020, with the headline US formally rejects China claims over S. China Sea. Subscribe