[bilingual] Ministry of National Defense: The US uses the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to expose its hegemonic nature

Ministry of Defense: The US uses the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to expose its hegemonic nature

Ministry of National Defense: US Invoking UNCLOS Reveals its Hegemonic Nature

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On the afternoon of 17 May, Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, deputy director of the Information Bureau of the Ministry of National Defense and spokesman of the Ministry of National Defense, issued a news release on recent military-related issues.

Reporter: According to reports, the US guided missile destroyer USS Halsey recently sailed through the Taiwan Strait and broke into China's territorial waters in the Paracels, claiming that it is illegal to set a straight baseline in the Paracels in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and that the United States will sail, fly and carry out operations wherever international law permits. Do you have any comment on this?

Question: It’s reported that the guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey recently sailed through the Taiwan Strait and trespassed into the territorial sea of China’s Xisha Qundao. The US side claimed that “it’s unlawful to draw straight baselines around” Xisha Qundao according to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and it “will fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows”. What’s your comment on that, please?

Zhang Xiaogang: We strongly deplore and resolutely oppose the US warship's passage through the Taiwan Strait and its unauthorized intrusion into the internal waters and territorial waters of the Xisha Paracels, and we have lodged solemn representations with the US side, and the spokespersons of the Eastern and Southern Theaters have also responded.

Zhang Xiaogang: The US military vessel sailed through the Taiwan Strait, trespassed into the territorial sea and internal waters of China’s Xisha Qundao and hyped up the action. The Chinese side strongly deplores and firmly opposes that and has lodged solemn representations with the US side. The spokespersons of the PLA Eastern Theater Command and Southern Theater Command also responded to this move.

Under the current situation in the Taiwan Strait, the US has deliberately provoked troubles, threatened China's sovereignty and security, sent wrong signals to "Taiwan independence" forces, and undermined regional peace and stability. The Xisha Islands are China's inherent territory, and the Chinese Government promulgated the baselines of the territorial sea of the Xisha Islands as early as 1996, which is in line with international law and practice. The US is not a party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, but it has repeatedly used the UNCLOS to make up for it, and even sent warships to trespass into the internal waters and territorial waters of the Xisha Islands, which is a provocative act that violates China's sovereignty, threatens China's national security and endangers regional peace and stability. The above-mentioned erroneous actions of the US side are not conducive to maintaining the momentum of stopping the decline and stabilizing the relations between China and the United States and the two militaries. The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) always maintains high vigilance, resolutely counters any infringement and provocation, and resolutely safeguards national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

In the current cross-Strait situation, deliberate provocations by the US side pose a threat to China’s sovereignty and security, send wrong signals to the “Taiwan independence” separatist forces and damage regional peace and stability. Xisha Qundao is China’s inherent territory. The Chinese government released the baselines of the territorial sea of Xisha Qundao as early as in 1996. What we did was in line with international law and practices. The US side is not a State Party to UNCLOS, but it kept invoking the Convention to make an issue of it, and even sent military vessels to intrude into the territorial sea and internal waters of Xisha Qundao. Such provocative moves violated China’s sovereignty, threatened our national security and undermined regional peace and stability. They are typical behaviors of hegemony. The US wrongdoings are not conducive to maintaining the momentum of stabilization of China-US state-to-state and mil-to-mil relations from further deterioration. The PLA will stay on high alert, take resolute countermeasures against any infringement and provocations, and firmly safeguard our national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Source: Ministry of National Defense Network Editor-in-charge: Li Qingtong