UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Monday rejected a U.S. accusation over the issue of the South China Sea.
China firmly rejects the U.S. representative's erroneous remarks of "China's expansive and unlawful maritime claims" in the South China Sea, said Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations.
"I wish to emphasize that China has indisputable sovereignty over Nanhai Zhudao and the adjacent waters. It has sovereign rights and jurisdiction over relevant waters. China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea are grounded on solid historical and legal basis," he told an open debate of the Security Council on international rule of law.
"I also wish to remind the U.S. representative that the United States is not a party to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and it has no right to presume itself as a judge of UNCLOS and point fingers at other countries," said Fu.
The United States, in total disregard of the historical context and objective facts regarding the South China Sea, has been stirring up trouble and sowing discord everywhere. It has even deployed offensive weapons, including land-based intermediate-range missiles, in the South China Sea. And under the pretext of "freedom of navigation," it has frequently dispatched advanced ships and aircraft for military reconnaissance and drills in the South China Sea and intruded into China's territorial waters and space, as well as waters and airspace surrounding China's islands and reefs, he noted.
"Who is engaging in coercive and bullying practices in the South China Sea? Who is disrupting regional stability and threatening navigational freedom and security? Who is undermining international rule of law? The facts are self-evident," said Fu. ■