In its position statement on legal issues in the South China Sea announced in early September, the British Foreign Office emphasized the importance of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in the resolution of disputes. .
Following the decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in 2016, many articles from the Chinese government and research institutes emphasized China’s maritime claims in the South China Sea, according to the British Foreign Office. it is based on “historical rights” and the concept of “coastal islands”. “Britain opposes such claims in the South China Sea because they are not based on law, they are not consistent with UNCLOS,” the statement said.
He announced that he would continue to allow ships and planes to travel in the South China Sea in accordance with international law. Pictured is the British Navy corvette HMS Argyll during joint exercises with US warships in the South China Sea in January 2019.
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Regarding China’s claim about the 9-dash line (yellow dock line) in the South China Sea, the British Foreign Ministry said that China has never clarified the basis for this claim. The British Foreign Office reiterated the CPA’s decision that China’s claim for “historical rights” was inconsistent with the terms of UNCLOS. China’s assertion about the 9-dash line contradicts the water allocation under UNCLOS and has no legal effect. He claimed to fully agree with the PCA’s argument.
Australia officially rejected China’s claim in the South China Sea
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Also in the statement, the British Foreign Office objected to China declaring four groups of entities in the South China Sea, including the Dongsha Islands, Paracel Islands, Spratly Islands and Macclesfield Beach as coastal islands, with the order to draw a line. archipelagic baselines or baselines around these groups of entities.
Drawing baselines around these entity groups means that China considers these entity groups to have internal waters, territorial sea, contiguous zone, exclusive economic zone, and continental shelf. According to the UK Foreign Office, this is inconsistent with UNCLOS and the issue was addressed in a 2016 ruling with which the UK fully agreed.
On the issue of freedom of movement in the South China Sea, the British Foreign Office announced that it would continue to allow ships and planes to travel in the South China Sea in accordance with international law. On the issue of safe movement in the South China Sea, the UK urges all countries to comply with regulations on safe movement to avoid collisions.
Considering that China’s maritime claims are “illegal,” the United States officially rejected the “yellow dock line” in the South China Sea.
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Furthermore, the UK also calls on all countries in the region to fulfill their responsibility to protect and preserve the marine environment of the region.
The British Foreign Office reiterated the CPA’s decision that China has failed to meet its obligations by tolerating and proactively supporting fishermen to catch endangered aquatic species and use harmful fishing methods. and illegal construction of entities that cause irreversible damage to coral reef ecosystems …
Before the UK, the US, Australia, and several Southeast Asian countries, there were official documents to deny China’s irrational claims in the South China Sea.
