Beijing reiterates its opposition to the Philippines' designation of geographic coordinates for a disputed island in the South China Sea

Beijing, July 31 (KUNA) -- Beijing reiterated its “firm” opposition to the Philippines’ determination of the geographic coordinates of the disputed Huangyan Island in the South China Sea, deeming the move “illegal and null.” The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement, as reported by China Central Television (CCTV), that “the Philippine action constitutes a serious violation of China’s territorial sovereignty and breaches the UN Charter and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea,” adding that China will not accept it. It pointed out that “Manila has intensified its provocative activities in the waters surrounding Huangyan Island, or Scarborough Shoal as the Philippines calls it, thereby exacerbating maritime tensions and undermining peace and stability in the South China Sea.” The statement clarified that the Philippines had enacted the “Maritime Zones Act” in an attempt to “illegally” incorporate Huangyan Island and most of the reefs in the Nansha Islands (Spratly Islands) into its maritime zones, and that it had sought to legitimize the ruling of the “South China Sea Arbitration,” referring to the case Manila previously brought before a temporary international arbitral tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, in July 2016. This statement comes amid ongoing tensions in China-Philippines relations due to incidents of collisions, clashes involving oars and sticks, and the use of water cannons near the disputed Ren’ai Jiao (Scarborough Shoal) and Huangyan Islands. For its part, the Chinese Southern Theater Command and the China Coast Guard announced yesterday that they would continue to conduct combat-ready patrols in the waters adjacent to Huangyan Island, in preparation to respond to all forms of violations and provocations. (End) S L Q / N A A