Romania signs joint statement led by US rejecting China’s claims in South China Sea
Romania and 14 other countries, including the United States, Japan, and the Philippines, signed a joint statement published on Saturday, July 11, rejecting China’s sovereignty claims over the South China Sea.
The statement marked the tenth anniversary of the Philippines’s victory over China at the Permanent Court of Arbitration. At that time, the court found that Beijing's sovereignty claims over the South China Sea had no basis under international law.
“We reaffirm that the award rendered ten years ago by the Arbitral Tribunal is a significant milestone and is final, legally binding, and definitive between China and the Philippines with respect to the maritime entitlements and claims addressed by the Arbitral Tribunal,” the statement reads.
“We reaffirm our strong opposition to the use of coast guard, military, and maritime militia forces to harass, obstruct, or intimidate lawful operations by other States at sea or in the air, and in so doing endanger the safety of personnel and fishermen and seriously degrade regional peace and security,” the signatories continued.
The Philippines and China have been involved in a series of maritime confrontations in recent years, the former accusing the latter of infringing on its exclusive economic zone. Chinese ships have even used water cannons to injure Philippine sailors, according to AP News.
In addition to Japan, the Philippines, and the United States, the signatories to the joint statement include Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, New Zealand, Romania, and Slovenia.
In response, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated the country's sovereignty claims, stating that tensions in the South China Sea are the result of increased military deployments by foreign powers, including the United States.
"The so-called award is nothing but a piece of waste paper that is illegal, null and void, and has no binding force," the ministry said in a statement. The institution also called on the countries concerned to respect China's territorial and maritime rights and to stop actions that undermine regional stability.
The conflict over supremacy in the South China Sea and its estimated 11 billion barrels of untapped oil and 190 trillion cubic feet of natural gas dates back to the 1970s. In recent years, China has constructed ports and other infrastructure to back up its claim over the maritime territory.
On Monday, July 13, China’s Foreign Ministry published a video about the South China Sea stressing its claim over the area.
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