No change in China's South China Sea claim, says envoy

MANILA, Philippines - China said its non-submission of the dimensions of its continental shelf last May does not mean a change in its territorial claim.

Chinese Ambassador Liu Jian-chao said that what China submitted in May to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (UNCLCS) was the “Preliminary Information Indicative of the Outer Limits of the Continental Shelf Beyond 200 Nautical Miles.”

“That (non-submission of extended continental shelf) does not mean we have changed our claim in the South China Sea,” Liu said in a forum.

By submitting the “preliminary information,” China said it has satisfied the deadline set by UNCLCS as provided for in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

“We make it very clear to the UN that China has sovereign right over the South China Sea,” Liu said when asked about the “weight” of the Indicative Information.

Beijing said it is preparing to submit to the UN body the information regarding the outer limits of its continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from the baselines.

China has completed data gathering and processing in the areas concerned in accordance with the requirements of article 76 of the Convention, the Rules of Procedure as well as the Scientific and Technical Guidelines of the UN Commission.

China intends to make a submission on the outer limits of all or part of its continental shelf at an appropriate date upon completion of the assessment and review work.

In the Indicative Information, China said the preliminary information submitted is without prejudice to its future submission.

“China reserves its right to make submissions on the outer limits of the continental shelf that extends beyond 200 nautical miles in the East China Sea and in other sea areas,” it said.

China said it would, through peaceful negotiation, settle differences with other states with claims in the South China Sea.

China protested the submission of Malaysia and Vietnam on May 6 of their claims on the southern part of the South China Sea as part of their continental shelf.

The Philippines protested last week the claims of Malaysia and Vietnam over Kalayaan islands because they overlap with the Philippine claim.

On Aug 4, the Division of Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea received the protest filed by the Philippine Permanent Mission to the UN in New York regarding the Joint Submission by Malaysia and Vietnam on May 6.

“The Joint Submission for the Extended Continental Shelf by Malaysia and Vietnam lays claims on areas that are disputed not only because they overlap with that of the Philippines, but also because of the controversy arising from the territorial claims on some of the islands in the area including North Borneo,” the Philippine protest read.      – Pia Lee-Brago