Beijing’s South China Sea claims ‘gravely undermine’ rule of law – US report says

US State Department questions Beijing’s claims of sovereignty over more than 100 features in disputed sea.

China’s activities in the South China Sea, including its “historic claims” on almost all parts of the vital trade route “gravely undermine the rule of law” in the oceans and universally-recognized provisions in international law, the US has concluded in a new report.

The US State Department said in a report published on Wednesday that the overall effect of Beijing’s claims was that it “unlawfully claims sovereignty or some form of exclusive jurisdiction over most of the South China Sea”.

“For this reason, the United States and numerous other States have rejected these claims in favor of the rules-based international maritime order within the South China Sea and worldwide.”

The report, entitled Limits in the Seas, said that aside from its lack of “substantive content”, China’s declaration of “historic rights” over the 3.5 million sq km (1.35 million sq mile) sea “is deficient for its vagueness”.

“The PRC has stated that its historic rights are ‘protected by international law,’ but it has not provided a legal justification for such a claim,” the report said referring to the country by its official name, the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

China cites its so-called “nine-dash-line” to assert its rights over the entire South China Sea.

An international tribunal in The Hague declared the claim to have “no legal basis” based on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea to which Beijing is a signatory, after the Philippines, which also claims parts of the South China Sea, brought legal action against Beijing.

Washington has been stepping up its rhetoric and diplomatic efforts challenging Beijing on several issues, including questioning the reported mass detention of Muslim Uighurs in Xinjiang as well as the passage of the national security law in Hong Kong, since Joe Biden took office as president a year ago.

It has also dispatched several aircraft carriers and battleships to assert “freedom of navigation” rights in the South China Sea, while also consolidating its alliances with other regional powers such as India, Japan, and Australia through the Indo-Pacific Quad group.

SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES