China firmly opposes recent U.S.Japan-Philippines joint statement
A Chinese defense spokesperson on Thursday said a recent joint statement issued by Japan, the Philippines, and the United States disregards facts, confuses right with wrong, and makes groundless accusations against China.
Wu Qian, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks in response to a media query regarding the U.S.-JapanPhilippines joint statement, which touches on the situation at Ren’ai Jiao in Nansha Qundao, issues in the South China Sea and the East China Sea, and question related to China’s Taiwan region. China has indisputable sovereignty over the South
China Sea islands and their adjacent waters, which is solidly grounded in history and the law, said Wu. He noted that the scope the Philippines’ territory is defined by a series of international treaties, including the 1898 Treaty of Peace Between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain, the 1900 Treaty Between the Kingdom of Spain and the United States of America for Cession of Outlying Islands of the Philippines, and the 1930 Convention Between the United States of America and Great Britain Delimiting the Boundary Between the Philippine Archipelago and the State of North Borneo.
Nansha Qundao and Huangyan Dao are far beyond the scope of Philippine territory defined by the above-mentioned treaties, Wu said. “The Philippine side knows all these very well,” he said.