中国重申在南海历史性权利

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei says the territory in question is inherently Chinese.

"The stance of the Chinese government is consistent and clear. China will not accept or recognize any rulings resulting from the South China Sea arbitration case unilaterally initiated by the Philippines. The so-called rulings will not affect China's sovereignty and maritime rights and interests over the South China Sea."

He says history and evidence support China's claim over the region.

"The islands in the South China Sea are China's inherent territory. Based on those islands, China enjoys the maritime rights and interests that come with the territory. China has historical rights over the South China Sea. China's sovereignty and maritime rights and interests over the South China Sea are based on sufficient historical and legal grounds. It is indisputable."

China claimed its rights over the sea area in a series of official documents, including a statement on territorial waters in 1958, the law on territorial waters and nearby areas in 1992, the law on exclusive economic zones (EEZ) and continental shelves in 1998, and the decisions in 1996 to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

In facing the dispute initiated by the government of the Philippines, the Chinese side has insisted that historical facts, especially its historical rights over the area, should be taken into consideration.

Li Guoqiang with the Institute of Chinese Borderland Studies says this does conform to international law.

"Historical rights is a legal term of international law, which are based on a country's sovereignty and jurisdiction over an area it claims rights over. Globally, it's recognized that historical rights include fishery rights and navigation rights."

He further explains that China has established its sovereignty in the sea area over the past 2,000 years or more, as the Chinese people have historically conducted fishing activities in the area and explored many sea routes in the area.

He said the Philippines aims to deprive China of all of its rights through the unilateral initiative.

So far, Chinese authorities have said that dozens of countries have thrown their support for the country's stance in the dispute, but the support it has gained from international legal bodies has been relatively limited.

Li Guoqiang says China should do more to make its stance better known, especially regarding its suggestions over historical factors.

"We must abide by international law, but meanwhile, we also have sufficient historical facts in favor of us. We should integrate them well with law principles to make our position well received and help other countries better know of our understanding about international law and the UNCLOS."

At the same time, the researcher admits China needs to make more efforts to gain experience in dealing with such a malicious arbitration.

For CRI, this is Liu Mohan.