Explainer: Why the Philippines' territorial expansion attempts threaten regional peace, stability

BEIJING, July 11 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines' attempts to assert sovereignty over Huangyan Dao and certain maritime features of the Nansha Qundao are based on distorting and fabricating historical facts and misapplying international law, and have seriously threatened peace and stability in the South China Sea region, said a report released on Wednesday.

Such territorial expansion acts have challenged the international legal system centered on the UN Charter, according to the report titled "Historical and Legal Critique of the Philippines' Territorial Claims in the South China Sea."

Penned by a group of experts from several universities and research institutions, the report was released by the China Institute for Marine Affairs under the Ministry of Natural Resources.

The UN Charter expressly provides that the territorial integrity of any state shall be inviolable, particularly by means of the threat or use of force, said the report, adding that the inviolability and certainty of territorial sovereignty and its limits constitute the very foundation on which the contemporary international legal system rests.

However, the Philippines has encroached by force upon certain maritime features belonging to China in the South China Sea and, for decades, has continuously sought to legitimize its unlawful occupation through domestic legislation, maritime operations and manipulation of public opinion, it pointed out.

Despite having long had its territorial limits established, the Philippines still seeks to illegally expand its territorial scope by distorting the rules on the acquisition of territory and using inconsequential evidence to support its claims, according to the report.

Such acts not only constitute direct violations of the rules on the acquisition of territory but may also give rise to a pernicious "diffusion effect" among states, it said.

The Philippines has also employed domestic legislation as a tool for unlawfully expanding its territorial claims, thereby manifestly distorting the relationship between national law and international law.

This legislative practice could lead to the absurd situation where unilateral expansion by a state requires no more than domestic legislative authorization and is subject to no international legal constraints, the report warned.

The Philippines' provocations have also escalated maritime security risks in the region, the report noted.

Under the pretext of defending "sovereignty," the Philippines has frequently dispatched coast guard vessels, fishing boats and even military forces into waters adjacent to Huangyan Dao and certain maritime features of the Nansha Qundao, according to the report.

The Philippines' forces engaged in dangerous methods such as ramming, close-in reconnaissance and the laying of navigational obstacles to carry out provocations and disruptions, seriously threatening the safety of maritime personnel and property of all parties and continuously heightening regional tensions, it said.

The Philippines' radical actions to unilaterally change the status quo expose the South China Sea, a vital global shipping lane, to unwarranted risks of conflict and also threaten the peaceful environment upon which the development of the littoral states of the South China Sea depends, the report noted.

The Philippines' territorial expansion attempts manifestly violate the purposes and provisions of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, the essence of which is about exercising self-restraint and refraining from actions that would complicate or escalate disputes and affect peace and stability, it pointed out.

The Philippines' provocative acts have seriously eroded the foundation of mutual trust among regional states, exacerbated the divergence of positions among them, and placed unavoidable pressure on the negotiations for a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, greatly impairing the joint efforts of China and ASEAN member states to safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea, according to the report.

Additionally, the Philippines has deliberately framed the South China Sea issue as a holistic disagreement between China and ASEAN, attempting to hijack ASEAN into endorsing its illegal claims, the report said.

This not only does nothing to help resolve the issue, but also negatively impacts the overall atmosphere of China-ASEAN cooperation and generates uncertainties for the prospect of building a China-ASEAN community with a shared future, said the report.

South China Sea affairs should be handled properly via joint consultation and independently by China and ASEAN member states -- both a longstanding and key principle upheld by the regional states and the fundamental guarantee for maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea.

However, the Philippines has continuously opened up military bases to external forces, frequently conducted highly targeted joint patrols and exercises, and taken the initiative to introduce external military forces into the South China Sea region, the report said.

It must be clearly recognized that the intervention of external forces not only does not help resolve disputes but is, on the contrary, highly likely to intensify contradictions and undermine the sovereign security and long-term development interests of all littoral states of the South China Sea, the report stated.

Such a practice threatens the autonomy of regional states regarding the South China Sea issue and seriously deviates from the common aspiration of the regional states to build the South China Sea into a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation, the report stressed. ■