NSC: No reason for China protest vs maritime law

MANILA, Philippines —  There is no reason for China to protest the Philippines’ Maritime Zones Act because it only reaffirms the country’s maritime entitlements and sovereignty and is not a violation of international law, the National Security Council said.

NSC spokesman Jonathan Malaya yesterday said the two laws – Maritime Zones Act and the Philippine Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act – put into domestic legislation the 2016 South China Sea ruling in favor of the Philippines and aligned the country’s laws with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

“These laws are very important because in essence they reaffirm our sovereignty over our territorial sea, internal waters and archipelagic waters while at the same time reaffirming our economic rights and sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the exclusive economic zone of our country,” Malaya said mostly in Filipino in a radio interview.
The laws, he said, “codify what is ours for a long time.”

“No reason for China to protest because what is contained in the Maritime Zones Law is also contained in international law. If they have a law, so why don’t we also… so in other words we are simply reaffirming our rights, we are simply codifying our rights. I believe People’s Republic of China has nothing to worry about because we aren’t breaking any international law here,” Malaya added.
China announced Sunday it released baselines and base points of the territorial sea adjacent to Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal after the Philippines’ enactment of the Maritime Zones Act.
The Chinese government issued a statement which declared the baselines of the territorial sea adjacent to Panatag Shoal, also called Bajo de Masinloc and which China calls Huangyan Dao.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the baselines of the territorial sea adjacent to the island were delimited and in accordance with international law, such as the UNCLOS and China’s law on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone.

China’s announcement came two days after the Philippines enacted the Philippine Maritime Zones Act that clearly defines the extent and boundaries of the country’s maritime zones in accordance with the Constitution, the UNCLOS and the 2016 Arbitral Award, which reaffirmed the Philippines’ maritime entitlements and invalidated China’s sweeping claims in the South China Sea.