US rejects Chinese claims in South China Sea

Asserting that the “Chinese predatory world view” has no place in the 21st century, the Trump administration, in a major policy decision on Monday, categorically rejected the territorial claims made by Beijing in South China Sea, stating that it has no legal grounds to unilaterally impose its will on the region.
The United States, he said, stands with the international community in the defence of freedom of the seas and respect for sovereignty and rejects any push to impose “might makes right” in the South China Sea or the wider region.

Pompeo said China cannot lawfully assert a maritime claim including any exclusive economic zone (EEZ) claims derived from Scarborough Reef and the Spratly Islands vis-a-vis the Philippines in areas that a tribunal found to be in the Philippines” EEZ or on its continental shelf.

The US, he said, rejects any Chinese claim to waters beyond a 12-nautical mile territorial sea derived from islands it claims in the Spratly Islands (without prejudice to other states” sovereignty claims over such islands).

Also, China has no lawful territorial or maritime claim to (or derived from) James Shoal, an entirely submerged feature only 50 nautical miles from Malaysia and some 1,000 nautical miles from China”s coast, Pompeo said.

“We are making clear: Beijing”s claims to offshore resources across most of the South China Sea are completely unlawful, as is its campaign of bullying to control them,” he said.

In the South China Sea, the US seeks to preserve peace and stability, uphold the freedom of the seas in a manner consistent with international law, maintain the unimpeded flow of commerce and oppose any attempt to use coercion or force to settle disputes, Pompeo said.