Taiwan, China oppose Philippine plan to rename South China Sea

MANILA – China and Taiwan opposed the Philippine plan to rename South China Sea as West Philippine Sea.

Late Thursday, Hong Lei, spokesman of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said South China Sea "has been for a long time a geographic name universally recognized by the international community, and is widely accepted by countries all over the world and by international
organizations such as the United Nations."

"The action of the Philippine side will not exert any change to the fact that China enjoys indisputablesovereignty over the islands in the South China Sea, including Nansha Islands and Huangyan Island, and their adjacent waters," Hong said.

Earlier, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its opposition to the Philippine plan, Taipei's Central News Agency said.

Reacting to an administrative order recently signed by President Benigno Aquino III, the Taiwan ministry issued a statement late Wednesday reaffirming its previous statement that from the perspective of history, geography, or international law, the Spratly Islands, the Paracel Islands, the Macclesfield Bank, and the Pratas Islands as well as their surrounding waters, sea beds, and subsoil, are all inherent parts of the territory of the Republic of China.

The Taiwan claim over these waters is as encompassing as China’s.

The Taiwan ministry reiterated that it upholds the basic principles of "safeguarding sovereignty, shelving disputes, peace and reciprocity, and joint exploration" but remains willing to work with other countries in exploring the resources of the disputed seas.

Aside from the Philippines, China, and Taiwan, the other countries with partial claims are Brunei, Malaysia, Japan, and Vietnam.

                                                                                                                  Source: Interaksyon