CANBERRA, June 17 (Xinhua) -- China has been consistent in seeking a peaceful and negotiated solution to the South China Sea disputes, Chinese Ambassador Cheng Jingye said in an article published Friday in one of Australia's top newspapers.
In the article carried by The West Australian, Cheng wrote the issue of the South China Sea has attracted a lot of recent attention. "Though this is a complicated issue concerning territorial sovereignty, China remains committed to a negotiated solution."
"China's indisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea islands and their adjacent waters has long been established," the article said. "As the first to discover the islands, China has exercised sovereign jurisdiction over them through various means."
"During World War II, Japan illegally seized some parts of the islands. After the war, China recovered those islands in accordance with the 1943 Cairo Declaration and the 1945 Potsdam Proclamation. For several decades afterwards, it was widely acknowledged by the international community that the South China Sea islands belong to China."
The ambassador explained in the article the root cause of South China Sea disputes, which originated in the 1970s when some countries around the South China Sea began to occupy illegally part of China's Nansha islands and reefs.
"In the interests of peace and stability in the region, China has exercised the utmost restraint," he said.
While adhering to its position of upholding sovereignty over the islands, China put forward the proposal of "shelving differences and engaging in common development." China has had active discussions with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries for an effective way to manage the disputes.
Read the full story at Xinhua