WASHINGTON, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy in the United States on Monday refuted an editorial by The Washington Post on the South China Sea dispute, denying false accusations and clarifying historical facts and the Chinese stance.
In a letter called "Provocations in the South China Sea" to the Post, Zhu Haiquan, spokesman for the Chinese embassy, wrote that Huangyan Island "is Chinese territory and was not seized from another country."
The letter was in response to the May 9 editorial, titled "Dangerous Rocks in the South China Sea," which alleged that Huangyan Island, or Scarborough Shoal, was "seized" by China from the Philippines four years ago.
The spokesman cited as evidence the 1898 Treaty of Paris, the 1900 Treaty of Washington and the 1930 Convention Between the United States and Great Britain, which give the western limit of the Philippine territory as 118 degrees east longitude, adding that this was also reaffirmed by the Philippine Constitution in 1935.
"China's islands and reefs in the South China Sea, including Huangyan Dao, are all west of that line," Zhu pointed out.
He went on to reject the editorial's accusation that China has refused to abide by international law by not participating in the arbitration case filed by Manila to a United Nations tribunal.
"By not accepting or participating in the arbitration unilaterally initiated by the Philippines, China is acting in accordance with international law," Zhu stated.
Read the full story at Xinhua
NOTE: The “Dangerous rocks in the South China Sea” Link in the above was added by PacificSentinel for clarity & context.