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A report published by China’s state-owned Xinhua news agency released information on China’s plan to build an international maritime judicial center. Supreme People’s Court (SPC) Chief Justice Zhou delivered a statement, saying “(We) must resolutely safeguard China’s national sovereignty, its maritime rights and other core interests”.
The decision came on Sunday, two days after a report by Xinhua news agency that claims to promote peace and stability in the South China sea region, while also advising “outside countries” to stay out of Asia’s own affairs. “It would be a smart choice for outside countries to let nations in the region take the reins in their own affairs, and to promote regional harmony so everyone can enjoy the benefits of a peaceful and prosperous Asia.”
This perhaps refers to the criticism from the US and its allies over reclaiming some 3000 acres of land in the disputed area, turning sandbars into islands equipped with airfields, ports, and lighthouses
China has been locked in this dispute since 1947, when the original, “Eleven-dash line” map was issued by the Nationalist Chinese Government, the predecessor to the Communist Party of China.
Since then China has claimed most of the South China sea territory, but the overlapping claims of Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Brunei brings each of these nations into the tricky dispute. It is important to note however the fact that even when a country claims a particular territory, it does not mean that the country controls it. Some countries have physical control over many of the islands that they claim, while others do not.
While it is difficult and even dangerous to point fingers in the heavily contested region, every nation seems to be partly guilty of the threatened peace and prosperity. With Vietnam’s continually growing list of South China Sea feature holdings, and China’s newly constructed military runways, the South China Sea can’t help but gain international attention.
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