China has criticised planned maritime boundary discussions between Japan and the Philippines, arguing that the waters involved fall within an area where Beijing claims maritime rights and jurisdiction.
Speaking on Wednesday, Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for China's Taiwan Affairs Office, said the maritime area under discussion lies east of Taiwan and concerns waters over which China claims sovereign rights and interests.
She said the proposed talks between Japan and the Philippines contravene international law and established principles of international relations, and therefore have no legal validity.
Zhu said people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait share a common national identity and should work together to safeguard China's sovereignty, territorial integrity and broader national interests.
The spokesperson also warned against cooperation between Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities and external actors on issues affecting China's territorial claims.
According to Zhu, any actions that Beijing views as undermining national interests would face opposition from people across the Taiwan Strait and be judged negatively by history.
The comments come after Japan and the Philippines announced formal negotiations to define the maritime boundary between their exclusive economic zones and continental shelves in waters east of Taiwan.
The area has emerged as a new source of regional tension, with China asserting its own maritime rights there.
Earlier this week, China's coastguard conducted patrols in the waters, while Taiwan's coastguard reported monitoring two Chinese vessels operating south-east of Orchid Island.
Japan on Wednesday rejected Taiwan's request for consultations over the planned maritime boundary talks with the Philippines.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said any agreement would apply only to Japan and the Philippines and would not affect third parties.
He was responding to Taiwan's call for talks, arguing that the area involved overlaps with waters in which Taiwan claims interests.
Japan and the Philippines have agreed to begin negotiations on delimiting their exclusive economic zones and continental shelves in accordance with international law.
U.S. Donald Trump has said he has cancelled planned strikes on Iranian oil and gas ports announced earlier on Thursday. Trump said he made the decisio...
Britain's Defence Minister, John Healey, and Armed Forces Minister, Al Carns, have resigned from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government over a...
Spanish football club Real Madrid has appointed José Mourinho as its new manager. The 63-year-old nicknamed “the special one” returns to the hel...
Pakistan says it has killed 26 militants in strikes on terrorist hideouts along the Afghan border, marking the most significant escalation between the...
Canada’s Privacy Commissioner has found that xAI’s Grok chatbot and its parent company X Corp. violated federal privacy law by launching an AI ima...
Pakistan says it has killed 26 militants in strikes on terrorist hideouts along the Afghan border, marking the most significant escalation between the neighbouring countries since a China-brokered diplomatic effort helped ease tensions earlier this year.
China's foreign ministry announced on Thursday that it had imposed sanctions on Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and his immediate family, accusing him of repeatedly making remarks that undermined China's "legitimate interests" and bilateral relations.
Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing will attend a video conference hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday (12 June) to discuss global economic imbalances, marking a rare high-level engagement between China and G7 nations ahead of next week's summit in France.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is wrapping up a two-day state visit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang. It was his first trip to the country since 2019, and a visit that carries more strategic weight than its carefully choreographed ceremonies might suggest.
Mexico and South Africa meet in Thursday’s World Cup opener in Mexico City, with both teams approaching the match from very different positions but facing their own pressures.
Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry says 19 citizens have been repatriated following a deadly drone attack on two cargo ships in the Sea of Azov on 5 June.
The Pakistani city of Karachi is struggling under severe heat and humidity as the country enters a prolonged heatwave period. The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has warned of above-normal temperatures across much of the country between 7 and 12 June.
Ukraine's military said it struck a Russian "shadow fleet" tanker in the Black Sea as part of ongoing efforts to disrupt Moscow's energy and logistics networks. The move underscores Kyiv's focus on targeting maritime assets it says are used to bypass sanctions on Russian oil exports.
U.S. forces say they have completed strikes on Iranian military sites near the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded with missile attacks on an American base in Jordan, marking a sharp escalation in tensions between the two sides.
More than a third of Belgium’s population now has a foreign background, according to new figures released by the national statistics office, Statbel. The data show that around 4.34 million of the country’s nearly 11.7 million residents do not have an entirely Belgian background.
Fuel stations across the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula ran dry on Thursday as Ukraine stepped up attacks on supply routes to the region.
Britain's Defence Minister, John Healey, and Armed Forces Minister, Al Carns, have resigned from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government over a disagreement about defence spending.
Spanish football club Real Madrid has appointed José Mourinho as its new manager. The 63-year-old nicknamed “the special one” returns to the helm of Spain’s most successful football club, more than a decade since his last stint as the team's manager.
Pakistan says it has killed 26 militants in strikes on terrorist hideouts along the Afghan border, marking the most significant escalation between the neighbouring countries since a China-brokered diplomatic effort helped ease tensions earlier this year.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment