Beijing slams Washington on illegal claims of demarcation of seabed
Beijing on Tuesday slammed Washington for its unilateral demarcation of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles, saying such an act is a typical example of unilateralism and hegemony.
The United States recently announced the outer limits of its extended continental shelf, the portion of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from the coast, and extended its jurisdiction over a resource-rich seabed area, according to the Financial Times.
"The U.S. unilateral claim is illegal and invalid which seriously violates international law," Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a regular news briefing.
Wang said rules of delimiting the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles are derived from the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea rather than customary international law.
The U.S., which is not a signatory to the Convention, has no right to claim the outer continental shelf based on the Convention, nor does it have the right to have its outer continental shelf boundary reviewed by the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, the spokesman said.
"This once again exposes the pragmatic approach and hegemonic nature of the U.S. in its selective application of international law," Wang said.
As U.S. unilateral act erodes the international seabed area which is "the common heritage of mankind", Wang said the U.S. move harms the overall interests of and will not be recognized by the international community.
Related articles
Siblings trying to make US water polo teams for Paris Olympics
WALNUT, Calif. (AP) — Chase Dodd started swimming when he was just a kid. Once he began playing wate2024-05-21Kenya, Uganda sign agreements to enhance bilateral cooperation
NAIROBI, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Kenya and Uganda on Thursday signed a number of agreements to enhance bi2024-05-21A man investigated in the deaths of women in northwest Oregon has been indicted in 3 killings
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A man who has been under investigation in the deaths of four women whose bodie2024-05-21Cannes Film Festival: See the red carpet photos from week 1
CANNES, France (AP) — Hollywood royalty is back at the Cannes Film Festival for its annual celebrati2024-05-21Biden says Brown v. Board of Education ruling was about more than education
WASHINGTON (AP) — The landmark 1954 Supreme Court ruling that desegregated schools was about more th2024-05-21Most water is now safe to drink after parasite outbreak near Devon, England
LONDON (AP) — Most residents living near a scenic fishing village in southwestern England where a pa2024-05-21
atest comment