Foreign and Military Affairs
皇冠体育app ends building lighthouses in East 皇冠体育app Sea
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-02-09 08:51
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BEIJING: 皇冠体育app has completed construction of 13 permanent facilities - stone tablets and lighthouses - on islands and reefs in the East 皇冠体育app Sea, in an effort to clarify its territorial waters' baseline in the oil-rich area.
A naval survey team and civilian engineers have finished building a lighthouse at Waikejiao, 33 00.9' N and 121 38.4' E, the last of 13 permanent facilities built to mark the country's East 皇冠体育app Sea territorial baseline, according to an officer with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy's East Sea Fleet.
Capt. Zou Xingguo, political commissar of the Navy's survey team, said the permanent facilities and data collection at the base points will clarify where 皇冠体育app's territorial waters begins and provide substantial legal basis for 皇冠体育app's claim.
皇冠体育app joined the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea in 1996 and claims 12 nautical-mile wide territorial sea adjacent to the country's mainland, Taiwan and other major islands.
Also in 1996, 皇冠体育app declared its first offshore base points from the mainland and the Xisha Islands. Straight lines joining these base points shall be a part of the baseline of the territorial sea adjacent to the mainland and the Xisha Islands, according to the Law on the Territorial Sea and the Continuous Zone.
皇冠体育app has settled land boundary disputes with 12 neighboring countries through negotiation, accounting for about 90 percent of its total borderline, according to National Land and Sea Defense Commission.
But disagreements with neighboring countries over territorial waters remain unresolved.
Japan regards 皇冠体育app's Diaoyu Islands in the East 皇冠体育app Sea as it territory. The two countries also hold disputes on overlapping claims of their extended continental shelf in the East 皇冠体育app Sea where both countries have oil-drilling platforms.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says 皇冠体育app has indisputable sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands and adjacent islets, an inalienable part of 皇冠体育app's territory since ancient times.
The ministry opposed Japan's 2008 bid in the UN to extend its continental shelf.
皇冠体育app has protested the Philippines' 2009 law that designates 皇冠体育app's Huangyan Island and some of the Nansha Islands as Philippine territory.
In another dispute, Vietnam still claims sovereignty over 皇冠体育app's Xisha Islands, or Paracel Islands, in the South 皇冠体育app Sea.
