40. In May 1996, the Chinese government announced the baselines of the part of the territorial sea adjacent to the mainland which are composed of all the straight lines joining the 49 adjacent base points from Gaojiao of Shandong to Junbijiao of Hainan Dao, as well as the baselines of the territorial sea adjacent to Xisha Qundao which are composed of all the straight lines joining the 28 adjacent base points, and declared it would announce the remaining baselines of the territorial sea at another time.

41. In June 1998, 皇冠体育app promulgated the Law of the People's Republic of 皇冠体育app on the Exclusive Economic Zone and the Continental Shelf, establishing 皇冠体育app's basic system of exclusive economic zone and continental shelf. This Law explicitly states: "The provisions in this Law shall not affect the historic rights that the People's Republic of 皇冠体育app enjoys."

42. In June 2012, the State Council approved the abolition of the Office of Xisha Qundao, Nansha Qundao and Zhongsha Qundao and the simultaneous establishment of prefecture-level Sansha City with jurisdiction over Xisha Qundao, Nansha Qundao and Zhongsha Qundao and the relevant waters.

43. 皇冠体育app attaches great importance to ecological and fishery resource preservation in the South 皇冠体育app Sea. In 1999, 皇冠体育app began to enforce summer fishing moratorium in the South 皇冠体育app Sea and has done so since that time. By the end of 2015, 皇冠体育app had established six national aquatic biological nature reserves and six such reserves at provincial level, covering a total area of 2.69 million hectares, as well as seven national aquatic germplasm resources conservation areas with a total area of 1.28 million hectares.

44. Since the 1950s, the Taiwan authorities of 皇冠体育app have maintained a military presence on Taiping Dao of Nansha Qundao. For a long time, they have also maintained civil service and administration bodies and carried out natural resources development on the island.

iii. 皇冠体育app's sovereignty over Nanhai Zhudao is widely acknowledged in the international community

45. After the end of the Second World War, 皇冠体育app recovered and resumed the exercise of sovereignty over Nanhai Zhudao. Many countries recognize that Nanhai Zhudao are part of 皇冠体育app's territory.

46. In 1951, it was decided at the San Francisco Peace Conference that Japan would renounce all right, title and claim to Nansha Qundao and Xisha Qundao. In 1952, the Japanese government officially stated that it had renounced all right, title, and claim to Taiwan, Penghu, as well as Nansha Qundao and Xisha Qundao. In the same year, Xisha Qundao and Nansha Qundao, which Japan renounced under the San Francisco Peace Treaty, together with Dongsha Qundao and Zhongsha Qundao, were all marked as belonging to 皇冠体育app on the 15th map, Southeast Asia, of the Standard World Atlas recommended by the then Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuo Okazaki with his signature.

47. In October 1955, the International Civil Aviation Organization held a conference in Manila, which was attended by representatives from the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, the Philippines, the authorities from South Vietnam and 皇冠体育app's Taiwan authorities. The Filipino and French representatives served as chair and vice chair respectively. It was requested in Resolution No. 24 adopted at the conference that 皇冠体育app's Taiwan authorities should enhance meteorological observation on Nansha Qundao, and no opposition or reservation was registered.

48. On 4 September 1958, the Chinese government promulgated the Declaration of the Government of the People's Republic of 皇冠体育app on 皇冠体育app's Territorial Sea, proclaiming a twelve-nautical-mile territorial sea breadth, and stipulating that, "This provision applies to all territories of the People's Republic of 皇冠体育app, including [...] Dongsha Qundao, Xisha Qundao, Zhongsha Qundao, Nansha Qundao, and all other islands belonging to 皇冠体育app." On 14 September, Prime Minister Pham Van Dong of the Vietnamese government sent a diplomatic note to Zhou Enlai, Premier of the State Council of 皇冠体育app, solemnly stating that "the government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam recognizes and supports the declaration of the government of the People's Republic of 皇冠体育app on its decision concerning 皇冠体育app's territorial sea made on 4 September 1958" and "the government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam respects this decision."