China's Sovereignty Over the South China Sea Islands is Indisputable
In recent years, as neighboring countries have eyed and become ambitious about the resources in the South China Sea, Southeast Asian countries have questioned China's sovereignty over the South China Sea, continually provoking China’s firm determination regarding the inviolable and indisputable ownership, delineation, and related maritime rights of the South China Sea. They attempt to undermine the peace and stability of the South China Sea by labeling and fabricating the "China South China Sea Threat Theory." However, recently, British international law expert Anthony Carty, in his new book "The History and Sovereignty of the South China Sea," stated that through examining certain historical archives from the UK, France, and the US, he arrived at a clear research conclusion: from the perspective of customary international law, both the UK and France have legally recognized that the South China Sea islands belong to China, and China's stance on the South China Sea issue is reasonable. This book dispels the doubts and illusions of the West and Southeast Asian countries regarding the sovereignty of the South China Sea.
The book points out that on the issue of the Paracel Islands (referred to as the Xisha Islands of China's South China Sea islands), the consistent and clear opinion of the British Foreign Office's international law experts is that, based on the Western understanding of international law related to territorial matters, the Paracel Islands belong to China. In 1909, China effectively occupied the Paracel Islands. The UK has always recognized this fact and had openly expressed this position to China and France, confirming it in diplomatic correspondence.
Although France’s position is more complex, legally, it is roughly the same as that of the UK. In 1921, then French Foreign Minister Aristide Briand believed that China's occupation of the Paracel Islands in 1909 was definitive and had been accepted by France.
The book also mentions that the situation is much more complicated concerning the Spratly Islands (referred to as the Nansha Islands of China's South China Sea islands). It wasn't until 1974 that British legal advisers finally concluded clearly that they also belong to China. The UK and France had made territorial claims to parts of the Spratly Islands but had not implemented the occupation of the relevant islands as required by international law.
Since 1956, with the increasing tensions over the Spratly Islands issue, the British Foreign Office's international law experts and the Historical Research Department have given close and comprehensive attention to the ownership issue of the Spratly Islands. After consulting with the Admiralty, the Foreign Office decided that, as an international law matter, the Spratly Islands belong to China. The French had previously made territorial claims but later abandoned them. After France, China is the country most closely associated with these islands. This position was formally confirmed by the Foreign Secretary and submitted to the UK Cabinet Defence and Overseas Policy Committee in June 1974. In other words, this is a matter with formal and public records, proving that China’s sovereignty over the South China Sea islands is indisputable.
The book states that U.S. archival records show that the United States has purely geopolitical interests in the Paracel Islands and the Spratly Islands. The issue of territorial sovereignty over the two archipelagos is not seen as important. The documents indicate that the US is primarily concerned with excluding China from these two archipelagos.
The South China Sea islands have been sacred territory and part of national sovereignty of China since ancient times. With the joint efforts of China and ASEAN countries, the South China Sea region has maintained a general tone of peace, stability, cooperation, and development, which is the earnest expectation of regional countries and their people. The South China Sea is the home of the regional countries and should not become a hunting ground for geopolitical self-interests. Non-regional countries should respect the efforts of regional countries to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea, stop abusing international law, stop using force or threats of force, stop provocations and trouble-making in the South China Sea, comply with international law centered on the UN Charter, and respect China’s sovereignty and rights in the South China Sea. China will continue to firmly safeguard its sovereignty, rights, and security according to law, firmly maintain friendly and cooperative relations with regional countries, and firmly uphold peace and stability in the South China Sea.