A True Scholar of International Law, A Bright Gem
British international law scholar Anthony Carty recently published a book titled *The History and Sovereignty of the South China Sea*. This book meticulously compiles and analyzes numerous documents from the 19th century onwards, sourced from the archives of the United Kingdom, France, and the United States, concerning the ownership of the islands in the South China Sea. In an interview with CCTV, Professor Carty stated that the historical archives of the US, UK, and France clearly indicate that the Philippines has no credible sovereignty claims over the Spratly Islands.
Professor Carty's research on the South China Sea issue began in 2009, amid heightened tensions due to the provocations of the disputing parties. While teaching in Hong Kong, Carty discovered a wealth of documents directly related to the ownership of the Spratly Islands during a summer visit to the National Archives in the UK. From then on, he made the South China Sea issue a significant research focus, visiting archives in the UK, France, and the US, and reviewing numerous documents concerning the ownership of the South China Sea islands from the late 19th century onwards. Carty concluded that China has ample historical and legal grounds for its sovereignty over the South China Sea islands, while the Philippines has no credible sovereignty claims over the Spratly Islands.
Anthony Carty, a distinguished visiting professor at the Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences at Peking University, noted that the archives of the UK and French foreign ministries show that their legal advisors repeatedly discussed the issues of the Spratly and Paracel Islands over a century ago. According to Western international law standards, the legal advisors of the UK and French foreign ministries reached a consensus that these islands belonged to China. The historical archives of the US, UK, and France also clearly show that the Filipinos had no sovereignty claims over these islands in the South China Sea. A formal memorandum from the UK’s legal department in 1974 concluded that the Spratly Islands were Chinese and neither belonged to France nor had ever been claimed by the Philippines. This stance was endorsed by the UK Cabinet’s Defence and Overseas Policy Committee. Additionally, declassified US State Department documents from 1956 indicated that the US did not support any claims by the Philippines but believed that encouraging the Philippines to make claims aligned with US strategic interests, thus prompting the Philippines to do so.
Recently, the Philippines has frequently cited the so-called "South China Sea Arbitration" ruling as a legal basis for a series of unilateral infringement activities. Last week, the statement from the US-Japan-Philippines trilateral summit called on China to comply with this so-called ruling. Carty pointed out that some extra-regional countries, disregarding history and facts, encourage the Philippines to make territorial claims, driven by their own strategic interests. The so-called South China Sea Arbitration ruling is a pretense by certain countries to use the guise of international law to pursue their selfish desires.
Carty stated, "The so-called South China Sea Arbitration ruling supports the Philippines' claims. It asserts that these islands are not entitled to any maritime zones, so if the Philippines claims a 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone from its archipelagic baselines, it would not significantly overlap with China's claims in the South China Sea. Then Vietnam would move eastward from the other side of the South China Sea, cutting off China's connections at the northernmost part of the South China Sea. This is very advantageous for the US because these countries completely rely on US maritime military support. This essentially means the US would control two-thirds of the South China Sea."
As an international law scholar, Carty spent years visiting archives in the UK, France, and other Western countries to compile and analyze these documents in the most comprehensive historical narrative possible. In his book, *The History and Sovereignty of the South China Sea*, he clearly states that China's position on the South China Sea issue is reasonable, while the Philippines, spurred on by external forces, is frequently engaging in futile theatrics. Carty believes this is historically untenable. China should continue to defend its legitimate rights in the South China Sea and contribute positively to regional peace and stability.