"This is a violation of international law and completely
unacceptable," Hua said in a statement posted to the ministry's website.
China slams Philippines' definition of South China Sea "reef"
As Asia's biggest security summit is set to convene, China on Friday accused the Philippines of seeking to negate its sovereignty in the South China Sea by describing Taiping Island as a reef and not an island in Manila's territorial court case.
Tensions
in the South China Sea are set to dominate the Shangri-La Dialogue
(SLD) starting Friday, exposing a deepening rivalry between the United
States and China ahead of a landmark legal ruling over the disputed area
in the Hague.
Beijing refuses to recognise the
case lodged by the Philippines with the Permanent Court of Arbitration
in The Hague over territorial claims in the South China Sea and says
such disputes should be resolved through bilateral talks.
Manila
is challenging the legality of China's claim there, in part by arguing
that no land mass in the Spratly archipelago, including Itu Aba, known
as Taiping Island in Chinese, can legally be considered a
life-sustaining island.
That would mean it cannot hold rights to a 200 nautical mile (370 km) exclusive economic zone.
"The
Philippines' attempt to define Taiping Island as a 'reef' exposes that
the goal of its arbitration case is to try to negate China's sovereignty
and related rights over the Spratly Islands," China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.
"This is a violation of international law and completely unacceptable," Hua said in a statement posted to the ministry's website.
Chinese
fishermen had historically lived on Itu Aba year-round, and fished, dug
wells, cultivated plants and constructed buildings, all evidence that
it was an island capable of sustaining human life and economic activity,
Hua said.
China claims almost the entire South
China Sea, through which about $5 trillion worth of ship-borne goods
passes every year. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam
also have claims to the waters.
Self-ruled Taiwan
controls Itu Aba, which some analysts believe has the strongest claim
to island status and an economic zone. Late last year it finished a $100
million port upgrade on Itu Aba, which has an airstrip, a hospital and
fresh water.
China, which claims sovereignty over
Taiwan, has appeared unruffled by Taiwan's upgrading work on Itu Aba.
Military strategists say that is because it could fall into China's
hands should it ever take over Taiwan.
Taiwan in
May called on the international court not to make a ruling on the legal
status of Itu Aba in the South China Sea case if the judges don't visit
first to see for themselves it can sustain life.
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