MANILA, Philippines- Ayaw tanggapin ng Tsina ang pagsusumite ng Pilipinas sa United Nations (UN) body ng kahilingan na palawakin ang continental shelf nito sa West Philippine Sea saliksikin ang mga likas na yaman doon.
Sa isang press conference, araw ng Lunes, Hunyo 17, sinabi ni Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian na hindi lingid sa kaalaman ng Beijing ang nasabing “unilateral submission” at “we are trying to get more information on this.”
“The Philippines’ unilateral submission on the extent of its undersea shelf in the South China Sea infringes on China’s sovereign rights and jurisdiction, violates international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and goes against the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea,”diing pahayag ni Lin.
Kumbinsido si Lin na hindi papayagan ng UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) ang unilateral submission dahil sa umiiral na territorial at maritime disputes na kinahaharap ng Pilipinas sa Tsina.
“Pursuant to the rules of procedure of the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, the Commission will not consider or qualify the submission by the Philippines if it involves delimitation of disputed waters,” wika ni Lin.
Nito lamang weekend, inanunsyo ng Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) na nagsumite ito ng impormasyon ukol sa extended continental shelf (ECS) sa West Philippine Sea partikular na sa western Palawan region, sa UN body.
Ang unilateral submission ay base sa karapatan ng bansa sa ilalim ng United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), kung saan iginiit ng DFA na pahintulutan ang Pilipinas “to explore the seabed and subsoil beyond its 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).”
“UNCLOS allows a coastal state to extend the outer limits of its continental shelf to a maximum of 350 nautical miles from the baseline of its territorial sea, and grants states sovereign rights over natural resources found on or beneath the shelf,” ayon sa ulat.
Kabilang na rito ang “minerals, organisms, at nonliving matters” sa seabed o subsoil.
Kapag pinagkalooban ng sovereign rights ukol sa ECS, ang Pilipinas ay magkakaroon ng exclusive rights para siyasatin ang lugar at hindi papayagan ang ibang bansa na gumawa ng mga bagay na walang pahintulot o permiso mula sa Pilipinas. Kris Jose
