China said the Senkakus and its adjacent islets have been part of China since ancient times.
China took strong exception to recent remarks made by Secretary of Defense James Mattis that the U. S. will no longer tolerate China’s militarization of its illegal man-made islands in the South China Sea.
State-run media slammed Mattis’ comments as “irresponsible” while claiming China “respects” international law despite repudiating the decision against it last July 12,2016 by the International Court of Arbitration in The Hague.
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This court decided for the Philippines and found that China’s “nine-dash line” had no legal basis for its claims to historic rights to resources in the South China Sea. It also ruled that none of the land features met the requirements of an exclusive economic zone for China.
In its latest tirade defending its being a “law-abiding state, ” China said it has indisputable sovereignty over the Senkaku islands owned by Japan and their adjacent waters.
China said the Senkakus and its adjacent islets have been part of China since ancient times, so it is legal and justified for the Chinese official ships to patrol the East China Sea and conduct law-enforcement activities in relevant waters.
