nova92
Since: Apr, 2020
#1027: Jul 11th 2021 at 6:33:21 PM
AP News: Biden backs Trump rejection of China’s South China Sea claim
The Biden administration on Sunday upheld a Trump-era rejection of nearly all of China’s significant maritime claims in the South China Sea. The administration also warned China that any attack on the Philippines in the flashpoint region would draw a U.S. response under a mutual defense treaty.
The stern message from Secretary of State Antony Blinken came in a statement released ahead of this week’s fifth anniversary of an international tribunal’s ruling in favor of the Philippines, against China’s maritime claims around the Spratly Islands and neighboring reefs and shoals. China rejects the ruling.
Ahead of the fourth anniversary of the ruling last year, the Trump administration came out in favor of the ruling but also said it regarded as illegitimate virtually all Chinese maritime claims in the South China Sea outside China’s internationally recognized waters. Sunday’s statement reaffirms that position, which had been laid out by Trump’s secretary of state, Mike Pompeo.
Prior to Pompeo’s statement, U.S. policy had been to insist that maritime disputes between China and its smaller neighbors be resolved peacefully through U.N.-backed arbitration. The shift did not apply to disputes over land features that are above sea level, which are considered to be “territorial” in nature.
Total posts: 1,027
Unfortunately our presidential spokesperson just said that Julian Felipe Reef, which is 175nmi from the nearest point of the island of Palawan, is "not part of PH EEZ". Despite the fact that the EEZ in the area is defined as being 200nmi away from the nearest point of the island of Palawan. Well considering his boss is actually an ambassador of China, I'm no longer surprised.
I'm reading this because it's interesting. I think. Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot, over.