China ‘Deposited’ to U.N. ‘Baselines’ of Disputed Scarborough Shoal

By Akiko Yoshinaga / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

15:14 JST, December 3, 2024

BEIJING －China’s permanent representative to the United Nations on Monday “deposited” a statement regarding “baselines of the territorial sea” adjacent to Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea to the United Nations.

Ambassador Geng Shuang, the deputy permanent representative of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations, has “deposited” the statement and relevant charts of the “baselines” of the shoal, which China calls “Huangyan Dao.”

China and the Philippines both claim Scarborough Shoal, which China has seized.

The Chinese government unilaterally published the “baselines” of the shoal in November, insisting that the area is China’s territory.

By submitting the statement and charts, China apparently aims to make its claim a fait accompli.

The Chinese U.N. permanent representative claims that the action is “fulfilling its obligations” under the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea and is performing “legitimate activity to defend its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.”