Beijing: US has no right to claim extended continental shelf based on UNCLOS

Global Times: According to Financial Times, the US recently announced its continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from the coast that involves a swath of mineral-rich seabed. Delegations from countries including China and Russia attending an International Seabed Authority meeting pointed out that because Washington has not yet ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, it is unacceptable for the US to unilaterally expand its claims on extended continental shelf. Does the Ministry have any further comment? Wang Wenbin: The US unilaterally establishing outer limits of continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from the coast is a typical act of unilateralism and hegemonism. The delimitation rules of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from the coast were set in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), not customary international law. The US is not a state party to UNCLOS and has no right to claim extended continental shelf based on UNCLOS or review its extended continental shelf outer limits through the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. The US’s unilateral claim is illegal, null and void. It seriously violates international law, encroaches on the international seabed which is the common heritage of mankind, undermines the overall interests of the international community and will not be recognized by the international community. It once again reveals the hegemonism and utilitarianism that define the thinking and behavior of the US and its selective approach to international law. __________________ ShanghaiEye focuses on producing top-quality contents. Nobody knows SHANGHAI better than us. Please subscribe to us ☻☻☻ __________________ For more stories, please click ■ What’s up today in Shanghai, the most updated news of the city ■ Amazing Shanghai, exploring the unknown corners of the city, learning the people, food and stories behind them ■ What Chinese people’s lives are like during the post COVID-19 period ■ Views of foreign scholars on China and its affairs ■ Foreign faces in Shanghai, people living in this city sharing their true feelings ■ Mini-docs showing why China is the country it is today __________________ ☎Leave us messages if you have any suggestions or questions! Thank you!