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Saturday, 25 July 2020_Australia has joined the US in rejecting China's territorial and maritime claims over a disputed group of islands in the South China Sea, ratcheting up already simmering tensions between Beijing and Canberra.
In a formal declaration to the United Nations, Australia said there was "no legal basis" to several disputed Chinese claims in the South China Sea, including those related to the construction of artificial islands on small shoals and reefs.
"Australia rejects China's claim to 'historic rights' or 'maritime rights and interests' as established in the 'long course of historical practice' in the South China Sea," the declaration read.
"There is no legal basis for China to draw straight baselines connecting the outermost points of maritime features or 'island groups' in the South China Sea, including around the 'Four Sha' or 'continental' or 'outlying' archipelagos."
A number of countries are involved in territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea, in the Pacific Ocean. While Australia is not among them, it is well inclined against China and has in the past joined provocative maneuvers by the United States in the region.
The South China Sea serves as a gateway to global sea routes, through which about 3.4 trillion dollars of trade passes each year. Vietnam, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei have overlapping claims with China to parts of the sea.
China claims the strategic waterway is its sovereign territory and has since 2014 built artificial islands on reclaimed reefs and installed military bases on them.
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