Beijing marks out claims in South China Sea by naming geographical features
- China says it is asserting its sovereignty in the disputed waters in the face of Vietnam’s ‘aggression’
- Latest move follows establishment of new administrative structures for Paracel and Spratly islands
China has given names to 80 geographical features in the disputed South China Sea in the latest move to assert its territorial claims in the face of increasing opposition from Vietnam.
According to a notice jointly released by China’s Natural Resources Ministry and Civil Affairs Ministry, it has given names to features in the Paracel and Spratly islands. These include 25 islands, shoals and reefs and 55 oceanic mountains and ridges.
The last such exercise was carried out in 1983, when China named 287 features in the area, where multiple nations have competing territorial claims.
Yan Yan, director of the Research Centre of Oceans Law and Policy in the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, said China had acted to assert its sovereignty and sovereign rights after Vietnam raised the stakes in their dispute.
Last month, Vietnam sent a diplomatic note to the United Nations to protest against China's sovereignty claims over the South China Sea.