By Zhang Weihua

張衛(wèi)華

On November 10, the Chinese government announced the baselines of the territorial sea adjacent to Huangyan Dao. Huangyan Dao is part of China's Zhongsha Qundao, which has all along been China's inherent territory. The release of the baselines of the territorial sea adjacent to Huangyan Dao by the Chinese government reflects the firm determination of China to uphold its sovereignty over the islands and reefs in the South China Sea. It not only helps to clarify the scope of future maritime rights protection and law enforcement activities but also prevents foreign vessels from inadvertently entering China's territorial waters and other jurisdictional sea areas, thereby reducing maritime disputes.

11月10日，中國政府公布了黃巖島的領(lǐng)?；€。黃巖島屬于中沙群島的一部分，是中國的固有領(lǐng)土。中國政府公布黃巖島的領(lǐng)海基線，反映出國家維護(hù)南海島礁主權(quán)的堅(jiān)定決心，不僅有助于海上執(zhí)法力量明確今后海洋維權(quán)和執(zhí)法活動的范圍，而且能夠避免外國船舶誤入中國領(lǐng)海和其他管轄海域，減少海上爭端的發(fā)生。

According to the1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), "the sovereignty of a coastal State extends, beyond its land territory and internal waters and, in the case of an archipelagic State, its archipelagic waters, to an adjacent belt of sea, described as the territorial sea." It also stipulates in the UNCLOS that "every State has the right to establish the breadth of its territorial sea up to a limit not exceeding 12 nautical miles, measured from baselines determined in accordance with this Convention." Therefore, the baseline of the territorial sea is an important basis for a country to determine the scope of its territorial sea.

1982年《聯(lián)合國海洋法公約》（以下簡稱《公約》）規(guī)定，領(lǐng)海為“沿海國的主權(quán)及于其陸地領(lǐng)土及其內(nèi)水以外鄰接的一帶海域”。《公約》還規(guī)定，“每一國家有權(quán)確定其領(lǐng)海的寬度，直至從按照本公約確定的基線量起不超過12海里的界限為止”。因此，領(lǐng)?；€是一國確定其領(lǐng)海范圍的重要依據(jù)。

In terms of the method for delimiting the baseline of the territorial sea, the UNCLOS not only recognizes the "normal baseline" method, which uses the low-water line along the coast as the baseline but also permits the use of the "straight baseline" method, which connects appropriate points to determine the extent of the territorial sea. The adoption of the "straight baseline" method to delimit the baseline of the territorial sea of Huangyan Dao fully complies with the relevant provisions of the UNCLOS. Huangyan Dao has always been China's territory. The Chinese government's legal delineation and release of the baselines of the territorial sea adjacent to Huangyan Dao is consistent with international law and common practices.

在劃定領(lǐng)?；€的方法上，《公約》不僅認(rèn)可將沿岸低潮線作為領(lǐng)?；€的“正常基線”法，還允許采用“直線基線”法連接合適點(diǎn)以確定領(lǐng)海范圍。中國此次采用“直線基線”法確定黃巖島的領(lǐng)?；€，完全符合國際海洋法的有關(guān)規(guī)定。黃巖島是中國固有領(lǐng)土，中國政府依法劃定并公布黃巖島領(lǐng)?；€，符合國際法和國際慣例。

In recent years, the Philippines has continuously challenged China's sovereignty over islands and reefs and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea. From promoting the South China Sea arbitration to attempting to induce foreign forces through the US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty, these evil deeds blatantly violated the principles of international law and seriously endangered the peace and stability in the South China Sea.

近年來，菲律賓不斷挑戰(zhàn)中國南海島礁主權(quán)和海洋權(quán)益。從推動“南海仲裁案”到企圖通過《美菲共同防御條約》引入域外勢力，種種劣行公然違反國際法原則，嚴(yán)重危及南海區(qū)域和平與穩(wěn)定。

Recently, the Philippines issued the so-called Maritime Zones Act which aims to further solidify the illegal arbitral award on the South China Sea in the form of domestic legislation and illegally included China's Huangyan Dao and most of the islands and reefs of China's Nansha Qundao, and their relevant waters into the Philippines' maritime zones. This move severely violated China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea. However, the US Department of State immediately issued a statement saying that it supported the Philippines' enactment of the above law. This fully exposes the Philippines' sinister intention of relying on the US to provoke China. In response, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the Chinese government "will continue to do everything necessary in accordance with the law to firmly defend China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests."

日前，菲律賓又頒布所謂“海洋區(qū)域法”，妄圖以國內(nèi)立法形式固化南海仲裁案非法裁決，把中國黃巖島和南沙群島大部分島礁及相關(guān)海域劃入其海洋區(qū)域，嚴(yán)重侵犯了中國在南海的領(lǐng)土主權(quán)和海洋權(quán)益。而美國國務(wù)院隨即卻發(fā)表聲明稱，支持菲律賓頒布上述法律。這充分暴露了菲律賓“倚美抗中”的險(xiǎn)惡用心。對此，中國外交部發(fā)言人表示，中國政府“將繼續(xù)依法采取一切必要措施，堅(jiān)定捍衛(wèi)國家領(lǐng)土主權(quán)和海洋權(quán)益”。

China's release of the baselines of the territorial sea adjacent to Huangyan Dao clarifies the 12 nautical miles of territorial sea adjacent to Huangyan Dao and demonstrates its firm determination to uphold sovereignty over the islands and reefs in the South China Sea. In the future, if Philippine or other foreign vessels illegally enter Chinese territorial waters, the Chinese Navy and Coast Guard will be authorized to lawfully expel them or take other law enforcement measures.

此次中國政府公布黃巖島領(lǐng)?；€，明確了黃巖島12海里的領(lǐng)海范圍，同時(shí)也彰顯了維護(hù)南海島礁主權(quán)的堅(jiān)定決心。今后，菲律賓或者其他外國船舶一旦非法進(jìn)入中國領(lǐng)海，中國海軍和海警部隊(duì)即可依法將其驅(qū)離或者采取其他執(zhí)法手段。

As an important armed force and law enforcement agency for safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and maritime rights, the China Coast Guard (CCG) issued a statement on issues related to Huangyan Dao on the same day China released the baselines of the territorial sea adjacent to Huangyan Dao. It was announced that CCG would continuously strengthen patrols and law enforcement in territorial waters off China's Huangyan Dao and relevant waters, resolutely maintain order in these waters, protect the ecological environment and biological resources, and safeguard China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests. It can be said that clarifying the territorial waters off Huangyan Dao helps the CCG to perform its duties, carry out maritime rights protection actions, and exert strong law enforcement pressure and deterrence against illegally invading foreign vessels. This, in turn, helps reduce the occurrence of maritime conflicts.

作為維護(hù)國家主權(quán)、安全和海洋權(quán)益的重要武裝力量和執(zhí)法機(jī)構(gòu)，中國海警局在公布黃巖島領(lǐng)?；€的同一天，發(fā)布了關(guān)于涉黃巖島問題的聲明，宣布將持續(xù)加強(qiáng)在黃巖島領(lǐng)海及相關(guān)海域巡航執(zhí)法，堅(jiān)決維護(hù)有關(guān)海域的良好秩序，堅(jiān)決保護(hù)有關(guān)海域的生態(tài)環(huán)境和生物資源，堅(jiān)決捍衛(wèi)國家領(lǐng)土主權(quán)和海洋權(quán)益?？梢哉f，明確黃巖島領(lǐng)海范圍有助于中國海警機(jī)構(gòu)嚴(yán)格履行職責(zé)，大膽實(shí)施海上維權(quán)行動，對非法入侵的外國船舶形成高壓執(zhí)法和強(qiáng)大威懾，從而減少海上沖突的發(fā)生。

For a long time, China has been reminding the Philippine government that resolving relevant disputes between the two countries in the South China Sea through negotiations is not only the consensus and commitment between China and the Philippines but also the only effective way to manage differences between the two countries. The release of the baselines of the territorial sea adjacent to Huangyan Dao is not only a concrete measure for China to maintain peace in the South China Sea but also a warning to some Philippine politicians that they will be sanctioned if they illegally infringe on China's territorial waters. It is hoped that the Philippine government can face up to reality, abandon illusions, resolve the South China Sea disputes through negotiations, and cherish the peace and stability of the South China Sea.

長期以來，中國不斷提醒菲律賓政府，通過談判解決兩國在南海的有關(guān)爭議，這不僅是中菲共識和承諾，也是管控兩國分歧的唯一有效途徑。此次公布黃巖島領(lǐng)?；€，不僅是中國維護(hù)南海和平的具體措施，也是警告菲律賓部分政客，一旦非法侵犯中國領(lǐng)海就必將受到制裁。希望菲律賓政府能夠正視現(xiàn)實(shí)、丟掉幻想，通過談判解決南海爭議，珍惜南海的和平與穩(wěn)定。

(The author is from the Institute of International Law of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)

（作者單位是中國社科院國際法研究所）

Editor's note: Originally published on china.com.cn, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.