China reaffirms boundaries of sea near flashpoint reef

Beijing: China reasserted its territories around a flashpoint reef in the South China Sea on Sunday, two days after the Philippines defined its own se...

Beijing: China reasserted its territories around a flashpoint reef in the South China Sea on Sunday, two days after the Philippines defined its own sea boundaries in the contested waters.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos on Friday signed two laws defining the country's sea waters and imposing fixed lanes for foreign ships, sparking a sharp riposte by China which summoned Manila's envoy.

Beijing's foreign ministry said in a statement on Sunday that the government had "delimited and announced the baselines of the territorial sea adjacent to Huangyan Dao".

"This is a natural step by the Chinese government to lawfully strengthen marine management and is consistent with international law and common practices," it added.

It took control of Huangyan Dao, the Chinese name for Scarborough Shoal, in 2012 -- a strategic feature in the South China Sea closest to the Philippines.