THE Chinese Embassy in Manila on Sunday night assailed United States Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg for saying China is making "artificial" claims over the entirety of West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).
In a statement, Chinese Embassy spokesman Zhang Hua said it is objectionable that Goldberg made such a statement considering that the US does not have any role in the ongoing Philippines-China territorial dispute.
"The Chinese Embassy expresses concern over the remarks made by US Ambassador Philip Goldberg at the Philippine Constitution Association (Philconsa) on the South China Sea issue," said Zhang.
"The US is not a party concerned in the dispute in the South China Sea, it has not ratified the Unclos either," he added.
Also, Zhang noted that the US, including Goldberg, had also repeatedly stated that they are taking no position on competing claims on sovereignty over the disputes on the South China Sea.
So instead of making such claims, Zhang said he had hoped Goldberg should have just stuck with the US' long-standing position on the territory dispute in the region.
"It is our hope that it could do more to promote peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific, rather than the opposite," said Zhang.
Last Friday, Goldberg said during the Philconsa forum in Makati City that China's expanded nine-dash line policy is an artificial creation and that it is not a party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos).
The Chinese embassy's Deputy Chief of Political Section, then, reiterated China's basis of making claim over the whole of South China Sea.
"China's sovereignty over Nansha Islands and their adjacent waters were formed over a long period of 2,000-plus years," said Zhang.
He also reiterated the call of the Chinese government for the Philippines to opt for the resolving of the dispute through bilateral negotiation and consultations.
"China always maintains that the South China Sea dispute should be solved through bilateral negotiation and consultation between countries directly-concerned based on respect for historical facts and international law," said Zhang.
To recall, the Philippines has already filed an arbitration case before the Unclos Arbitral Tribunal against China's unilateral claim of the South China Sea.
China had repeatedly refused the tack taken by the Philippines and has insisted on having bilateral talks between contending parties instead.
Aside from China and the Philippines, also have differing claims to the West Philippine Sea are Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, and Taiwan. (Sunnex)