By Zhang Weihua

张卫华

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，中国政府公布了黄岩岛的领海基线。黄岩岛属于中沙群岛的一部分，是中国的固有领土。中国政府公布黄岩岛的领海基线，反映出国家维护南海岛礁主权的坚定决心，不仅有助于海上执法力量明确今后海洋维权和执法活动的范围，而且能够避免外国船舶误入中国领海和其他管辖海域，减少海上争端的发生。

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《联合国海洋法公约》（以下简称《公约》）规定，领海为“沿海国的主权及于其陆地领土及其内水以外邻接的一带海域”。《公约》还规定，“每一国家有权确定其领海的宽度，直至从按照本公约确定的基线量起不超过12海里的界限为止”。因此，领海基线是一国确定其领海范围的重要依据。

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.

在划定领海基线的方法上，《公约》不仅认可将沿岸低潮线作为领海基线的“正常基线”法，还允许采用“直线基线”法连接合适点以确定领海范围。中国此次采用“直线基线”法确定黄岩岛的领海基线，完全符合国际海洋法的有关规定。黄岩岛是中国固有领土，中国政府依法划定并公布黄岩岛领海基线，符合国际法和国际惯例。

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.

近年来，菲律宾不断挑战中国南海岛礁主权和海洋权益。从推动“南海仲裁案”到企图通过《美菲共同防御条约》引入域外势力，种种劣行公然违反国际法原则，严重危及南海区域和平与稳定。

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，菲律宾又颁布所谓“海洋区域法”，妄图以国内立法形式固化南海仲裁案非法裁决，把中国黄岩岛和南沙群岛大部分岛礁及相关海域划入其海洋区域，严重侵犯了中国在南海的领土主权和海洋权益。而美国国务院随即却发表声明称，支持菲律宾颁布上述法律。这充分暴露了菲律宾“倚美抗中”的险恶用心。对此，中国外交部发言人表示，中国政府“将继续依法采取一切必要措施，坚定捍卫国家领土主权和海洋权益”。

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.

此次中国政府公布黄岩岛领海基线，明确了黄岩岛12海里的领海范围，同时也彰显了维护南海岛礁主权的坚定决心。今后，菲律宾或者其他外国船舶一旦非法进入中国领海，中国海军和海警部队即可依法将其驱离或者采取其他执法手段。

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.

作为维护国家主权、安全和海洋权益的重要武装力量和执法机构，中国海警局在公布黄岩岛领海基线的同一天，发布了关于涉黄岩岛问题的声明，宣布将持续加强在黄岩岛领海及相关海域巡航执法，坚决维护有关海域的良好秩序，坚决保护有关海域的生态环境和生物资源，坚决捍卫国家领土主权和海洋权益。可以说，明确黄岩岛领海范围有助于中国海警机构严格履行职责，大胆实施海上维权行动，对非法入侵的外国船舶形成高压执法和强大威慑，从而减少海上冲突的发生。

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.

长期以来，中国不断提醒菲律宾政府，通过谈判解决两国在南海的有关争议，这不仅是中菲共识和承诺，也是管控两国分歧的唯一有效途径。此次公布黄岩岛领海基线，不仅是中国维护南海和平的具体措施，也是警告菲律宾部分政客，一旦非法侵犯中国领海就必将受到制裁。希望菲律宾政府能够正视现实、丢掉幻想，通过谈判解决南海争议，珍惜南海的和平与稳定。

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

（作者单位是中国社科院国际法研究所）

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.