U.S. should drop double standards on South China Sea issue: FM spokesperson

A spokesperson with the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Saturday urged the United States to drop its double standards on the South China Sea issue and play a constructive role in maintaining regional peace and stability.

Asked to comment on U.S. President Barack Obama's recent remarks on the South China Sea issue before he headed for Hangzhou for a G20 summit, the spokesperson noted that Washington has not yet ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

"So how could the U.S. be entitled to make irresponsible remarks (on the South China Sea)?" the spokesperson said in a statement.

The spokesperson said the U.S. side should pay due respect to actual facts, drop its double standards, and honor its commitment not to take sides on the issue of territorial sovereignty in the South China Sea.

"Only in this way could Washington retain credibility, and play a constructive role in maintaining regional peace and stability," the statement read.

It said China upholds a neighborly diplomatic philosophy of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, and that its stance on the South China Sea issue has been clear and consistent.

The South China Sea islands have been part of China's inherent territory since ancient times, and China will continue to firmly safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the region.

In the meantime, China will stick to peaceful settlement of disputes through consultation and negotiation with parties directly concerned, and safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea along with ASEAN members, the statement read.

It went on to say that disputes between China and other claimant states are in essence related to territorial sovereignty and maritime delimitation.

Sovereignty issues are beyond the jurisdiction of the UNCLOS, and China has explicitly excluded disputes concerning maritime delimitation from the compulsory dispute settlement procedures provided for in the UNCLOS.

China's non-acceptance to the South China Sea arbitration not only serves to protect China's own rights and interests but also the authoritativeness and the integrity of international law, the statement said.

The spokesperson urged the U.S. to adjust mentality and acknowledge the fact that China's development is an opportunity rather than a challenge for the U.S., calling on Washington to truly support and accept China's development.

Noting that China attaches great importance to the Sino-U.S. relations and makes tremendous efforts in the development of bilateral ties, the spokesperson called on the U.S. to work together with China to expand cooperation, manage and control differences, and steadily push forward the ties in the direction of building a new type of major-country relations.

The statement also acknowledged that the G20 summit is the first one hosted by China. With joint efforts of relevant parties, China is fully confident that the Hangzhou summit will yield fruitful results, restore confidence and inject new impetus into global economy.

As the world's second largest economy and an important member of G20, China serves as an important contributor to global economy, governance and cooperation.

In recent years, China has contributed over 25 percent of global economic growth, with ideas like innovation, invigoration, interconnection and inclusiveness receiving active responses from other countries.

Meanwhile, as a consistent defender, builder and contributor of the international system and world order formed after World War II, China firmly safeguards and practices the standard of international law with the United Nations Charter as the core, and plays an important as well as active role in the United Nations and related multilateral mechanism, the statement read.

Being the main donor country of UN's peacekeeping operations, China also has contributed the largest number of peacekeeping forces among five permanent members of UN Security Council, it said.

China has always advocated resolving international disputes through peaceful means via consultations and negotiations, and has played a unique and constructive role in pushing for a solution to regional hot spot issues including the Iranian nuclear issue, Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, as well as Syrian and South Sudan issues.

With the growth of China's national strength, China will make greater contributions to world peace and development, the statement said. Endi