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Zhenhua Lu

Catherine Wong

The Chinese foreign ministry hit back on Thursday at a US Senate proposal to punish Chinese individuals and entities for “illegal and dangerous” activities in the South China Sea.
Lu Kang, a spokesman for the ministry, said the “legislation violates the basic norms of international law and international relations and the Chinese side, of course, firmly objects”.
He said the construction of reefs on disputed territory – one of the activities cited in the draft legislation – was “fully within the scope” of China’s sovereign rights.
“We urge the US side not to proceed the deliberation of the legislation, in order not to bring new disruption to the China-US relations,” Lu told a regular press briefing.




Marco Rubio, the US Republican who is leading the drive to introduce the legislation, told the South China Morning Post, that a bipartisan group of senators would reintroduce the South China Sea and East China Sea Sanctions Bill on Thursday.
The bill would require the government to seize US-based financial assets and revoke or deny US visas to anyone engaged in “actions or policies that threaten the peace, security or stability” of areas in the South China Sea that are contested by one or more members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

The bill would also require the US secretary of state to provide Congress with a report every six months identifying any Chinese person or company involved in construction or development projects in contested areas of the sea.
Activities targeted by the bill include land reclamation, the making of islands, lighthouse construction and the building of mobile communication infrastructure.
US Senate bill proposes sanctions over ‘illegal’ South China Sea activities
Initially introduced in March 2017, the proposed legislation will need to pass both the Senate and House of Representatives before being sent to President Donald Trump to sign into law.

Drew Thompson, a former US defence department official said, “the introduction of the act reflects the bipartisan outrage over China’s actions in the maritime areas on its periphery, as well as Congress’s frustration that the [Trump] Administration’s response has been limited to freedom of navigation operations and rhetoric”.
“Inaction by the US, other maritime countries, claimant states, however, hasn’t made the situation any better either, so there is no real cost to the US for stepping up its opposition to China’s behaviour and imposing costs on companies and individuals responsible for China’s actions in the East and South China seas,” continued Thompson, a visiting senior research fellow with the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore.
“The act will not reduce tensions, and it will potentially give China a justification to harden its position and even seek to further restrict access to international waters and airspace,” he said.
Diao Daming, an associate professor of international relations specialising in US Congressional studies at Renmin University in Beijing said he was not surprised by the proposal given the US Congress has already passed a number of bills targeting China over the past two years and there was no sign this trend would stop.
“Since 2017, the US Congress has passed multiple laws that seriously interfered in Chinese domestic affairs – which had never happened before in the congressional history,” he said.
 


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Beijing hits back at US Senate proposal for South China Sea sanctions saying it ‘violates norms of international law’

Chinese soldiers on Woody Island, part of the Paracel chain, which is also claimed by Vietnam. Photo: Reuters

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 21: U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) speaks to members of the media after a closed briefing for Senate members May 21, 2019 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford briefed Congressional members on Iran. Alex Wong/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==

FILE - In this April 21, 2017, file photo, an airstrip, structures and buildings on China's man-made Subi Reef in the Spratly chain of islands in the South China Sea are seen from a Philippine Air Force C-130 transport plane of the Philippine Air Force. Leaders of Southeast Asian countries and China have agreed to launch talks on a "code of conduct" aimed at controlling disputes in the South China Sea, a step they described as a milestone, but which some experts said was unlikely to bring concrete results. China has also reportedly halted work on land reclamation for a new airport in the southern resort city of Sanya and is gearing up to launch a new submersible to explore for resources in the South China Sea. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez, File)

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The Philippine Navy ship BRP Gregorio del Pilar, after running aground near Half Moon Shoal, in the South China Sea. Photo: AP

epa07192050 A Filipino fish port worker places clams in a container in General Santos City, Philippines, 27 November 2018. Delegates from eleven countries, Cambodia, China, North Korea, South Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Singapore, Timor Leste, Vietnam, and the Philippines will convene in Ilo-ilo city, Panay island for the the 2018 East Asian Seas Congress from 27 to 30 November to address ocean and coastal area degradation through the sustainable management and use of marine resources, seas and oceans. EPA-EFE/RICARDO TONGO ATTENTION: This Image is part of a PHOTO SET

U.S. Navy photo showing a confrontation between the USS Decatur (left) and PRC Warship 170 (right) in the South China Sea on Sunday, September 30, 2018. U.S. Navy Photo

epaselect epa07192036 A Filipino fish port worker carries a tuna in General Santos City, Philippines, 27 November 2018. Delegates from eleven countries, Cambodia, China, North Korea, South Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Singapore, Timor Leste, Vietnam, and the Philippines will convene in Ilo-ilo city, Panay island for the the 2018 East Asian Seas Congress from 27 to 30 November to address ocean and coastal area degradation through the sustainable management and use of marine resources, seas and oceans. EPA-EFE/RICARDO TONGO ATTENTION: This Image is part of a PHOTO SET

CSIS of spratly ships.

Subi Reef in the South China Sea. Photo: AP

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A US navy ship anchored off Manila Bay, Philippines. Photo: AP

Former Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, left, and former chief anti-graft prosecutor Conchita Carpio-Morales huddle Friday, March 22, 2019 during a news conference in suburban Makati city east of Manila, Philippines to expound on their filing a complaint with the International Criminal Court accusing Chinese President Xi Jinping of crimes against humanity over his government's assertive actions in the disputed South China Sea. The two former Philippine officials, in their communication with the ICC, alleged that Xi deprived thousands of fishermen of their livelihoods and destroyed the environment. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

graphic for online The overlapping claims of China and the Philippines in the South China Sea Guangzhou I-long Kong TAIWAN Chinese nine dash claim Hainan Island Paracel Islands VIETNAM West Philippine Luzon Sea Manila PHILIPPINES Spratly Islands Palawan Philippines claim PACIFIC OCEAN 200km TWA/SCMP

In this photo provided by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine Navy ship BRP Gregorio del Pilar is seen after it ran aground during a routine patrol Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2018, in the vicinity of Half Moon Shoal, which is called Hasa Hasa in the Philippines, off the disputed Spratlys Group of islands in the South China Sea the military said. Two officials say Friday, Aug. 31, 2018, the Philippines has notified China about a Philippine navy frigate that ran aground in the South China Sea to avoid any misunderstanding because the incident happened near a hotly disputed region. The barren shoal is on the eastern edge of the disputed Spratly archipelago. (Armed Forces of the Philippines via AP)

FILE PHOTO: China's President Xi Jinping attends a meeting with Portugal's Parliamentary President Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues at the Parliament in Lisbon, Portugal, December 5, 2018. REUTERS/Pedro Nunes/File Photo

epa07390862 Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte speaks during an election campaign in Binan, Laguna province, Philippines, 23 February 2019. Duterte attended the campaign of his senatorial bets from the ruling party 'Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan' (PDP-Laban) in the province of Laguna. The 90 day campaign period for national candidates is on its second week with over 60 senatorial candidates and 150 party-list groups running. EPA-EFE/FRANCIS R. MALASIG

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China says it is ‘within its sovereign rights’ to build on disputed territory after bipartisan group moves to sanction those involved in the construction


China says it is ‘within its sovereign rights’ to build on disputed territory after bipartisan group moves to sanction those involved.


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