Re: Tibetans fear $3.2 billion railroad is being built at their expense

[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Thomas J Wheat) wrote in message news:<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>...
> [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Guardiangel) wrote in message news:<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>...
> > [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Thomas J Wheat) wrote in message news:<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>...
> > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Guardiangel) wrote in message news:<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>...
> > > > [Continued]
> > > > 
> > > > ***************
> > > > 
> > > > Historical Evidence To Support China's Sovereignty over Nansha Islands
> > > >  
> > > > 2000/11/17 
> > > According to vietnam the french seized the islands in 1933 and that
> > > now Vietnam has inherited the right from their former colonial masters
> > > the same territory annexed by the French. 
> > 
> > 
> > Your own words totally means Nansha, at least originally, belongs to
> > China! The French stole some of the islands and the stupid Vietnamese
> > just wanna inherit the *stolen goods*. How childish and aggressive
> > they are!
> > 
> > Let me quote my previous post:
> > _____
> > 
> > 2. France 
> > 
> > a) Le Monde Colonial Illustre mentioned the Nansha Islands in its
> > September 1933 issue. According to that issue, when a French gunboat
> > named Malicieuse surveyed the Nanwei Island of the Nansha Islands in
> > 1930, they saw three Chinese on the island and when France invaded
> > nine of the Nansha Islands by force in April 1933, they found all the
> > people on the islands were Chinese, with 7 Chinese on the Nanzi Reef,
> > 5 on the Zhongye Island, 4 on the Nanwei Island, thatched houses,
> > water wells and holy statues left by Chinese on the Nanyue Island and
> > a signboard with Chinese characters marking a grain storage on the
> > Taiping Island.
> > 
> > b) Atlas International Larousse published in 1965 in France marks the
> > Xisha, Nansha and Dongsha Islands by their Chinese names and gives
> > clear indication of their ownership as China in brackets.
> > 
> > [.....]
> > 
> > 5. Viet Nam 
> > 
> > a) Vice Foreign Minister Dung Van Khiem of the Democratic Republic of
> > Viet Nam received Mr. Li Zhimin, charge d'affaires ad interim of the
> > Chinese Embassy in Viet Nam and told him that "according to Vietnamese
> > data, the Xisha and Nansha Islands are historically part of Chinese
> > territory." Mr. Le Doc, Acting Director of the Asian Department of the
> > Vietnamese Foreign Ministry, who was present then, added that "judging
> > from history, these islands were already part of China at the time of
> > the Song Dynasty."
> > 
> > b) Nhan Dan of Viet Nam reported in great detail on September 6, 1958
> > the Chinese Government's Declaration of September 4, 1958 that the
> > breadth of the territorial sea of the People's Republic of China
> > should be 12 nautical miles and that this provision should apply to
> > all territories of the People's Republic of China, including all
> > islands on the South China Sea. On September 14 the same year, Premier
> > Pham Van Dong of the Vietnamese Government solemnly stated in his note
> > to Premier Zhou Enlai that Viet Nam "recognizes and supports the
> > Declaration of the Government of the People's Republic of China on
> > China's territorial sea."
> > 
> > c) It is stated in the lesson The People's Republic of China of a
> > standard Vietnamese school textbook on geography published in 1974
> > that the islands from the Nansha and Xisha Islands to Hainan Island
> > and Taiwan constitute a great wall for the defense of the mainland of
> > China.
> > 
> > __________
> > 
> > 
> > [*] I wanna add that it is similar to the case for Tibet as British
> > colonists stole a large part of Tibet, including Western Ngari,
> > Chayul, Monyul, and Loyul. but now New Delhi is inheriting these
> > "stolen goods" by occupying these regions currently.
> > 
> > 
> > > The chinese communists make
> > > the same argument about Taiwan since it was formerly part of the
> > > territory china acquired during the qing dynasty.
> > 
> > what has it got to do with TW island?
> > 
> > > >  
> > > > 
> > > Also you didn't answer my first question why did china invade vietnam
> > > in 1979. The reason for this invasion was China was angered that the
> > > Vietnamese had invaded and overthrown the murderous regime of Pol
> > > Pot's Khmer Rouge. China was allied with Pol Pot's regime.
> > > Nevertheless the invasion did not succeed and the Vietnamese forced
> > > the Chinese to flee Vietnam.
> > 
> > 
> > I've answered in my previous msg. China miliatry operation was a
> > rightful reaction to Vietnam aggression in the borderland as well as
> > some South China Seas island. Secondly, it is a wellknown fact that it
> > is China, instead of the U.S. [:->], who gained landslide victory over
> > Vietnam. PLA withdrew from Vietnam immediately just because CCP didn't
> > want to be accused of "stationing army in foreign territory" which
> > violated Beijing's tradition diplomatic policies.
> > 
> > Chinese called the warfare: "The War of Punishing Vietnam", what a
> > proper name! :->
> 
> No that was not the reason they invaded. China invaded Vietnam because
> Vietnam overthrew the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. The Khmer Rouge were
> allied with China.
> http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/ops/war/prc-vietnam.htm


Be mature, re-read your own article carefully: China'a action was a
response to ""Vietnamese intimacy with the Soviet Union, mistreatment
of ethnic Chinese living in Vietnam, hegemonistic "imperial dreams" in
Southeast Asia""

Without Vietnam's occupation of foreign land including the Chinese
territory of Nansha["Spratly Island"], China would not start the war.
Bruce Ellemen's article, which is the source of your FAS web-article,
further notes that VN's occupation of PRC territory is unquestionably
part of the reason[emphasis added]:

"[T]erritorial disputes over the Spratly Islands, as well as over
Vietnam's recent INVASION of Cambodia, also increased Sino-Vietnamese
tensions"

In the VERY FIRST PLACE, Vietname occupied China's Nansha and
Cambodia. Why didn't you go and protest Vietnamese invasion first? As
the same logic, when Iraq invaded Kuwait, the UN Forces [headed by US]
soon liberated Kuwait by entering in the Iraqi territory.....would you
call it an UN/US "Imperialist Invasion" of Iraq?

Hypocrite!




> > 
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > China was the first to discover, name, develop,conduct economic
> > > > activities on and exercise jurisdiction of the Nansha Islands.
> > > > 
> > > > A. China the First to Discover and Name the Nansha Islands 
> > > > 
> > > > The earliest discovery by the Chinese people of the Nansha Islands can
> > > > be traced back to as early as the Han Dynasty. Yang Fu of the East Han
> > > > Dynasty (23-220 A.D.) made reference to the Nansha Islands in his book
> > > > entitled Yiwu Zhi (Records of Rarities) , which reads: "Zhanghai
> > > > qitou, shui qian er duo cishi"("There are islets, sand cays, reefs and
> > > > banks in the South China Sea, the water there is shallow and filled
> > > > with magnetic rocks or stones"). Chinese people then called the South
> > > > China Sea Zhanghai and all the islands, reefs, shoals and isles in the
> > > > South China Sea, including the Nansha and Xisha Islands, Qitou.
> > > > 
> > > > General Kang Tai, one of the famous ancient Chinese navigators of the
> > > > East Wu State of the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280AD), also mentioned
> > > > the Nansha Islands in his book entitled Funan Zhuan (or Journeys to
> > > > and from Phnom) (the name of an ancient state in today's Cambodia). He
> > > > used the following sentences in describing the islands: "In the South
> > > > China Sea, there are coral islands and reefs; below these islands and
> > > > reefs are rocks upon which the corals were formed."
> > > > 
> > > > In numerous history and geography books published in the Tang and Song
> > > > Dynasties, the Nansha and Xisha Islands were called Jiuruluo Islands,
> > > > Shitang (literally meaning atolls surrounding a lagoon), Changsha
> > > > (literally meaning long ranges of shoals), Qianli Shitang, Qianli
> > > > Changsha, Wanli Shitang, and Wanli Changsha among others. Reference
> > > > was made to the Nansha Islands in over one hundred categories of books
> > > > published in the four dynasties of Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing in the
> > > > name of Shitang or Changsha.
> > > > 
> > > > There were more detailed descriptions of the geographical locations
> > > > and specific positions of the various islands of the Nansha Islands in
> > > > the Yuan Dynasty. For instance, Wang Dayuan, a prominent Chinese
> > > > navigator in the Yuan Dynasty, wrote about the Nansha Islands in his
> > > > book entitled Abridged Records of Islands and Barbarians in these
> > > > words: "The base of Wanli Shitang originates from Chaozhou. It is
> > > > tortuous as a long snake lying in the sea. Its veins can all be
> > > > traced. One such vein strentches to Java, one to Boni (or Burni, a
> > > > kingdom which then existed in what is now Brunei in the vicinity of
> > > > the Kalimantan) and Gulidimen (another kingdom on the Kalimantan), and
> > > > one to the west side of the sea toward Kunlun (Con Son Islands,
> > > > located outside the mouth of the mekong River some 200 nautical miles
> > > > away from Saigon) in the distance?." Wanli Shitang here refers to all
> > > > the islands in the South China Sea, including the Nansha Islands.
> > > > 
> > > > In the Consolidated Map of Territories and Geography and Capitals of
> > > > Past Dynasties published in the Ming Dynasty, we find the words
> > > > "Shitang", "Changsha" and "Shitang." Judging from the geographical
> > > > locations of these places as marked on the Map, the second Shitang
> > > > denotes today's Nansha Islands.
> > > > 
> > > > The Road Map of the Qing Dynasty marks the specific locations of all
> > > > the islands, reefs, shoals and isles of the Nansha Islands where
> > > > fishermen of China's Hainan Island used to frequent, including 73
> > > > named places of the Nansha Islands.
> > > > 
> > > > B. China the First to Develop the Nansha Islands 
> > > > 
> > > > Chinese people started to develop the Nansha Islands and engage in
> > > > fishing on the islands as early as in the beginning of the Ming
> > > > Dynasty. At that time, fishermen from Haikou Port, Puqian Port,
> > > > Qinglan Port and Wenchang County went to the Nansha Islands to fish
> > > > sea cucumber and other sea produce.
> > > > 
> > > > The 1868 Guide to the South China Sea has accounts of the activities
> > > > of the Chinese fishermen in the Nansha Islands. According to the
> > > > Guide, "fishermen from Hainan Island went to Zhenhe Isles and Reefs
> > > > and lived on sea cucumber and shells they got there. The footmarks of
> > > > fishermen could be found in every isle of the Nansha Islands and some
> > > > of the fishermen would even live there for a long period of time.
> > > > Every year, there were small boats departing from Hainan Island for
> > > > the Nansha Islands to exchange rice and other daily necessities for
> > > > sea cucumber and shells from the fishermen there. The ships used to
> > > > leave Hainan Island in December or January every year and return when
> > > > the southwesterly monsoon started." Since the end of the Qing Dynasty,
> > > > fishermen from Hainan Island and Leizhou Peninsula of China have kept
> > > > going for fishing on the Nansha Islands. Most of the fishermen come
> > > > from Wenchang County and Qionghai County. One or two dozens of fishing
> > > > boats from these two counties would go to the Nansha Islands every
> > > > year.
> > > > 
> > > > The Road Map is another strong evidence to the development of the
> > > > islands on the South China Sea by the Chinese people since the Ming
> > > > and Qing Dynasties. The Road Map served as a navigational guide to the
> > > > Chinese fishermen for their trips to the Xisha and Nansha Islands for
> > > > productive activities there. It was a result of the collective work of
> > > > many people on the basis of their navigational experience. The first
> > > > Road Map was produced in the Ming Dynasty and it was constantly
> > > > improved later on. It showed the navigational routes and courses from
> > > > Qinglan, Wenchang County, Hainan Island or Tanmen Port of Qionghai
> > > > County to the various isles of the Xisha and Nansha Islands.
> > > > 
> > > > The development and productive activities of the Chinese fishermen on
> > > > the Nansha Islands after the founding of the Republic of China in 1912
> > > > have been recorded in both Chinese and foreign history books. Mr.
> > > > Okura Unosuke of Japan wrote about his expedition trip to Beizi Island
> > > > in 1918 in his book Stormy Islands, which reads: "he saw three people
> > > > from Haikou of Wenchang County when the expedition team he organized
> > > > arrived in Beizi Island." In 1933, Miyoshi and Matuo of Japan saw two
> > > > Chinese people on the Beizi Island and three Chinese people on the
> > > > Nanzi Island when they made an investigation trip to the Nansha
> > > > Islands. It is also recorded in A Survey of the New South Islands
> > > > published in Japan that "fishermen planted sweet potato on Zhongye
> > > > Island and that fishermen from the Republic of China resided on the
> > > > islands and grew coconuts, papaya, sweet potato and vegetables there."
> > > > 
> > > > C. China the First to Exercise Jurisdiction over the Nansha Islands 
> > > > 
> > > > The Nansha Islands came under the jurisdiction of China from the Yuan
> > > > Dynasty. Geography Book of the History of the Yuan Dynasty and Map of
> > > > the Territory of the Yuan Dynasty with Illustration both includes the
> > > > Nansha Islands within the domain of the Yuan Dynasty. The History of
> > > > the Yuan Dynasty has accounts of the patrol and inspection activities
> > > > by the navy on the Nansha Islands in the Yuan Dynasty.
> > > > 
> > > > The inscription on the Memorial Tablet of the Tomb to General Qian
> > > > Shicai of the Hainan Garrison Command of the Ming Dynasty reads:
> > > > "Guangdong is adjacent to the grand South China Sea, and the
> > > > territories beyond the Sea all internally belong to the Ming State."
> > > > "General Qian led more than ten thousand soldiers and 50 huge ships to
> > > > patrol tens of thousands of li on the South China Sea." All these
> > > > descriptions clearly testify to the ownership by China of the Nansha
> > > > Islands in the Ming Dynasty. The Hainan Garrison Command of the Ming
> > > > Dynasty was responsible for inspecting and patrolling as well as
> > > > exercising jurisdiction over the Xisha, Zhongsha and Nansha Islands.
> > > > 
> > > > In the Qing Dynasty, the Chinese Government marked the Nansha Islands
> > > > on the authoritative maps and exercised administrative jurisdiction
> > > > over these islands. The Nansha Islands were marked as Chinese
> > > > territory in many maps drawn in the Qing Dynasty such as A Map of
> > > > Administrative Divisions of the Whole China of the 1724 Map of
> > > > Provinces of the Qing Dynasty, A Map of Administrative Divisions of
> > > > the Whole China of the 1755 Map of Provinces of the Imperial Qing
> > > > Dynasty, the 1767 Map of Unified China of the Great Qing for Ten
> > > > Thousand Years, the 1810 Topographical Map of Unified China of the
> > > > Great Qing for Ten Thousand Years and the 1817 Map of Unified China of
> > > > the Great Qing for Ten Thousand Years.
> > > > 
> > > > Between 1932 and 1935, the Chinese Government set up a Committee for
> > > > the Review of Maps of Lands and Waters of China, which was composed of
> > > > officials from the Headquarters of the General Staff, the Ministry of
> > > > Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Navy Command,
> > > > the Ministry of Education and the Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs
> > > > Commission. This Committee examined and approved 132 names of the
> > > > islands in the South China Sea, all of which belonged to the Xisha,
> > > > Zhongsha and Nansha Islands.
> > > > 
> > > > In 1933, France invaded and occupied 9 of the Nansha Islands,
> > > > including Taiping and Zhongye Islands. The Chinese fishermen who lived
> > > > and worked on the Nansha Islands immediately made a firm resistance
> > > > against the invasion and the Chinese Government lodged a strong
> > > > protest with the French Government.
> > > > 
> > > > All the names of the islands, isles and reefs on the South China Sea
> > > > including the Nansha Islands were unmistakably marked on the Map of
> > > > the Islands in the South China Sea compiled and printed by the
> > > > Committee for the Review of Maps of Lands and Waters of China in 1935.
> > > > 
> > > > In 1939, Japan invaded and occupied the islands on the South China
> > > > Sea. In line with the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation,
> > > > the Ministry of Internal Affairs of China, in consultation with the
> > > > Navy and the government of Guangdong Province, appointed Xiao Ciyi and
> > > > Mai Yunyu Special Commissioner to the Xisha and Nansha Islands
> > > > respectively in 1946 to take over the two archipelagoes and erect
> > > > marks of sovereignty on the Islands.
> > > > 
> > > > In 1947, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of China renamed 159
> > > > islands, reefs, islets and shoals on the South China Sea, including
> > > > the Nansha Islands. It subsequently publicized all the names for
> > > > administrative purposes.
> > > > 
> > > > In 1983, the Chinese Toponymy Committee was authorized to publicize
> > > > the approved names of the islands, reefs, islets and shoals on the
> > > > South China Sea.
> > > > 
> > > > In short, a host of historical facts have proved that it was the
> > > > Chinese people who were the first to discover and develop the Nansha
> > > > Islands and it was the Chinese Government that has long exercised
> > > > sovereignty and jurisdiction over these islands. The Nansha Islands
> > > > have become an inalienable part of Chinese territory since ancient
> > > > times.
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > ***************
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > Jurisprudential Evidence To Support China's Sovereignty over the
> > > > Nansha Islands
> > > >  
> > > > 2000/11/17 
> > > >  
> > > >  
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and it has
> > > > ample jurisprudential evidence to support this.
> > > > 
> > > > A. Full and accurate historical data, both Chinese and foreign, has
> > > > provided rich and substantial evidence to show that the Chinese people
> > > > were the first to discover and name the Nansha Islands. As early as in
> > > > the Han Dynasty that was more than two thousand years ago, the Chinese
> > > > people discovered the Nansha Islands through their navigational
> > > > experience and in the course of their productive activities over the
> > > > years. All this was amply recorded in the books such as Records of
> > > > Rarities by Yang Fu of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Records of Rarities in
> > > > Southern Boundary by Wan Zhen of the Three Kingdoms Period and A
> > > > History of Phnom by General Kang Tai of the East Wu State. All these
> > > > historical records represent the Chinese people's cognition and
> > > > appreciation of the land on which they lived and worked. They are of
> > > > great importance in the perspective of international law. In view of
> > > > the development of international law, these records and accounts of
> > > > the discovery by the ancient Chinese people of the islands on the
> > > > South China Sea bear abundant evidence to China's indisputable
> > > > territorial sovereignty over the Nansha Islands. Obviously, the Nansha
> > > > Islands are not land without owners, but rather they are an
> > > > inalienable part of Chinese territory. No country in the world has the
> > > > right to change China's legal status as the owner of the Nansha
> > > > Islands in any way.
> > > > 
> > > > B. The fact that the Chinese people have developed the Nansha Islands
> > > > and carried out productive activities there and that the Chinese
> > > > Government has actually exercised jurisdiction over these islands has
> > > > reinforced China's sovereignty over the Nansha Islands. After
> > > > discovering the Nansha Islands, the Chinese people started to develop
> > > > and engage in fishing, planting and other productive activities on the
> > > > Nansha Islands and their adjacent waters from the Tang and Song
> > > > Dynasties at the latest. Fei Yuan of the Jin Dynasty (265-420 A.D.)
> > > > wrote about the fishing and collecting of coral samples by the
> > > > fishermen of China on the South China Sea in his article Chronicles of
> > > > Guangzhou. After the Ming and Qing Dynasties, fishermen from Wenchang
> > > > County and Qionghai County of Hainan Island used to sail southward
> > > > with the northeasterly monsoon to the Nansha Islands and their
> > > > adjacent waters for fishing every winter and come back to Hainan with
> > > > the southwesterly monsoon before the typhoon season started. The
> > > > Chinese people lived and engaged in fishing, planting and other
> > > > productive activities on the Nansha Islands individually at first, but
> > > > they were later on organized with the approval and support of the
> > > > Chinese Government. Even when the conditions on the Nansha Islands
> > > > were not suitable for people to live, some of the Chinese fishermen
> > > > still lived on the islands for years. For ages, Chinese fishermen
> > > > would come and go between Hainan Island and Guangdong Province on the
> > > > one hand and the Nansha Islands on the other for productive activities
> > > > and they never failed to pay their taxes and fees to the Chinese
> > > > Government.
> > > > 
> > > > C. The exercise of jurisdiction by the Chinese Government over the
> > > > Nansha Islands is also manifested in a series of continued effective
> > > > government behavior. After Emperor Zhenyuan of the Tang Dynasty
> > > > (785-805AD) came to the throne, China included the Nansha Islands into
> > > > its administrative map. It did so more conscientiously in the Ming and
> > > > Qing Dynasties. A wealth of official documents of the Chinese
> > > > Government, its local history books and official maps have recorded
> > > > the exercise of jurisdiction by the successive governments of China
> > > > over the Nansha Islands and recognized these islands as Chinese
> > > > territory. Up till the beginning of this century, the Chinese
> > > > Government had exercised peaceful jurisdiction over the Nansha Islands
> > > > without any disputes.
> > > > 
> > > > Since the beginning of this century, the Chinese Government has
> > > > undauntedly maintained China's sovereignty over the Nansha Islands. In
> > > > the 1930s, France once invaded and occupied nine of the Nansha
> > > > Islands, over which the Chinese Government immediately made diplomatic
> > > > representations with the French Government and against which Chinese
> > > > fishermen staged an organized resistance. Between 1912 and 1949 when
> > > > China was a republic, the then Chinese Government took a series of
> > > > active measures to safeguard its sovereignty. For instance, it
> > > > furnished the Chinese fishermen and fishing boats that engaged in the
> > > > fishing on the Nansha Islands and their adjacent waters with China's
> > > > national flags. It organized trips to the Nansha Islands for a survey
> > > > of their history and geography. And it authorized a map-printing and
> > > > toponymic agency to rename and approve the names of all the islands on
> > > > the South China Sea including the Nansha Islands, individually and
> > > > collectively.
> > > > 
> > > > During World War II, Japan invaded and occupied China's Nansha
> > > > Islands. China made unremitting efforts for the recovery of these
> > > > islands from the Japanese occupation. In 1943, China, the United
> > > > States and the United Kingdom announced in the Cairo Declaration that
> > > > all the territories that Japan had stolen from China should be
> > > > "restored to China," including "Manchuria, Taiwan and the Penghu
> > > > Islands." At that time, Japan put the Nansha Islands under the
> > > > jurisdiction of Taiwan. The territories to be restored to China as
> > > > identified in the Cairo Declaration naturally included the Nansha
> > > > Islands. The 1945 Potsdam Proclamationconfirmed once again that the
> > > > stolen territories should be restored to China. According to the Cairo
> > > > Declaration and Potsdam Proclamation, China recovered the Nansha
> > > > Island in 1946. At the same time it went through a series of legal
> > > > procedures and announced to the whole world that China had resumed the
> > > > exercise of sovereignty over the Nansha Islands. Subsequently, the
> > > > Chinese Government held a take-over ceremony and sent troops to the
> > > > islands on garrison duty. An official map of the Nansha Islands was
> > > > drawn and printed, the Nansha Islands were renamed, collectively and
> > > > individually, and the earliest book of the physical geography of the
> > > > Nansha Islands was also compiled and printed.
> > > > 
> > > > After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Nansha
> > > > Islands were incorporated into Guangdong Province and Hainan Province
> > > > successively and the Chinese Gvoernment has all along maintained
> > > > China's sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and taken effective
> > > > actions for that.
> > > > 
> > > > In view of all this, the Chinese Government has indisputable
> > > > sovereignty over the Nansha Islands. Some countries have claimed
> > > > sovereignty of these islands on the ground that these islands are
> > > > within their continental shelves or exclusive economic zones.
> > > > According to international law and the UN Convention on the Law of the
> > > > Sea, maritime rights and interests should be based on territorial
> > > > sovereignty for the former derives from the latter. No country should
> > > > be allowed to extend its maritime jurisdiction to the territories of
> > > > other countries, still less should it be allowed to invade and occupy
> > > > other's territory on the ground of exclusive economic zones or the
> > > > continental shelves. All in all, any action by any country with regard
> > > > to the islets, islands or reefs of the Nansha Islands, military or
> > > > otherwise, constitutes encroachment of China's territorial
> > > > sovereignty. It is illegal and null and void according to
> > > > international law. It can in no way serve as a basis for a country's
> > > > territorial claim, nor can it change China's indisputable legal status
> > > > as having sovereignty over the Nansha Islands.
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > ***************