Junsheng | China's Resolve to Safeguard Sovereignty and Maritime Rights over Huangyan Island Is Unwavering

钧声丨中方维护黄岩岛主权和海洋权益的决心坚定不移

PLA Daily (解放军报) 3 August 2026

Summary

The PLA Southern Theater Command conducted a maritime and aerial joint exercise in the territorial sea, territorial airspace, and surrounding waters of Huangyan Island on August 1, framed explicitly as a response to the Philippines' announcement of territorial sea baselines around the feature. The article, published under the 'Junsheng' byline used for authoritative PLA commentary, characterizes the exercise as 有理有力有节 ('justified, forceful, and measured') — a formulation that documents how the PLA is calibrating its public justification for coercive action as legally grounded rather than escalatory. The piece fits the established pattern of pairing MFA statements with near-simultaneous military exercises to reinforce sovereignty claims, though the specific scale, platforms, and units involved in the exercise are not disclosed.

The Southern Theater Command conducted a named maritime and aerial joint exercise specifically in the territorial sea and airspace of Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Island) on August 1, directly triggered by the Philippines' formal declaration of territorial sea baselines around the feature—an escalatory operational response to a specific Philippine legal act that exceeds routine patrol or presence activity.

Translation

China's resolve to safeguard sovereignty and maritime rights over Huangyan Island is unwavering. On July 31, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement regarding the Philippines' drawing of so-called "territorial sea baselines" around Huangyan Island, Chinese territory. On August 1, the People's Liberation Army Southern Theater Command organized a maritime and aerial joint exercise in the territorial sea, territorial airspace, and surrounding maritime and aerial space of Huangyan Island. The relevant measures and actions constitute a solemn warning against the Philippines' current acts of infringement and provocation in the South China Sea, and demonstrate our firm resolve to safeguard sovereignty and maritime rights over Huangyan Island.

Huangyan Island is China's inherent territory. From the astrolabe graduations of Yuan-dynasty astronomer Guo Shoujing's "Four Seas Survey," to the "Shitang" markings on the Ming-dynasty "Zheng He Navigation Chart"; from "Minzhu Reef" on the 1947 "Map of the South China Sea Islands" to "Huangyan Island" as named by the New China Place Names Committee in 1983—a crystal-clear historical chain has long embedded Huangyan Island's sovereignty deep within China's territory. China possesses indisputable sovereignty over Huangyan Island and its adjacent waters, with full and unambiguous historical and legal grounds.

It is well known that territorial sea baselines are the lines from which a coastal state measures the extent of its maritime jurisdiction, based on its own territory. Without territory there is no territorial sea, and still less any legal or geographical basis for drawing territorial sea baselines. The Philippines has no basis whatsoever in international law for its illegal territorial claim over China's Huangyan Island. The territorial scope of the Philippines was determined by a series of international treaties, including the 1898 Treaty of Peace between the United States and Spain, the 1900 Treaty between the United States and Spain for the Cession of Outlying Islands of the Philippines, and the 1930 Convention between Great Britain and the United States of America Delimiting the Boundary between the Island of Borneo and the Philippine Archipelago. The Nansha Islands and Huangyan Island are simply not within the Philippine territory defined by the aforementioned treaties. Since they were never Philippine territory, how can there be a territorial sea? The Philippines' drawing of so-called "territorial sea baselines" is an act of infringement dressed in legal clothing, and yet another provocation by the Philippines to disturb peace and stability in the South China Sea.

After rich oil and gas resources were discovered in the South China Sea region in the late 1960s, tempted by resource interests and encouraged by extra-regional forces, the Philippines began harboring ill intentions toward China's Nansha island reefs, recklessly attempting to break through a series of treaties with international legal effect and expand its territory to Huangyan Island and certain island reefs of the Nansha Islands. In pursuit of private gain, the Philippine side has disregarded historical and legal facts, repeatedly and deliberately provoked incidents and exploited them for hype, and has even willingly served as a pawn of extra-regional forces, continuously manufacturing maritime tensions. The Philippines' series of illegal acts not only gravely infringe upon China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights in the South China Sea, but also pose a serious threat to regional peace and stability and to the maintenance of the international order.

In fact, whether the Philippines introduces its so-called "Maritime Zones Act" and "Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act," or draws so-called "territorial sea baselines" around Huangyan Island, these unreasonable claims—built on false historical facts and in serious violation of international law—will not only fail to succeed, but will instead cause the international community to more clearly recognize the Philippines' true nature as a wrecker of South China Sea peace and stability and a maker of trouble. The Philippine side must clearly recognize that no sophistry can change the question of sovereignty over Huangyan Island, and no manipulation can affect China's firm resolve to safeguard its own territorial sovereignty and maritime rights.

For some time, in response to the Philippines' provocative acts, China has taken necessary measures to safeguard its own rights and security—entirely reasonable and lawful, professionally and standardly conducted on-site, and rational and proportionate. At the same time, regarding a small number of representative figures among anti-China elements within the Philippines who have been jumping up and down, China has implemented relevant sanctions decisions, forming a powerful deterrent.

The PLA Southern Theater Command's organization of this maritime and aerial joint exercise at Huangyan Island is a solemn warning against the Philippines' acts of infringement and provocation, a legitimate and necessary action by China to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity. The relevant actions are entirely legitimate and lawful, justified, forceful, and measured (有理有力有节), in conformity with domestic law, international law, and international practice, and the Philippine side is in no position to comment.

China's capacity to safeguard its sovereignty, security, and development interests and to shape a posture of peace and stability in the South China Sea continues to grow. China remains committed to working together with regional countries to implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and jointly protect "a sea of peace, a sea of friendship, and a sea of cooperation." We once again urge the Philippine side to immediately cease maritime provocations and incitement, and to stop hyping and inflaming the situation; otherwise, all consequences arising therefrom shall be borne by the Philippine side. The Chinese military maintains a high state of readiness at all times and will resolutely and forcefully thwart any attempt to stir up trouble in the sea and create incidents, safeguarding South China Sea peace and stability with strong capability and firm will.

Original Chinese

中方维护黄岩岛主权和海洋权益的决心坚定不移 7月31日，中国外交部就菲律宾在中国领土黄岩岛划设所谓“领海基线”发布声明。8月1日，中国人民解放军南部战区在黄岩岛领海、领空和周边海空域组织海空联合演训。相关举措与行动是针对当前菲方在南海侵权挑衅行径的严正警告，展示了我维护黄岩岛主权和海洋权益的坚定决心。黄岩岛是中国固有领土。从元代天文学家郭守敬主持“四海测验”的星盘刻度，到明代《郑和航海图》上的“石塘”印记；从1947年《南海诸岛位置图》中的“民主礁”，到新中国地名委员会1983年定名的“黄岩岛”——清晰无比的历史链条，早已将黄岩岛的主权深嵌于中国版图之中。中国对黄岩岛及其附近海域拥有无可争辩的主权，历史和法理依据充分且明确。众所周知，领海基线是沿海国基于自身领土而划定海洋管辖范围的起算线。没有领土就没有领海，更没有划设领海基线的法律与地理基础。菲律宾对中国黄岩岛提出非法领土要求没有任何国际法依据。菲律宾领土范围由1898年《美西和平条约》、1900年《美西关于菲律宾外围岛屿割让的条约》、1930年《关于划定英属北婆罗洲与美属菲律宾之间的边界条约》等一系列国际条约确定。南沙群岛和黄岩岛根本不在上述条约规定的菲律宾版图内。既然从来不是菲律宾的领土，又何谈领海？菲方划设所谓“领海基线”是披着法律外衣的侵权闹剧，是其扰动南海和平稳定的又一次挑衅。自上世纪60年代末南海地区发现丰富的油气资源后，在资源利益的诱惑和域外势力的怂恿下，菲律宾开始对中国南沙岛礁动起歪心思，妄图突破一系列具有国际法效力的条约，将其领土扩张至黄岩岛和南沙群岛部分岛礁。为了谋取私利，菲方罔顾历史和法理事实，一再蓄意挑衅滋事并借机炒作，甚至甘为域外势力的棋子，不断制造海上紧张局势。菲方的一系列非法行径，不仅严重侵犯中国在南海的领土主权和海洋权益，而且对区域和平稳定与国际秩序维系构成严重威胁。事实上，菲方无论是出台所谓“海洋区域法”和“群岛海道法”，还是划设黄岩岛所谓“领海基线”，这些建立在错误历史事实之上、严重违背国际法理的无理主张，不仅不会得逞，反而让国际社会更加认清其南海和平稳定破坏者和麻烦制造者的本质。菲方必须清醒认识到，任何诡辩都改变不了黄岩岛的主权归属，任何操弄都影响不了中国维护自身领土主权和海洋权益的坚定决心。一段时间以来，对于菲方的挑衅行径，中方采取了必要措施维护自身权利和安全，完全合理合法，现场操作专业规范，理性适度。同时，对于菲律宾国内一小撮上蹿下跳的反华分子代表性人物，中方实施了相关制裁决定，形成了有力震慑。此次中国人民解放军南部战区在黄岩岛组织海空联合演训，就是对菲方侵权挑衅行径的严正警告，是中方捍卫国家主权和领土完整的正当必要之举，相关行动完全正当合法，有理有力有节，符合国内法、国际法和国际惯例，不容菲方置喙。中方维护主权、安全和发展利益，塑造南海和平稳定态势的能力不断增强，始终致力于同地区国家一道落实《南海各方行为宣言》，共护“和平之海、友谊之海、合作之海”。在此，我们再次敦促菲方立即停止海上挑衅滋事和煽宣炒作，否则引发的一切后果由菲方承担。中国军队时刻保持高度戒备，必将坚决而有力地挫败任何闹海挑衅、制造事端图谋，以强大实力和坚定意志维护南海和平稳定。