China ‘deposits’ statement regarding disputed Scarborough shoal to UN

China “deposited” a statement regarding “baselines of the territorial sea” adjacent to the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea to the U.N., calling it “legitimate measures” to defend its territorial sovereignty. Scarborough Shoal, known in the Philippines as Bajo de Masinloc, is a triangular chain of reefs about 125 nautical miles (232 kilometers) from Luzon, the main Philippine island. Claimed by China, the Philippines and Taiwan, the shoal has been under Beijing’s de-facto control since 2012.

China announced last month the baselines of its territorial sea around Scarborough Shoal to strengthen its claim over the feature that lies within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

“Ambassador Geng Shuang, the deputy permanent representative of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations deposited the statement and relevant charts of the baselines of the shoal to the U.N. on behalf of the Chinese government,” said the Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the U.N. in a statement on Monday.

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