China Condemns Japan-Philippines Maritime Boundary Talks as ‘Illegal and Void’

May 29, 2026 at 03:55 PM

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Lanka Leader

China on Friday strongly condemned the decision by Japan and the Philippines to launch formal negotiations on maritime boundary delimitation, calling the move a serious infringement on China’s maritime rights and interests.

Responding to a joint statement issued by Japan and the Philippines, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing expressed “strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition” to the talks and had lodged stern diplomatic representations with both countries.

The joint statement said Tokyo and Manila had agreed to commence formal negotiations to delimit the maritime boundaries of the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) and continental shelves between the two nations.

Mao stated that the maritime area involved in the negotiations lies to the east of China’s Taiwan island and falls within waters where China claims rights under both domestic law and international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

“The unilateral launch of the so-called negotiations by Japan and the Philippines seriously infringes upon China’s maritime rights and interests and grossly violates international law, including UNCLOS, as well as the basic norms governing international relations,” Mao said.

China also declared that the proposed maritime boundary negotiations between Japan and the Philippines are “completely illegal and null and void,” insisting that the talks would not affect China’s maritime claims or its exercise of legitimate rights in waters east of Taiwan.

Beijing urged both Japan and the Philippines to immediately stop actions that undermine China’s maritime rights and interests and to take concrete measures to safeguard regional peace and stability, the spokesperson added.