BEIJING (Reuters) – China firmly opposes the Philippines’ Maritime Zones Act, which it says “severely infringes on” the its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights in the South China Sea, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Sunday in a statement.
This follows China’s release of a statement on the baseline of “territorial waters” around the disputed Scarborough Shoal, which China claims as its territory.
China will continue to take all necessary legal measures to protect its sovereignty and maritime rights, the foreign ministry said.
The Scarborough Shoal, known in China as Huangyan Island, is a major point of contention over sovereignty and fishing rights.
(Reporting by Ella Cao in Beijing and Marius Zaharia in Hong Kong; Editing by Tom Hogue)
