Excerpts from the statements made by the United States and China on the South China Sea

The United States champions a free and open Indo-Pacific. Today we are strengthening US policy in a vital, contentious part of that region - the South China Sea.

We are making clear: Beijing's claims to offshore resources across most of the South China Sea are completely unlawful, as is its campaign of bullying to control them.

In the South China Sea, we seek to preserve peace and stability, uphold freedom of the seas in a manner consistent with international law, maintain the unimpeded flow of commerce, and oppose any attempt to use coercion or force to settle disputes. We share these deep and abiding interests with our many allies and partners who have long endorsed a rules-based international order.

These shared interests have come under unprecedented threat from the People's Republic of China (PRC). Beijing uses intimidation to undermine the sovereign rights of South-east Asian coastal states in the South China Sea, bully them out of offshore resources, assert unilateral dominion, and replace international law with "might makes right"...

The PRC has no legal grounds to unilaterally impose its will on the region. Beijing has offered no coherent legal basis for its "nine-dash line" claim in the South China Sea since formally announcing it in 2009.

In a unanimous decision on July 12, 2016, an arbitral tribunal constituted under the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention - to which the PRC is a state party - rejected the PRC's maritime claims as having no basis in international law. The tribunal sided squarely with the Philippines, which brought the arbitration case, on almost all claims... Today we are aligning the US position on the PRC's maritime claims in the SCS (South China Sea) with the tribunal's decision...

As Beijing has failed to put forth a lawful, coherent maritime claim in the South China Sea, the United States rejects any PRC claim to waters beyond a 12 nautical mile territorial sea derived from islands it claims in the Spratly Islands (without prejudice to other states' sovereignty claims over such islands)...

The PRC has no lawful territorial or maritime claim to (or derived from) James Shoal, an entirely submerged feature only 50 nautical miles from Malaysia and some 1,000 nautical miles from China's coast. James Shoal is often cited in PRC propaganda as the "southernmost territory of China". International law is clear: An underwater feature like James Shoal cannot be claimed by any state and is incapable of generating maritime zones...

The world will not allow Beijing to treat the South China Sea as its maritime empire. America stands with our South-east Asian allies and partners in protecting their sovereign rights to offshore resources, consistent with their rights and obligations under international law. We stand with the international community in defence of freedom of the seas and respect for sovereignty and reject any push to impose "might makes right" in the South China Sea or the wider region.

(The United States) disregards the efforts of China and Asean countries for peace and stability in the South China Sea, deliberately distorts the facts and international law including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), exaggerates the situation in the region and attempts to sow discord between China and other littoral countries.

The accusation is completely unjustified. The Chinese side is firmly opposed to it.

China's position on the South China Sea issue has been consistent and clear-cut. While firmly safeguarding its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, China has been committed to resolving disputes through negotiation and consultation with countries directly involved, managing differences through rules and mechanisms, and achieving win-win results through mutually beneficial cooperation...

The United States is not a country directly involved in the disputes. However, it has kept interfering in the issue.

Under the pretext of preserving stability, it is flexing muscles, stirring up tension and inciting confrontation in the region. Under the pretext of endorsing rules, it is using Unclos to attack China while refusing to ratify the convention itself. Under the pretext of upholding freedom of navigation and overflight, it is recklessly infringing on other countries' territorial sea and airspace and throwing its weight around in every sea of the world.

We advise the US side to earnestly honour its commitment of not taking sides on the issue of territorial sovereignty, respect regional countries' efforts for a peaceful and stable South China Sea and stop its attempts to disrupt and sabotage regional peace and stability.