2016年CRI Unveiled documents evidence China's jurisdiction over South China Sea

 

The more than 50 volumes of photographed archives were made public on Thursday as the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences showcased its latest progress in the research about the history of the South China Sea.

The documents were collected by Professor Tang Yi with the Taiwan-based National Chengchi University.

The professor has spent decades in the research over border demarcation issues in Chinese history.

He said what he presented shows China's sovereignty over the South China Sea is a historical fact.

"The map published by the then Nationalist government in 1935 shows the Chinese territory in the South China Sea looked like this. And in the next year, we took over the Xisha and Nansha islands from Japan and claimed territorial¹ rights over the area. These islands belong to China, it's inarguable."

Wang Jianyong with the Institute of Modern History under the CASS says the documents bring to light many untold² truths.

"We see many of these documents for the first time. They tell us that the governments of America, Japan and the Philippines used to accept China's territorial claim over the area. Their flights used to request weather service from Taiwan when flying over the area. At least, in a certain period, they had no problems with China's jurisdiction³ over South China Sea."

Li Guoqiang with CASS' Institute of Chinese Borderland Studies suggests when a country claims rights over an area of land or sea, it should prove it's the first to reach, to develop and to set up administration there.

He adds that Chinese activities in the South China Sea date back 2,200 years, during the Qin Dynasty.

"Chinese historians⁴ acknowledge⁵ the presence of the countries bordering the South China Sea and their ancestors' activities in the area. But they can't be compared with China that had discovered, developed and administrated the waters since ancient times. The historical facts they piece together can't change the fact that it's Chinese territory."

It's widely suggested that the South China Sea became an issue in the 1960s and '70s, when some countries in the region began to occupy some of the islands under China's jurisdiction.

For CRI, this is Huang Yue.

1 territorial   

adj.领土的，领地的

参考例句：

• The country is fighting to preserve its territorial integrity.该国在为保持领土的完整而进行斗争。
• They were not allowed to fish in our territorial waters.不允许他们在我国领海捕鱼。

2 untold   

adj.数不清的，无数的

参考例句：

• She has done untold damage to our chances.她给我们的机遇造成了不可估量的损害。
• They suffered untold terrors in the dark and huddled together for comfort.他们遭受着黑暗中的难以言传的种种恐怖，因而只好挤在一堆互相壮胆。

3 jurisdiction   

n.司法权，审判权，管辖权，控制权

参考例句：

• It doesn't lie within my jurisdiction to set you free.我无权将你释放。
• Changzhou is under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu Province.常州隶属江苏省。

4 historians   

n.历史学家，史学工作者( historian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Historians seem to have confused the chronology of these events. 历史学家好像把这些事件发生的年代顺序搞混了。
• Historians have concurred with each other in this view. 历史学家在这个观点上已取得一致意见。

5 acknowledge   

vt.承认...的权威，告知，收到，报偿

参考例句：

• With so much evidence against him he had to acknowledge his error.在这么多的证据面前，他不得不承认错误。
• It is ungracious of me not to acknowledge your help.你大力帮助而我尚未表示谢意，十分失礼。