Philippines rejects Beijing's claim to sovereignty over entire South China Sea

The Philippines said on Monday it rejected Beijing's assertion of sovereignty over the entire South China Sea, disputing a claim by China's embassy that a Filipino diplomat had once conceded the disputed Scarborough Shoal was not part of Philippine territory.



"China must be reminded that maritime and territorial claims are subject to established international legal procedures and dispute settlement mechanisms, not through unilateral proclamations or social media posts," Philippine foreign ministry spokesperson Rogelio Villanueva told a briefing.



Villanueva said the Philippines had "indivisible, incontrovertible and longstanding sovereignty" over Scarborough Shoal and the islands Manila holds in the Spratly archipelago. The remarks are the latest in a war of words between Philippine officials and the Chinese embassy in Manila over disputes in the South China Sea.



The Philippines and China both lay claim to the Scarborough Shoal, which is effectively under Beijing's control through continuous deployment of its coast guard. Sovereignty over the atoll has never been formally established.



Villanueva was responding to a weekend social media post by the embassy that said a former Philippine ambassador had told a German radio station that Scarborough Shoal did not fall within Manila's territory.