BEIJING, May 13 (UPI) -- China says a bid by Vietnam and Malaysia to challenge its territorial claims in the South China Sea is illegal and invalid.
The deadline for submissions to the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea to set sea boundaries is Wednesday, and the joint petition submitted by Vietnam and Malaysia questioning the outer limits of China's continental shelf in the South China Sea has brought rebukes from Beijing, China Daily reported.
"China has indisputable sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction over South China Sea islands and their adjacent waters," Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said.
A spokesman for the Chinese mission to the U.N. told the state-run news agency Xinhua that because of the opposition from Beijing, the CLCS will not consider the joint Vietnam-Malaysia submission.
China is jealousy protecting its rights in the South China Sea because it plays a vital role in the country's security and economy, providing a transportation route for 80 percent of its imported crude oil and holding rich reserves of natural gas, analysts told China Daily.
