Mainland refutes DPP claim on 'international waters' in Taiwan Strait

BEIJING -- Both sides of the Taiwan Strait are Chinese territory and there are no so-called "international waters" in the Strait, a Chinese mainland spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, made the remarks when commenting on the attempts by Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities to involve external forces in the Taiwan Strait by echoing the US claim that the Strait constitutes "international waters" and correlating the issue with the so called "navigation freedom" and transport of global trade.

According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and China's domestic law, the waters of the Taiwan Strait are divided into internal waters, territorial sea, contiguous zone and exclusive economic zone, he said.

Chen added that there's no such legal term as "international waters" in international maritime law.

Noting that the Taiwan Strait has always been one of the busiest shipping routes for global trade, Chen said the DPP authorities, by catering to the distorted views of the United States, have betrayed national interests in their pursuit of "Taiwan independence" through soliciting foreign support.