British lawyer proves ownership of South China Sea islands with Western archives.
The History and Sovereignty of the South China Sea Islands (PHOTO: XU HAO)
“This is another important book. Western country archives strengthen evidence of China’s sovereignty over the South China Sea islands,” several Chinese online bookstores commented on a book translated from English. The book, titled The History and Sovereignty of the South China Sea Islands by Anthony Carty, was published in its original version by the New Star Press under the China International Communication Group at the 30th Beijing International Book Fair on June 20. Its French version is also due out this year.
Anthony Carty is a British professor of international law. The History and Sovereignty of the South China Sea Islands is the result of ten years of diligent documentation in the National Archives of France, the United Kingdom and the United States. His work helps to elucidate the question of sovereignty over islands in the South China Sea, bringing a wealth of historical sources and legal evidence in international law to this field of study.
“As the research findings in this book demonstrate, China’s position on the highly controversial South China Sea issue is legitimate. Moreover, these works have ignored Chinese historical records,” the preface reads.
Who is undermining peace?
Recently, the Philippines has stepped up its provocations on the South China Sea issue. In response, China reiterates that the Nanhai Zhudao (islands in the South China Sea) have been its territory since ancient times and that it enjoys indisputable sovereignty over them.
In this context, the release of The History and Sovereignty of the South China Sea Islands came as a bolt from the blue. It hit various bestseller lists in the current affairs book category in early July. Recommendations from Internet users were flying: “All those interested in the South China Sea issue are invited to read this book”, “A worthy scholar has reestablished the historical truth and revealed it to the world”. Faced with such enthusiasm, the first print run of 3,000 copies, which was expected to be sufficient for a specialist work, quickly sold out, and a reprint of 10,000 copies was immediately made.
The book’s revelations show that China’s sovereignty in the South China Sea has long been recognized by a number of Western countries. However, this has not prevented them from interfering in it for unspeakable geopolitical purposes. Their illegal activities seriously undermine China’s sovereignty, rights and interests in the South China Sea, and are also the cause of the destruction of peace and stability in the area.
Anthony Carty points out in his paper that any problems in the South China Sea can be traced back to Western colonizers who, in the 1930s, “trespassed on previously undisturbed Chinese property.” US diplomatic records show that in the 1940s the US government deliberately ignored its own hydrographic surveys and the advice of the Committee of Experts on International Law, obsessed with excluding China from the Xisha and Nansha Islands.
Mr Carty received his PhD from the University of Cambridge in 1973 and has taught at several prestigious universities around the world. He has published a number of influential articles on international law, and several books with Cambridge University Press and other internationally renowned publishers. He began studying the South China Sea issue in 2009, at a time when the subject was rekindled by territorial disputes in the region. He had returned to the UK on holiday from a teaching position in Hong Kong when he discovered a large number of documents directly related to the ownership of the Nansha Islands in the British National Archives. Since then, he has focused his research on the South China Sea issue. He has scoured the archives of the UK, France and the US, navigating a sea of files spanning 120 years since the late 19th century.
His book sheds light on the apprehension and arbitrations of major Western countries over the years over the possession of the South China Sea, and presents several irrefutable conclusions. For example, he demonstrates that China was the first country to discover, name, explore and exploit the Nanhai Zhudao and the waters concerned, which gave it historical rights over the South China Sea. He reveals that Western countries and parties to the dispute such as Vietnam have recognized that the sovereignty of the Nanhai Zhudao belongs to China. He emphasizes that China’s claims in the South China Sea are based on historical facts and consistent with the practice of international law, while the historical records of the United States, Britain and France certify that the Philippines has no credible claim over the Nansha Islands.
Waiting for Western reactions
“The diplomatic archives of France, Britain and the United States, consulted by Mr. Carty, reveal the involvement of these three countries at various times in the territorial disputes over the Nanhai Zhudao. Their considerations, policies and legal positions towards certain historical events are also recorded. This helps to clarify the facts, understand the ins and outs of the territorial disputes over these islands and reconstruct historical events from another perspective, which is of great significance,” Zhou Jian, former representative for border and maritime affairs of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at the book launch.
The History and Sovereignty of the South China Sea Islands is not only a best-selling book in China. It has also sparked heated discussions around the world, especially in the media and academic circles.
According to Urusov Volodymyr, a lecturer at the Department of History at the Kyiv Taras Shevchenko National University in Ukraine, Anthony Carty’s book is of great significance for China in its efforts to resolve disputes, maintain stability and conclude the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea with relevant countries, CRI Online reports. “At the same time, it should be noted that China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nanhai Zhudao, a conclusion well documented in British literature,” Urusov Volodymyr stressed.
According to Anatol Caciuc, a journalist at Radio Moldava, Anthony Carty’s work allows those interested in the situation in the South China Sea to better understand the Chinese position, based on the historical context. It is unequivocal that “the countries involved in this dispute should not infringe on China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime interests in the South China Sea, and even less involve extra-regional forces in China’s exploitation of marine resources in the South China Sea.”
Mr. Carty expressed satisfaction with the positive reception of his book, especially in China. However, he expects more reactions in the West, especially from British, French and American academics. He stressed that “even some experts with an anti-China stance on the South China Sea issue highly appreciate this book for its academic value.”
Zhou Jian echoed the same sentiment, noting: “The most valuable value of this book lies in its revelation of historical sources, not in the views of its author.” “I was not commissioned by the Chinese authorities to do this research, I conducted it completely independently. I neither advocated for China nor gave a legal opinion or verdict. I only unearthed the archives and faithfully recorded the historical facts,” the jurist noted.
*XU HAO is a journalist at
