China on Wednesday called on Chinese across the Taiwan Straits to jointly safeguard the nation's territorial sovereignty and maritime interests in the South China Sea.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying made the comment at a daily press briefing in response to Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou's recent comments concerning sovereignty in the South China Sea.
Hua said China's sovereignty and related rights are based on international laws and have been in existence for a long time, stressing that after World War II, the Chinese government made positive efforts to recover the islands in the South China Sea and safeguard territorial sovereignty and maritime interests.
"Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the Chinese government has unswervingly safeguarded territorial sovereignty and maritime interests and made active contribution to maintaining peace, stability and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea," Hua said.
