US Unauthorized Expansion of Continental Shelf Borders Illegal: Chinese Foreign Ministry

The United States' unilateral expansion of the borders from which the width of territorial waters is measured violates international law, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a briefing.

"The unilateral establishment by the US of continental shelf borders beyond 200 nautical miles is a typical act of unilateralism and hegemony," Wang Wenbin said. "The US unilateral claim is illegal and (legally) invalid; it seriously violates international law," he added, TASS reported.

On March 25, the Russian side expressed a demarche to the US over Washington's illegal attempts to unilaterally change the outer limits of the continental shelf in seven areas of the World Ocean.

The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that it did not recognize the outer limits of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from the baselines, as declared by the US. In December 2023, the US unilaterally announced an extension of its claim to sovereignty over a significant part of the continental shelf in the Arctic and the Bering Sea.