China's sovereignty over Nanhai Zhudao, known as the South China Sea Islands, rests on solid legal foundations, including the principles of discovery and occupation, according to a think tank report issued Thursday.

The report, titled "Historical and Legal Basis of China's Territorial Sovereignty and Maritime Rights in the South China Sea," was released by Xinhua Institute, a think tank affiliated with Xinhua News Agency.

Centuries-long sovereignty 

China's earliest discovery and development of Nanhai Zhudao conform to the international law principle of "acquiring territorial sovereignty through discovery and occupation," according to the report.

China's sovereignty claims over Nanhai Zhudao have received broad international recognition, in line with the international law principle of estoppel, it adds.

The Philippines and other regional countries' occupation of South China Sea islands and reefs based on the so-called "geographic proximity" violates relevant international law principles, the report says.

China's claims to maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea also conform to the international law principle that "land dominates sea," and its historical rights in the South China Sea are protected by international law, the report notes.

A sea of cooperation 

This report is one of a three-part series released by the Xinhua Institute on the South China Sea issue. The other two are titled "Making the South China Sea a Sea of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation: China's Actions" and "Incitement, Threats and Lies – The Truth about External Forces Interfering in the South China Sea Issue."

The report, titled "Making the South China Sea a Sea of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation: China's Actions," argues that some external powers, through alliance-building and interference in regional disputes, aim to maintain a privileged position in the South China Sea and preserve maritime control for self-serving interests.

It emphasizes that freedom of navigation and overflight in this crucial international maritime corridor is a fundamental consensus among China and other coastal states, as guaranteed under international law.

The report states that China stands ready to work with regional countries to build a maritime community with a shared future in the South China Sea.

It calls on those countries to recognize this importance and to transform the South China Sea into a true sea of peace, friendship and cooperation through dialogue, economic integration and multilateral engagement.

U.S.-led external forces meddling in South China Sea

The report, "Incitement, Threats, and Lies – The Truth about External Forces Interfering in the South China Sea Issue," states that external forces led by the United States have leveraged the South China Sea issue as a means to contain China, instigating claimant states to provoke confrontations.

The U.S. and its allies have provided strategic counsel and support to claimant states such as the Philippines and Vietnam in their actions against China, the report says.

A notable example highlighted is the 2016 South China Sea arbitration case, which the report describes as a clear instance of Western advocacy for external interference in the issue through multilateral mechanisms like arbitration.

The report further notes that the United States and its allies frequently conduct "freedom of navigation operations" and joint military drills in the South China Sea and its surrounding waters, while also using the issue as grounds for applying economic pressure on China.

It also points to attempts by U.S.-led Western nations to form exclusive regional blocs and pressure countries in the area to "take sides," placing significant external strain on their normal foreign relations.

Additionally, the report highlights U.S. efforts to incorporate as many regional countries as possible into its containment strategy by promoting agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework.

It emphasizes that the United States and its Western allies seek to reshape China's regional security environment by repeatedly interfering in the South China Sea issue, effectively turning it into a strategic chessboard for their "great power rivalry" against China.