Professor Hu Dekun Lectured on South China Sea Arbitration from Historical Perspective

On May 23, 2017, Professor Hu Dekun, senior professor of humanities and social sciences of Wuhan University and director of Wuhan University China Institute of Boundary and Ocean Studies, delivered an academic report entitled “Approach the South China Sea Arbitration from Historical Perspective - Comment on the Ruling of Provisional Arbitration Tribunal on the South China Sea Intermittent Line”.

Professor Hu Dekun first pointed out that China's response to the South China Sea arbitration case has achieved fruitful results, and it was a beautiful counterattack under the correct guidance and command of the Party Central Committee.

Subsequently, Professor Hu Dekun analyzed China’s sovereignty over South China Seas islands in five aspects from historical perspective, namely "the sovereignty China has over the South China Sea islands can be dated back to thousands of years ago", "China’s recover of South China Sea islands was based on the post-war legal arrangements among allies", "the Chinese government recovered the Xisha and Nansha Islands in accordance with the decision of the allies”, “The Chinese government's jurisdiction over the Nansha Islands at the beginning of the post-war period” and "South China Sea intermittent line can not be arbitrated nor denied”. He pointed out that the provisional arbitral tribunal award of the South China Sea Arbitration attempted to fully deny China's sovereignty, maritime rights and historical rights in the Nansha Islands, which was a malicious arbitration that disrespects historical facts.

The dispute over the South China Sea is largely a matter left from World War II. As a veteran scholar with fifty years experience of researching history, Prof. Hu Dekun felt that “China made great sacrifices and great contributions to world peace in the Second World War, finally we won the victory and have the opportunity to recover our lost lands. But due to various reasons, China is the only country out of the four anti-fascist countries that did not fully recover its territory, which is extremely unfair and abnormal in the international order.” He expressed his hope that Wuhan University students should contribute their own strength to safeguard the national territorial sovereignty and marine rights and interests.