CHINESE AMBASSADOR ZHANG MING ASSERTS CHINA WAS "FIRST TO DISCOVER, NAME AND DEVELOP SOUTH CHINA"
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China Daily (August 23) published a Xinhua report of August 23 reporting the remarks made by China's Ambassador to the EU on August 22. He said 'A major power outside the region is trying to turn the South China Sea into an arena for major-power wrestling, which is the source of tensions in the region'. In an article published on EU Observer, a European online newspaper, Ambassador Zhang Ming said China would not allow its territorial sovereignty and regional security to be undermined, nor would it allow any major power outside the region to muddy the waters. He asserted that "China was the first country to discover, name and develop the South China Sea islands". He added "China's sovereignty over the South China Sea islands had never been challenged before the 20th century, and has been widely recognized by the international community as part of the international order after the end of World War II."
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