Safeguard national sovereignty: Mainland spokesperson

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Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, at a press conference. [Photo/Xinhua]

A mainland spokesperson on Thursday called on both sides across the Taiwan Straits to safeguard national sovereignty after the island authority's remarks on the South China Sea issue.

The island's "foreign affairs" authority claimed that Taiwan is entitled to all rights over the South China Sea Islands and their relevant waters in accordance with international law and the law of the sea.

The remark was made after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Beijing's claims to offshore resources across most of the South China Sea are completely unlawful.

Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said in a statement that China's sovereignty over the South China Sea Islands and relevant waters is beyond dispute.

Both sides of the Straits belong to one and the same China and should jointly safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the overall interests of the Chinese nation, she said.