Fishing fleets set sail for the Indian Ocean at a wharf in Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province, on August 29, 2018. Photo: VCG

 
The reelection of Chinese candidate to UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) is recognition to China's insistence on abiding by international marine laws and to real multilateralism, Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

Tang Yong, a researcher from the Second Oceanography Institute of China's Ministry of Natural Resources, was reelected into the CLCS for the tenure between 2023 and 2028. 

Tang Yong, a researcher from the Second Oceanography Institute of China's Ministry of Natural Resources, was reelected into the CLCS for the tenure between 2023 and 2028. Photo: Chinese Mission to UN

 
Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson from the Chinese Foreign Ministry, expressed gratitude to all member states for backing the Chinese candidate and congratulations to other elected members of the commission at Thursday's press briefing.

China pays great importance to and supports the works of the CLCS. The wide support for the Chinese candidate from member states is a recognition of his qualification and capability, and it's also a recognition of China's insistence on abiding by international marine laws including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and its adherence to real multilateralism, Wang said.

The CLCS is an international body established under the UNCLOS. CLCS, composed of 21 independent experts, reviews submissions by coastal states on the outer limits of their continental shelves beyond 200 nautical miles.

Chinese experts have been serving as members of the CLCS since its establishment.

Global Times