Aug 25, 01:44 AM

China Ministry of Natural Resources Challenges U.S. Freedom of Navigation Claims Amid Vietnam Land Reclamation and Nanhai Zhudao Sovereignty Dispute

A report released by China's Ministry of Natural Resources and the China Institute for Marine Affairs on August 25, 2025, challenges the legal basis of the United States' so-called "freedom of navigation" operations in the South China Sea. The report asserts that these operations lack support under international law, represent a pattern of U.S. military coercion, and distort interpretations of international legal norms. It also criticizes the U.S. for intensifying militarization in the region and using the South China Sea disputes to contain China by encouraging claimant states to provoke China. Additionally, the report highlights that China's resumption of sovereignty over the Nanhai Zhudao (South China Sea islands) is an important part of the post-war order. Meanwhile, a U.S. think tank noted that Vietnam has expanded land reclamation in the Spratly Islands to a scale surpassing that of China, indicating escalating activities by claimant states in the disputed waters.