During his first state visit to the United States, Chinese President Xi Jinping repeated that islands in the South China Sea were part of China's territory "since ancient times," adding that relevant construction activities in the Spratly Islands (referring to them as "Nansha") do not target or impact any country. In written answers to the Wall Street Journal before arriving in the US, President Xi said that such claim was fully backed by historical and legal evidence. Even if such historic title does exit, such assertion has no validity and legitimacy given China ratified in 1996 the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which nullified any so-called "historic title." Under the UNCLOS, the prevailing treaty rule affords every country a 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) from its baselines.

Angara, E. J. (2015, October 4). A toll gate to South China Sea. Manila Bulletin, p. 13