Chinese officials stress rule of law, cooperation on maritime affairs

QINGDAO, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Miao Deyu, Chinese assistant minister of foreign affairs, on Wednesday called for joint efforts to ensure that the rule of law regarding international maritime affairs stays on the right track.

Miao made the remarks in an address via video link at an international symposium on scientific and legal aspects of the regimes of the continental shelf and the international seabed area, which opened Wednesday in the coastal city of Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the entry into force of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

In his address, Miao stressed the importance of adhering to the faithful implementation of the Convention. He called on relevant parties to uphold justice, and safeguard a peaceful and stable maritime order.

Acts of adopting double standards and the selective application of rules of international law must be rejected, Miao said. He also warned of some countries' containment and oppression of other countries under the pretext of a "rules-based international order."

Sun Shuxian, vice minister of natural resources and head of the State Oceanic Administration, said that China, as a participant of the Convention, has been actively promoting blue partnership and pragmatic bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the maritime field.

The symposium, the seventh of its kind, was attended by about 150 people from domestic and foreign maritime-related departments, research institutions and universities.