China advocated the building and maintenance of a harmonious maritime order under which the international community must put emphasis on both the proper protection of the ocean and its rational utilization, a Chinese UN envoy said at the UN Headquarters Tuesday.

Li Baodong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, made the statement at a meeting of the 67th session of the General Assembly on commemorating the 30th anniversary of the opening for signature of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Li said China advocates enhanced international cooperation and coordination in line with the spirit of the Convention in order to safeguard peace, security and openness of the ocean and promote the common development of all countries.

China highly commends Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) for its contribution to a balanced handling of the legitimate rights and interests of coastal states and the overall interests of the international community, Li said.

"We support the Commission in continuing to fulfill its mandate in accordance with the Convention and its own rules of procedure in order to maintain the quality and professionalism of its consideration of submissions," he said.

While congratulating the International Seabed Authority (ISA) on its achievements over the past year, Li said China has all along strongly supported the work of the ISA and promoted the effective and full participation of developing countries in international seabed affairs.

"China values and supports the important role of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in the peaceful settlement of maritime disputes, the maintenance of international maritime order, and the dissemination of the law of the sea," Li said.

China also supports the adoption by the General Assembly of the concrete working recommendations by the Ad Hoc Open-ended Informal Working Group on marine biological diversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction, said Li.

"The relevant work should proceed in an incremental manner and fully accommodate the legitimate needs of all countries, especially developing countries, for marine biological resources."

The Chinese diplomat stressed that the key to addressing the question of greenhouse gas emissions from ships is to uphold the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities." He said China also commits itself to strengthening of the conservation and management of fishery resources.

"It must strike a balance between the interests of coastal states and the overall interest of the international community, properly accommodate the legitimate rights and freedom to the utilization of the ocean of all countries, especially the developing countries, land-locked countries and geographically disadvantage countries, and pursue peaceful settlement of maritime disputes in accordance with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law including the Convention," Li said.

Concerning the international insular and maritime disputes, Li added that China has always maintained that sovereign states directly concerned seek a peaceful settlement through friendly consultations and negotiations on the basis of the international law including the Convention.

(Xinhua News Agency December 11, 2012)