"During a rather long period, the Philippine legal documents, official papers and national maps never involve Huangyan Island," said Li Guoqiang.

Under the Philippines domestic laws and regulations, including the 1935 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines, Huangyan Island is outside the territory of the Philippines and even the baseline points and baseline of the Philippine territorial waters have never touched upon Huangyan Island.

Philippine maps published in 1981 and 1984 also indicate that Huangyan Island is outside the country's territory.

Until 1997, the Philippines never challenged China's jurisdiction over Huangyan Island and repeatedly stated that Huangyan Island was not part of its territory.

The documents issued by the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority of the Philippines on Oct. 18, 1994, and by the Philippine Amateur Radio Association to the American Radio Relay League on Nov 18, 1994, both confirmed that the Philippine border and sovereignty was stipulated by the Article 3 of the Treaty of Paris (1898) and Huangyan Island is outside of Philippine territory.