OPINION | South China Sea Conflict: An Outcome of Unresolved Issues in UNCLOS and “Freedom of the Seas” Principle

UNCLOS does not resolve all issues and many problems exist. As UNCLOS ''marked a fundamental compromise between the preservation of freedom of navigation in return for a preferential share of high seas mineral resources for the developing world,'' and is designed ''to balance the rights of users or maritime states to a reasonable degree of freedom of the seas, with the interests of coastal states to protect and safeguard their sovereignty, marine resources and environment.'', it is ambiguous on many issues, and only offers general rules and principles.

By Ji Guoxing

The principle of the “freedom of the seas” was first enunciated by a Dutch lawyer Hugo Grotius in the early 17th century.  He set out the legal principle that ''Navigation was free to all and no one country could lay claim to the seas on the basis that their navigators were the first to sail on it.''   His intention was to contest the right which Portugal took upon itself to prohibit all others from engaging in seaborne commerce with the East Indies.  In fact, during the history of maritime affairs, the Portuguese practice is no exception; maritime powers usually sought freedom for their own commerce and trade and a restriction on others.  ''Even those who espouse freedom in shipping today, often really mean freedom for themselves on the back of restrictions on others.''   Nowadays, in theory, every country has the freedom of the seas; in practice, those developed economies and maritime powers are enjoying mostly the freedom of the seas.

OPINION | South China Sea Conflict: An Outcome of Unresolved Issues in UNCLOS and “Freedom of the Seas” Principle

Image Attribute: A reef under construction in South China Sea / Source:China Defense Blog

The freedom of the seas principle today is set out in UNCLOS (UN Convention on the Law of the Sea) in 1982, which came into force on November 16, 1994.  UNCLOS codifies the legal regime governing virtually every aspect in, over or under the seas, contributes to the building of a stable maritime regime, including navigation regime, and makes a significant development in the law of navigation.  ''Counterbalancing the adoption of distended national jurisdiction toward the seas, the UNCLOS established three important regimes in securing the freedom of navigation, namely, 'innocent passage' through territorial waters, 'transit passage' through international straits, and 'archipelagic sea-lanes passage' through archipelagos’ in addition to freedom of navigation in the contiguous zone, in the exclusive economic zone, and on the high seas.

Image Attribute: Sam Galope's Info-graphic on UNCLOS as per South China Sea's Context

Image Attribute: Sam Galope's Info-graphic on UNCLOS as per South China Sea's Context

However, UNCLOS does not resolve all issues and many problems exist.  As UNCLOS ''marked a fundamental compromise between the preservation of freedom of navigation in return for a preferential share of high seas mineral resources for the developing world,'' and is designed ''to balance the rights of users or maritime states to a reasonable degree of freedom of the seas, with the interests of coastal states to protect and safeguard their sovereignty, marine resources and environment.'', it is ambiguous on many issues, and only offers general rules and principles.  Difference in understanding and interpretation is prevalent in the world community.  General State practice remains conflicting as well.  

Image Attribute: UNCLOS Schematic / Source: C Schofield, 'Maritime Zones & Jurisdictions', p. 18,

Image Attribute: UNCLOS Schematic/ Source: C Schofield,'Maritime Zones & Jurisdictions', p. 18, 

The unresolved issues regarding navigation which might be potential sources of current and future conflicts includes:   

Firstly, regarding the innocent passage through the territorial waters, it has been a much debated issue for long in the international community as to whether the right of innocent passage applies to warships.  Coastal states have been reluctant to permit passage to warships without prior authorization or notification.  ''The history of foreign invasion and traditionally sensitive security concern in the Asia Pacific caused many littoral states in the region to have strong reservations on the right of foreign warships to innocent passage through their coastal waters.''   Regional countries like Bangladesh, Myanmar, China, India, Indonesia, South Korea, North Korea, and Pakistan require authorization or notification for the innocent passage of foreign warships.

The interpretation of the innocent passage norms becomes an issue in respect of the Java Sea.  For years, Indonesia wants to impose some rules to regulate the movements of foreign warships using the Java Sea.  They say warships sailing outside designated sea-lanes should abide by the norms that govern the rights of innocent passage.  “Under the Indonesian interpretation of these norms, submarines must sail on the surface, weapons and surveillance radars must be switched off and aircraft-carriers must keep their planes deck-bound.”   But Indonesia’s dictates are unacceptable to the US.  The Americans have pointed out that, “Under the proposed rules, US navy ships sailing out of Singapore would have to wait until they neared the Sunda Strait before they could go into operational mode.  The prospect of its ships sailing more than 300 kilometers in less than battle-readiness doesn't appeal to the US navy.”

For the avoidance of misunderstanding regarding this controversial issue, the US and the former Soviet Union signed in 1989 a joint statement on innocent passage of warships in each other's territorial seas and set forth in more details their interpretation of the Convention governing innocent passage in the territorial seas.  Other countries probably need to follow suit.

Secondly, regarding the transit passage through international straits, it is defined as the exercise of the freedom of navigation and over flight solely for the purpose of continuous and expeditious transit in the normal modes of operation utilized by ships and aircrafts for such passage.  But it has been controversial as to whether submarines are free to transit international straits submerged.  Besides, controversy lies in the rights of a strait state to interfere with transit passage due to suspected pollution incidents, and the scope of regulatory responsive measures to accidents and pollution taken by a strait state.  Moreover, there are various proposals by regional strait states ''to go beyond the IMO safety regulations and traffic-lane demarcations and to impose additional restrictions on passing ships, including even tolls for the use of these recognized straits'', which have been resisted by other countries.

Thirdly, regarding archipelagic sea-lanes passage, ''Under the LOS Convention an archipelagic state may designate sea lanes and air routes suitable for the continuous and expeditious passage of foreign ships and aircrafts through or above its archipelagic waters.  Such archipelagic sea lanes must include all normal passage routes and all normal navigational channels. On the other hand, innocent passage applies in other archipelagic waters seaward of the internal waters of the islands of the archipelago.'' Different interpretations of these stipulations exist between maritime powers and archipelagic states.

The Convention assigns archipelagic states for designating sea lanes in coordination with the IMO (International Maritime Organization).  But uncertainty exists regarding it.  Indonesia believes it alone has the right to decide on such matters.  Indonesia recognizes the authority of the IMO only on matters relating to navigational aids and the safety of shipping--not on the delineation of sea lanes.  Indonesia, in declaring her new archipelagic sea-lanes, proposed to limit passage to only three north-south sea-lanes.   This attempt to restrict avenues and methods of routine naval passage through the Indonesian archipelago has even been resisted by the US Pentagon. Washington opposes proposed sea-lane rules by Indonesia, ''Establishing sea lanes without concurrence would set a dangerous precedent.''   To utilize its geo-strategic leverage, Indonesia did try in 1978 and 1988 ''to close the Lombok and Sunda Straits as a way of asserting its sovereignty over two of the world's most important maritime choke points.''

Fourthly, regarding naval activities in EEZ, the EEZ regime in UNCLOS attempts to accommodate the competing interests of coastal states for greater control over offshore resources, and those of maritime powers for maintaining traditional freedom of action in waters beyond territorial seas.  But the restrictive regime of the EEZ might pose a threat to the mobility of navies and the ongoing controversy over the EEZ regime includes the freedom of action of foreign navies within EEZ.  The issues are whether foreign navy is free to conduct military maneuvers within EEZ without requiring prior notification or authorization from the coastal state; and whether a state is free to place non-economic installations, such as submarine detection devices in the EEZ of foreign state, which do not interfere with coastal enjoyment of its EEZ rights.

The restrictions over freedom of the seas raised by the wording of the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapons Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Treaty signed by the ASEAN countries at the Bangkok Summit in December 1995 had caused concerns in the US and some major powers.  The treaty includes a protocol, open to signature by the five declared nuclear weapon states.  The US issued a statement on 15 December 1995, saying, ''One of the most significant issues preventing us from supporting the treaty at this point is the inclusion of exclusive economic zones (EEZs) and continental shelves in the zone, which we believe is inconsistent with internationally recognized high seas freedoms of navigation and over flight.  We feel that, to the extent that the SEANWFZ Treaty imposes security obligations on non-treaty parties without their consent in areas where high seas freedom exist, the treaty is inconsistent with the UN Law of the Sea Convention and sets an unfortunate precedent.''


Fifthly, there are the legal issues relating to the shipment of nuclear wastes through certain ocean areas such as EEZs, territorial seas and straits.  Those nations supporting the shipments assert that the shipments are free to navigate through any part of the ocean under the traditional doctrines of innocent passage, transit passage, and freedom of the high seas.  Many of those nations concerned about the shipments argue instead that the environmental provisions in the 1982 UNCLOS and the 1989 Basel Convention on the Control of Tran boundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal ''require nations shipping these wastes to prepare environmental assessments and then to provide notification to and seek authorization of affected nations before passing through their territorial seas and exclusive economic zones.''  The issue of restricting the passage of vessels carrying nuclear or other hazardous cargoes through the Malacca Strait has often been raised by states littoral to the Strait.

About The Author:

Ji Guoxing (季国兴) is a Chinese academic, author, political scientist and professor at Shanghai Jiaotong University

AIDN0011220150549
Name

-51,1,3D Technology,2,5G,9,Abkhazia,2,Academics,10,Accidents,20,Activism,1,Adani Group,4,ADB,12,ADIZ,1,Adults,1,Advertising,31,Advisory,2,Aerial Reconnaissance,13,Aerial Warfare,35,Aerospace,5,Afghanistan,88,Africa,111,Agile Methodology,2,Agriculture,20,AI Policy,1,Air Crash,10,Air Defence Identification Zone,1,Air Defense,6,Air Force,29,Air Pollution,1,Airbus,5,Aircraft Carriers,5,Aircraft Systems,5,Al Nusra,1,Al Qaida,4,Al Shabab,1,Alaska,1,ALBA,1,Albania,2,Algeria,3,Alibaba,1,American History,4,AmritaJash,10,Antarctic,1,Antarctica,1,Anthropology,7,Anti Narcotics,12,Anti Tank,1,Anti-Corruption,4,Anti-dumping,1,Anti-Piracy,2,Anti-Submarine,1,Anti-Terrorism Legislation,1,Antitrust,2,APEC,1,Apple,2,Applied Sciences,2,AQAP,2,Arab League,3,Architecture,2,Arctic,6,Argentina,7,Armenia,30,Army,3,Art,3,Artificial Intelligence,81,Artillery,2,Arunachal Pradesh,2,ASEAN,12,Asia,70,Asia Pacific,23,Assassination,2,Asset Management,1,Astrophysics,2,ATGM,1,Atmospheric Science,1,Atomic.Atom,1,Augmented Reality,7,Australia,56,Austria,1,Automation,13,Automotive,129,Autonomous Flight,2,Autonomous Vehicle,3,Aviation,63,AWACS,2,Awards,17,Azerbaijan,16,Azeri,1,B2B,1,Bahrain,9,Balance of Payments,2,Balance of Trade,3,Balkan,10,Balochistan,2,Baltic,3,Baluchistan,8,Bangladesh,28,Banking,52,Bankruptcy,2,Basel,1,Bashar Al Asad,1,Battery Technology,2,Bay of Bengal,5,BBC,2,Beijing,1,Belarus,3,Belgium,1,Belt Road Initiative,3,Beto O'Rourke,1,BFSI,1,Bhutan,13,Big Data,30,Big Tech,1,Bilateral Cooperation,19,BIMSTEC,1,Biography,1,Biotechnology,3,Birth,1,BISA,1,Bitcoin,9,Black Lives Matter,1,Black Money,3,Black Sea,2,Blockchain,32,Blood Diamonds,1,Bloomberg,1,Boeing,21,Boko Haram,7,Bolivia,6,Bomb,3,Bond Market,2,Book,11,Book Review,24,Border Conflicts,11,Border Control and Surveillance,7,Bosnia,1,Brand Management,14,Brazil,104,Brexit,22,BRI,5,BRICS,20,British,3,Broadcasting,16,Brunei,3,Brussels,1,Buddhism,1,Budget,4,Build Back Better,1,Bulgaria,1,Burma,2,Business & Economy,1191,C-UAS,1,California,5,Call for Proposals,1,Cambodia,7,Cameroon,1,Canada,54,Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS),1,Carbon Economy,9,CAREC,1,Caribbean,9,CARICOM,1,Caspian Sea,2,Catalan,3,Catholic Church,1,Caucasus,9,CBRN,1,Cement,1,Central African Republic,1,Central Asia,81,Central Asian,3,Central Eastern Europe,47,Certification,1,Chad,2,Chanakya,1,Charity,2,Chatbots,2,Chemicals,7,Child Labor,1,Child Marriage,1,Children,4,Chile,10,China,575,Christianity,1,CIA,1,CIS,5,Citizenship,2,Civil Engineering,2,Civil Liberties,5,Civil Rights,2,Civil Society,5,Civil Unrest,1,Civilization,1,Clean Energy,5,Climate,66,Climate Change,22,Climate Finance,2,Clinical Research,3,Clinton,1,Cloud Computing,44,Coal,6,Coast Guard,3,Cocoa,1,Cognitive Computing,12,Cold War,5,Colombia,15,Commodities,4,Communication,11,Communism,3,Compliance,1,Computers,40,Computing,1,Conferences,1,Conflict,106,Conflict Diamonds,1,Conflict Resolution,48,Conflict Resources,1,Congo,1,Construction,5,Consumer Behavior,4,Consumer Price Index,4,COP26,4,COP28,1,Copper,2,Coronavirus,107,Corporate Communication,1,Corporate Governance,4,Corporate Social Responsibility,4,Corruption,4,Costa Rica,2,Counter Intelligence,15,Counter Terrorism,81,COVID,9,COVID Vaccine,6,CPEC,8,CPG,3,Credit,2,Credit Rating,1,Credit Score,1,Crimea,4,CRM,1,Croatia,2,Crypto Currency,16,Cryptography,1,CSTO,1,Cuba,7,Culture,5,Currency,8,Customer Relationship Management,1,Cyber Attack,7,Cyber Crime,2,Cyber Security & Warfare,115,Cybernetics,5,Cyberwarfare,16,Cyclone,1,Cyprus,5,Czech Republic,3,DACA,1,DARPA,3,Data,9,Data Analytics,36,Data Center,2,Data Science,2,Database,3,Daughter.Leslee,1,Davos,1,DEA,1,DeBeers,1,Debt,12,Decision Support System,5,Defense,12,Defense Deals,8,Deforestation,2,Deloitte,1,Democracy,21,Democrats,2,Demographic Studies,1,Demonetization,6,Denmark. F-35,1,Denuclearization,1,Diamonds,1,Digital,39,Digital Currency,1,Digital Economy,10,Digital Marketing,6,Digital Transformation,11,Diplomacy,14,Diplomatic Row,2,Disaster Management,4,Disinformation,2,Diversity & Inclusion,1,Djibouti,2,Documentary,3,Doklam,2,Dokolam,1,Dominica,2,Donald Trump,46,Donetsk,2,Dossier,2,Drones,14,E-Government,2,E-International Relations,1,Earning Reports,3,Earth Science,1,Earthquake,7,East Africa,2,East China Sea,9,eBook,1,ECB,1,eCommerce,11,Econometrics,2,Economic Justice,1,Economics,43,Economy,107,ECOWAS,2,Ecuador,3,Edge Computing,2,Editor's Opinion,49,Education,65,EFTA,1,Egypt,27,Election Disinformation,1,Elections,40,Electric Vehicle,14,Electricity,7,Electronics,8,Emerging Markets,1,Employment,19,Energy,316,Energy Policy,28,Energy Politics,27,Engineering,24,England,2,Enterprise Software Solutions,8,Entrepreneurship,15,Environment,47,ePayments,13,Epidemic,6,ESA,1,Ethiopia,3,Eulogy,4,Eurasia,3,Euro,6,Europe,13,European Union,229,EuroZone,5,Exchange-traded Funds,1,Exclusive,2,Exhibitions,2,Explosives,1,Export Import,6,F-35,6,Facebook,9,Fake News,3,Fallen,1,FARC,2,Farnborough. United Kingdom,2,FATF,1,FDI,5,Featured,1350,Federal Reserve,2,Fidel Castro,1,FIFA World Cup,1,Fiji,1,Finance,18,Financial Markets,58,Financial Planning,1,Financial Statement,2,Finland,5,Fintech,14,Fiscal Policy,14,Fishery,3,Five Eyes,1,Food Security,27,Forces,1,Forecasting,2,Foreign Policy,13,Forex,4,France,33,Free Market,1,Free Syrian Army,4,Free Trade Agreement,1,Freedom,3,Freedom of Press,1,Freedom of Speech,2,Frigate,1,FTC,1,Fujairah,97,Fund Management,1,Funding,22,Future,1,G20,10,G24,1,G7,4,Gaddafi,1,Gambia,2,Gaming,1,Garissa Attack,1,Gas Price,23,GATT,1,Gaza,13,GCC,11,GDP,13,GDPR,1,Gender Studies,2,Geneal Management,1,General Management,1,Generative AI,7,Genetics,1,Geo Politics,105,Geography,2,Geoint,14,Geopolitics,8,Georgia,11,Georgian,1,geospatial,9,Geothermal,2,Germany,67,Ghana,3,Gibratar,1,Gig economy,1,Global Perception,1,Global Trade,95,Global Warming,1,Global Water Crisis,11,Globalization,3,Gold,2,Google,20,Gorkhaland,1,Government,128,Government Analytics,1,GPS,1,Greater Asia,169,Greece,13,Green Bonds,1,Green Energy,3,Greenland,1,Gross Domestic Product,1,GST,1,Gujarat,6,Gulf of Tonkin,1,Gun Control,4,Hacking,4,Haiti,2,Hamas,10,Hasan,1,Health,8,Healthcare,72,Heatwave,1,Helicopter,12,Heliport,1,Hezbollah,3,High Altitude Warfare,1,High Speed Railway System,1,Hillary 2016,1,Hillary Clinton,1,Himalaya,1,Hinduism,2,Hindutva,4,History,10,Home Security,1,Honduras,2,Hong Kong,7,Horn of Africa,5,Housing,16,Houthi,12,Howitzer,1,Human Development,32,Human Resource Management,5,Human Rights,6,Humanitarian,3,Hungary,3,Hunger,3,Hydrocarbon,3,Hydrogen,4,IAEA,2,ICBM,1,Iceland,2,ICO,1,Identification,2,IDF,1,Imaging,2,IMEEC,2,IMF,76,Immigration,19,Impeachment,1,Imran Khan,1,Independent Media,72,India,653,India's,1,Indian Air Force,19,Indian Army,7,Indian Nationalism,1,Indian Navy,27,Indian Ocean,24,Indices,1,Indigenous rights,1,Indo-Pacific,4,Indonesia,19,IndraStra,1,Industrial Accidents,3,Industrial Automation,2,Industrial Safety,4,Inflation,10,Infographic,1,Information Leaks,1,Infrastructure,3,Innovations,22,Insider Trading,1,Insurance,3,Intellectual Property,3,Intelligence,5,Intelligence Analysis,8,Interest Rate,3,International Business,13,International Law,11,International Relations,9,Internet,53,Internet of Things,34,Interview,8,Intra-Government,5,Investigative Journalism,4,Investment,32,Investor Relations,1,iPhone,1,IPO,4,Iran,202,Iraq,54,IRGC,1,Iron & Steel,4,ISAF,1,ISIL,9,ISIS,33,Islam,12,Islamic Banking,1,Islamic State,86,Israel,142,ISRO,1,IT ITeS,136,Italy,10,Ivory Coast,1,Jabhat al-Nusra,1,Jack Ma,1,Jamaica,3,Japan,88,JASDF,1,Jihad,1,JMSDF,1,Joe Biden,6,Joint Strike Fighter,5,Jordan,7,Journalism,6,Judicial,4,Justice System,3,Kanchin,1,Kashmir,8,Kaspersky,1,Kazakhstan,25,Kenya,5,Khalistan,2,Kiev,1,Kindle,700,Knowledge Management,4,Korean Conflict,1,Kosovo,2,Kubernetes,1,Kurdistan,8,Kurds,10,Kuwait,7,Kyrgyzstan,9,Labor Laws,10,Labor Market,4,Land Reforms,3,Land Warfare,21,Languages,1,Laos,2,Large language models,1,Laser Defense Systems,1,Latin America,80,Law,6,Leadership,3,Lebanon,10,Legal,11,LGBTQ,2,Li Keqiang,1,Liberalism,1,Library Science,1,Libya,14,Liechtenstein,1,Lifestyle,1,Light Battle Tank,1,Linkedin,1,Littoral Warfare,2,Livelihood,3,Loans,9,Lockdown,1,Lone Wolf Attacks,2,Lugansk,2,Macedonia,1,Machine Learning,7,Madagascar,1,Mahmoud,1,Main Battle Tank,3,Malaysia,12,Maldives,13,Mali,7,Malware,2,Management Consulting,6,Manpower,1,Manto,1,Manufacturing,15,Marijuana,1,Marine Engineering,3,Maritime,50,Market Research,2,Marketing,38,Mars,2,Martech,10,Mass Media,29,Mass Shooting,1,Material Science,2,Mauritania,1,Mauritius,2,MDGs,1,Mechatronics,2,Media War,1,MediaWiki,1,Medicare,1,Mediterranean,12,MENA,6,Mental Health,4,Mercosur,2,Mergers and Acquisitions,18,Meta,2,Metadata,2,Metals,3,Mexico,13,Micro-finance,4,Microsoft,12,Migration,19,Mike Pence,1,Military,110,Military Exercise,10,Military-Industrial Complex,3,Mining,15,Missile Launching Facilities,6,Missile Systems,56,Mobile Apps,3,Mobile Communications,11,Mobility,4,Modi,8,Moldova,1,Monaco,1,Monetary Policy,6,Money Market,2,Mongolia,11,Monkeypox,1,Monsoon,1,Montreux Convention,1,Moon,4,Morocco,2,Morsi,1,Mortgage,3,Moscow,2,Motivation,1,Mozambique,1,Mubarak,1,Multilateralism,2,Mumbai,1,Muslim Brotherhood,2,Mutual Funds,1,Myanmar,30,NAFTA,3,NAM,2,Namibia,1,Nanotechnology,4,Narendra Modi,2,NASA,13,National Identification Card,1,National Security,5,Nationalism,2,NATO,33,Natural Disasters,14,Natural Gas,33,Natural Language Processing,1,Nauru,1,Naval Base,5,Naval Engineering,23,Naval Intelligence,2,Naval Postgraduate School,2,Naval Warfare,50,Navigation,2,Navy,23,NBC Warfare,2,NDC,1,Nearshoring,1,Negotiations,2,Nepal,12,Netflix,1,Neurosciences,7,New Delhi,4,New Normal,1,New York,5,New Zealand,7,News,1244,News Publishers,1,Newspaper,1,NFT,1,NGO,1,Nicaragua,1,Niger,3,Nigeria,10,Nikki Haley,1,Nirbhaya,1,Non Aligned Movement,1,Non Government Organization,4,Nonproliferation,2,North Africa,23,North America,53,North Korea,58,Norway,5,NSA,1,NSG,2,Nuclear,41,Nuclear Agreement,32,Nuclear Doctrine,2,Nuclear Energy,4,Nuclear Fussion,1,Nuclear Propulsion,2,Nuclear Security,47,Nuclear Submarine,1,NYSE,1,Obama,3,ObamaCare,2,OBOR,15,Ocean Engineering,1,Oceania,2,OECD,5,OFID,5,Oil & Gas,382,Oil Gas,7,Oil Price,73,Olympics,2,Oman,25,Omicron,1,Oncology,1,Online Education,5,Online Reputation Management,1,OPEC,129,Open Access,1,Open Journal Systems,1,Open Letter,1,Open Source,4,OpenAI,2,Operation Unified Protector,1,Operational Research,4,Opinion,685,Opinon Poll,1,Optical Communications,1,Pacific,5,Pakistan,181,Pakistan Air Force,3,Pakistan Army,1,Pakistan Navy,3,Palestine,24,Palm Oil,1,Pandemic,84,Papal,1,Paper,3,Papers,110,Papua New Guinea,2,Paracels,1,Partition,1,Partnership,1,Party Congress,1,Passport,1,Patents,2,PATRIOT Act,1,Peace Deal,6,Peacekeeping Mission,1,Pension,1,People Management,1,Persian Gulf,19,Peru,5,Petrochemicals,1,Petroleum,19,Pharmaceuticals,14,Philippines,17,Philosophy,2,Photos,3,Physics,1,Pipelines,5,PLA,2,PLAN,4,Plastic Industry,2,Poland,8,Polar,1,Policing,1,Policy,8,Policy Brief,6,Political Studies,1,Politics,52,Polynesia,3,Pope,1,Population,6,Portugal,1,Poverty,8,Power Transmission,6,President APJ Abdul Kalam,2,Presidential Election,30,Press Release,158,Prison System,1,Privacy,18,Private Equity,2,Private Military Contractors,2,Privatization,1,Programming,1,Project Management,4,Propaganda,5,Protests,11,Psychology,3,Public Policy,55,Public Relations,1,Public Safety,7,Publications,1,Publishing,7,Purchasing Managers' Index,1,Putin,7,Q&A,1,Qatar,114,QC/QA,1,Qods Force,1,Quad,1,Quantum Computing,3,Quantum Physics,4,Quarter Results,2,Racial Justice,2,RADAR,2,Rahul Guhathakurta,4,Railway,9,Raj,1,Ranking,4,Rape,1,RBI,1,RCEP,2,Real Estate,6,Recall,4,Recession,2,Red Sea,4,Referendum,5,Reforms,18,Refugee,23,Regional,4,Regulations,2,Rehabilitation,1,Religion & Spirituality,9,Renewable,17,Report,4,Reports,46,Repository,1,Republicans,3,Rescue Operation,1,Research,5,Research and Development,24,Restructuring,1,Retail,36,Revenue Management,1,Rice,1,Risk Management,5,Robotics,8,Rohingya,5,Romania,2,Royal Canadian Air Force,1,Rupee,1,Russia,310,Russian Navy,5,Saab,1,Saadat,1,SAARC,6,Safety,1,SAFTA,1,SAM,2,Samoa,1,Sanctions,5,SAR,1,SAT,1,Satellite,14,Saudi Arabia,129,Scandinavia,6,Science & Technology,392,Science Fiction,1,SCO,5,Scotland,6,Scud Missile,1,Sea Lanes of Communications,4,SEBI,3,Securities,2,Security,6,Semiconductor,18,Senate,4,Senegal,1,SEO,5,Serbia,4,Services Sector,1,Seychelles,2,SEZ,1,Shadow Bank,1,Shale Gas,4,Shanghai,1,Sharjah,12,Shia,6,Shinzo Abe,1,Shipping,9,Shutdown,2,Siachen,1,Sierra Leone,1,Signal Intelligence,1,Sikkim,5,Silicon Valley,1,Silk Route,6,Simulations,2,Sinai,1,Singapore,16,Situational Awareness,20,Small Modular Nuclear Reactors,1,Smart Cities,7,Social Media,1,Social Media Intelligence,40,Social Policy,40,Social Science,1,Social Security,1,Socialism,1,Soft Power,1,Software,7,Solar Energy,14,Somalia,5,South Africa,20,South America,46,South Asia,467,South China Sea,35,South East Asia,74,South Korea,57,South Sudan,4,Sovereign Wealth Funds,1,Soviet,2,Soviet Union,9,Space,46,Space Station,2,Spain,9,Special Forces,1,Sports,3,Sports Diplomacy,1,Spratlys,1,Sri Lanka,23,Stablecoin,1,Stamps,1,Startups,43,State of the Union,1,STEM,1,Stephen Harper,1,Stock Markets,23,Storm,2,Strategy Games,5,Strike,1,Sub-Sahara,3,Submarine,16,Sudan,5,Sunni,6,Super computing,1,Supply Chain Management,47,Surveillance,13,Survey,5,Sustainable Development,18,Swami Vivekananda,1,Sweden,4,Switzerland,6,Syria,112,Taiwan,30,Tajikistan,12,Taliban,17,Tamar Gas Fields,1,Tamil,1,Tanzania,4,Tariff,4,Tata,3,Taxation,25,Tech Fest,1,Technology,13,Tel-Aviv,1,Telecom,24,Telematics,1,Territorial Disputes,1,Terrorism,77,Testing,2,Texas,3,Thailand,11,The Middle East,648,Think Tank,316,Tibet,3,TikTok,1,Tobacco,1,Tonga,1,Total Quality Management,2,Town Planning,2,TPP,2,Trade Agreements,14,Trade War,10,Trademarks,1,Trainging and Development,1,Transcaucasus,19,Transcript,4,Transpacific,2,Transportation,47,Travel and Tourism,13,Tsar,1,Tunisia,7,Turkey,74,Turkmenistan,10,U.S. Air Force,3,U.S. Dollar,2,UAE,139,UAV,23,UCAV,1,Udwains,1,Uganda,1,Ukraine,109,Ukraine War,21,Ummah,1,UNCLOS,7,Unemployment,1,UNESCO,1,UNHCR,1,UNIDO,2,United Kingdom,82,United Nations,28,United States,750,University and Colleges,4,Uranium,2,Urban Planning,10,US Army,12,US Army Aviation,1,US Congress,1,US FDA,1,US Navy,18,US Postal Service,1,US Senate,1,US Space Force,2,USA,16,USAF,21,USV,1,UUV,1,Uyghur,3,Uzbekistan,13,Valuation,1,Vatican,3,Vedant,1,Venezuela,19,Venture Capital,4,Vibrant Gujarat,1,Victim,1,Videogames,1,Vietnam,24,Virtual Reality,7,Vision 2030,1,VPN,1,Wahhabism,3,War,1,War Games,1,Warfare,1,Water,17,Water Politics,7,Weapons,11,Wearable,2,Weather,2,Webinar,1,WeChat,1,WEF,3,Welfare,1,West,2,West Africa,19,West Bengal,2,Western Sahara,2,White House,1,Whitepaper,2,WHO,3,Wholesale Price Index,1,Wikileaks,1,Wikipedia,2,Wildfire,1,Wildlife,3,Wind Energy,1,Windows,1,Wireless Security,1,Wisconsin,1,Women,10,Women's Right,11,Workers Union,1,Workshop,1,World Bank,34,World Economy,32,World Peace,10,World War I,1,World War II,3,WTO,6,Wyoming,1,Xi Jinping,9,Xinjiang,2,Yemen,27,Yevgeny Prigozhin,1,Zbigniew Brzezinski,1,Zimbabwe,2,
ltr
item
IndraStra Global: OPINION | South China Sea Conflict: An Outcome of Unresolved Issues in UNCLOS and “Freedom of the Seas” Principle
OPINION | South China Sea Conflict: An Outcome of Unresolved Issues in UNCLOS and “Freedom of the Seas” Principle
UNCLOS does not resolve all issues and many problems exist. As UNCLOS ''marked a fundamental compromise between the preservation of freedom of navigation in return for a preferential share of high seas mineral resources for the developing world,'' and is designed ''to balance the rights of users or maritime states to a reasonable degree of freedom of the seas, with the interests of coastal states to protect and safeguard their sovereignty, marine resources and environment.'', it is ambiguous on many issues, and only offers general rules and principles.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF5YBcDNV6JC0b4zwVvzVzDi_E7ty6ppy8RnlDNCszl3e5p4LYjsjo0mmfR06CXlp3m-vC55Vy9bkYGX43pc1FMenLvpWUIllu06bfaBnOypGK7tDv-QnbtDuHmF-2XCLRB6w0ofg9H7k/s640/scsf.JPG
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF5YBcDNV6JC0b4zwVvzVzDi_E7ty6ppy8RnlDNCszl3e5p4LYjsjo0mmfR06CXlp3m-vC55Vy9bkYGX43pc1FMenLvpWUIllu06bfaBnOypGK7tDv-QnbtDuHmF-2XCLRB6w0ofg9H7k/s72-c/scsf.JPG
IndraStra Global
https://www.indrastra.com/2015/12/OPINION-South-China-Sea-Conflict-An-Outcome-of-Unresolved-Issues-0549.html
https://www.indrastra.com/
https://www.indrastra.com/
https://www.indrastra.com/2015/12/OPINION-South-China-Sea-Conflict-An-Outcome-of-Unresolved-Issues-0549.html
true
1461303524738926686
UTF-8
Loaded All Posts Not found any posts VIEW ALL Readmore Reply Cancel reply Delete By Home PAGES POSTS View All RECOMMENDED FOR YOU LABEL ARCHIVE SEARCH ALL POSTS Not found any post match with your request Back Home Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat January February March April May June July August September October November December Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec just now 1 minute ago $$1$$ minutes ago 1 hour ago $$1$$ hours ago Yesterday $$1$$ days ago $$1$$ weeks ago more than 5 weeks ago Followers Follow THIS PREMIUM CONTENT IS LOCKED STEP 1: Share to a social network STEP 2: Click the link on your social network Copy All Code Select All Code All codes were copied to your clipboard Can not copy the codes / texts, please press [CTRL]+[C] (or CMD+C with Mac) to copy Table of Content