The Spratlys is not the only disputed group of reefs and islands in the South China Sea. The Paracel Islands, Scarborough Shoal, and Pratas Reef and Island are also disputed. This article reviews the ...contemporary history of the Paracels dispute, estimates of their economic and strategic importance, the role of the Paracels dispute in Sino-Vietnamese relations, and the relationship of the dispute to other sovereignty disputes and maritime delimitation in the South China Sea. The conclusion reviews the interconnected nature of the Spratly and Paracels maritime disputes in the context of China-ASEAN relations and poses scenarios for future conflict resolution strategies. The argument here is that a multilateral solution to the dispute over maritime delimitation in the Spratlys area and the central part of the South China Sea will require a bilateral solution of the bilateral dispute over sovereignty concerning the Paracels. Sino-Vietnamese talks concerning the Paracels could play a constructive role in paving the way for a more comprehensive solution of sovereignty disputes, and thus play a major role in further improving overall relations between China and ASEAN.
In a rapidly globalising world, it is imperative that not only the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but other ministries as well, realise their responsibility for funding and utilising research ...on development in poor countries and regions, in all parts of the world. To convince the ministries that they can no longer have a research policy that is focused narrowly on Norway should be a strategic aim of the Research Council of Norway. The funding for the Research Council's programme 'Development Paths in the South' has been far too limited (NOK 20 million per year). If they were better funded, such programmes could be used to engage the country's leading research institutions in research on poverty and development worldwide. Such research must not be the prerogative of a community called 'development researchers'; furthermore, it should address both global issues and local and regional issues in all parts of the world, not just 'the South'.
In March 2013, the European Parliament adopted its report on EU-China relations, in which it urges China unequivocally to commit itself to observing the UN Charter and international law in the ...pursuit of its goals abroad. The developmental trend in the South China Sea region moved from maritime cooperation to conflict escalation during the period between July 2011 and April 2012. Also in November 2012, China included a map of its territorial and maritime claims inside its passport. India, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam lodged protests against the Chinese act. Hanoi and Manila interpreted it as a new sign of Beijing's assertive moves in the South China Sea. Taiwan responded by stating that the Republic of China is a free and sovereign state and is not part of the People's Republic of China. In January 2013, Sinomaps Press published the new vertical-format maps of China, which include more than 130 islands and islets in the South China Sea.
On 4 November 2002, China and ASEAN signed a Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (ASEAN, 2002). Incidents related to occupation of islands, 'illegal' fishing and oil ...exploration had been major irritants in the relationship between China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam during the 1990s. The declaration on a code of conduct reflects the complexity of the South China Sea dispute: it is a multilateral agreement between one major power and an association of ten states. However, China remains adamant that it will resolve the South China Sea dispute only through bilateral negotiations. For this policy to produce results, bilateral talks with Vietnam will be essential. On 25 December 2000, China and Vietnam signed bilateral agreements on maritime delimitation and fishery cooperation in the Gulf of Tonkin, and experts from the two countries also discussed the larger disputes in the South China Sea. However, two years later, the bilateral agreements had still not entered into force and negotiations over supplementary protocols had stalled. This article describes the Sino-Vietnamese rapprochement in the 1990s, analyses the South China Sea 'irritant', presents the Gulf of Tonkin agreements and discusses the prospects for a Sino-Vietnamese initiative to resolve the South China Sea dispute.
The South China Sea Tønnesson, Stein
Asian survey,
06/2015, Letnik:
55, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
The article looks at three ways in which international law has affected government behavior in the South China Sea. It has exacerbated disputes. It has probably curtailed the use of force. And it has ...made it difficult to imagine solutions that violate the law of the sea.
