Cooperation In Contentious Waters?

The South China Sea is a significant region for the millions of people dependingon its waters for food, commercially for the vital shipping routes linking theIndian and Pacific Oceans, and strategically for the eight countries engaged inongoing territorial disputes in the region. But often overlooked is the fact theSouth China Sea serves as a crucial habitat for coral reefs, mangrove forests, andother integral components of our world’s marine ecological heritage. China’sunique and ambitious territorial claims in the South China Sea have sparkedintense debate by the international community, culminating with the Philippines’sJanuary2013suit against China before an arbitral forum as provided by theUnited Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. This dissertation addresses thelegal theory behind China’s historically based “nine-dash line” claim, andconsiders the impact of the ongoing South China Sea territorial disputes oncooperative marine environmental protection efforts and the joint management ofthe area’s natural resources.