Arbitration
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China dismisses Vietnam’s claim for South China Sea islands
China has dismissed Vietnam’s sovereignty claim for the Nansha and Xisha islands in the South China Sea, saying it is “illegal and invalid” and “China will never accept such claim.” Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei made the comment on late Thursday after Vietnam’s foreign ministry said Vietnam held sovereignty over the Nansha and Xisha islands […]
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Vietnam joins Philippines in case vs China
Arbitration, China, Oil Rig, Paracels, Philippines, Position Paper, South China Sea Dispute, UNCLOS, VietnamMANILA, Philippines – Vietnam submitted its position on the Philippines’ historic arbitration case against China, the first time another South China Sea claimant formally used legal proceedings to challenge China’s expansive sea claims. Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs made the announcement on Thursday, December 11, in response to questions on its stand about China’s position […]
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South China Sea: Why Beijing avoids the court
On 7 December, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released an official position paper outlining China’s legal position on the South China Sea UNCLOS arbitration. This paper appears to serve two purposes. First, China seeks to indirectly participate in the arbitration without formally acknowledging its legitimacy. While the Foreign Ministry has timed the release of this […]
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South China Sea Tensions Flare as Vietnam Files Stance to Court
Tensions over the South China Sea were reignited after Vietnam said it had submitted its stance on the dispute to the international arbitration tribunal reviewing the Philippines’ challenge against China’s claims. Vietnam has asked the arbitration court to take into account its legal rights and interests in the disputed sea region, spokesman Le Hai Binh, […]
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The propaganda war over maritime rights
‘China will work with other countries to further promote a harmonious maritime order.’ Even after years of studying the maritime tensions on China’s periphery, I had to check that I had not misread the 9 December Xinhua dispatch quoting Liu Jieyi, China’s Ambassador to the UN. These reassuring words come on the heels of a […]
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Rebutting China’s Claims
Two years after the Philippines initiated arbitration proceedings against China under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, China belatedly published in the web site of its Ministry of Foreign Affairs its official Position Paper on the arbitration. The Chinese position was divided into three. First, that the UNCLOS ad hoc arbitral tribunal […]
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China and America’s Dueling South China Sea Papers
Beijing is fast approaching a Dec. 15 deadline to submit its defense in the arbitration case against its South China Sea claims brought by the Philippines. That case, brought under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea’s (UNCLOS) compulsory dispute mechanism, is summarized here. The Chinese government has no intention of taking part […]
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US State Department assesses China’s nine-dashed line
Last week the US State Department released a useful report on China’s maritime claims in the South China Sea. As M Taylor Fravel tweeted, it is a must-read for anyone interested in maritime security, the law of the sea, or China’s foreign policy. The report focuses on China’s so-called ‘nine-dashed line‘ and the different interpretations […]
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China reaffirms Spratlys claim, nixes arbitration
Arbitration, ASEAN, China, Code of Conduct, Philippines, Position Paper, President Benig, Scarborough Shoal, South China Sea Dispute, SpratlysCHINA reaffirmed its position Sunday that it will not submit to international arbitration to resolve overlapping territorial claims with the Philippines in the South China Sea, and accused Manila of becoming “increasingly provocative.” The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a six-point position paper on Sunday, a week before the Dec. 15 deadline set by […]
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China condemns US report on South China Sea claims
China claims almost all the South China Sea, believed to be rich in minerals, oil and gas, which has become one of Asia’s biggest potential flashpoints. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan have competing and sometimes overlapping claims on parts of it. The US State Department report, issued on Friday, said that China’s claims […]