APaperonSpratlyIsland

PagAsaisoneofseveraltinyislandsknowncollectivelyandmorecommonlyasthe
SpratlyIslands.Thedisputedislets,whicharereferredtotheChineseasNanshaIslands,
andKalayaanIslandstoFilipinos,barelymeasures4squarekilometersoflandcombined
spreadoutinover450,000squarekilometersofsea.Seeminglyinhabitable,countries
around the Pacific have been constantly claiming islands, disputing their opponents
claims,andworse,evenusingmilitaryintimidation.
Threeoftheclaimantstates,TheRepublicofChina,PeoplesRepublicofChina,and
Vietnam support their claims on historical facts while the three other states, the
Philippines,BruneiandMalaysia,refermainlytointernationallawandconventionsto
justifytheirclaims.Thesecountriesclaimsarebrieflystatedbelow.

ChinasClaim

ChinasclaimofthelanddatesbackcenturiestowhenParacelandSpratlyIslandwere
regardedasintegralpartsoftheChinesenationasevidencedbymapscompiledasearly
as the time of Eastern Han dynasty. Furthermore, back in 1883 as the Spratlys and
ParacelswerebeingsurveyedbyGermany,Chinaissuedprotestsagainstthem.The1887
ChineseVietnameseBoundaryconventionsignedbetweenChinaandFranceafterthe
SinoFrenchWarrecognizedChinaastheownerofbothislands.AftertheWorldWarII
ended,ChinaaimedtoblocktheFrenchclaimsovertheWoodyIslandintheParacelsand
drew upthemapshowingtheUshapedclaimontheentireSouthChinaSeawhich
showedtheSpratlyandParacelsinChineseterritoryin1947.Theareawasdefinedasthe
ninedashlineandis,byfar,thelargestportionoftheterritory.ThisclaimbyChina
hasbeenfurthersupportedbyTaiwan.

VietnamsClaim

VietnamimpugnsChinashistoricalaccountofitsclaimontheSpratlyIsland.Itviews
ChineserecordsasnotconstitutingdeclarationandexerciseofsovereigntyandthatChina
didnotdeclaresovereigntyovertheSpratlysuntilafterWorldWarII.

Vietnambaseditsclaimoninternationallawondeclaringandexercisingsovereignty.It
claimstohaveexercisedsovereigntyovertheSpratlyandtheParacelIslandssincethe
17th centuryuntiltheywereinvadedbyChinesearmedforces.Vietnamhadconducted
geographicalandresourcesurveysoftheislandsandtheresultsofsuchwererecordedin
Vietnamese literature and history. The Cairo declaration drafted towards the end of
WorldWarIIbytheAlliesandChinalistedtheterritoriesthataretobereturnedto
China. Despite China being among the authors of the declaration, Spratlys was not
includedinthelist.
AttheSanFranciscoConferenceonthepeacetreatywithJapan,ithasbeenproposedby
theSovietUnionthatParacelsandSpratlysberecognizedaspartofChina.However,the
majorityofthedelegatesrejectedthisproposal.Followingsuch,TranVanHuu,headof
theStateofVietnamsdelegationtotheconferencedeclaredon7July1951thatthe
Paracels and Spratlys were part of Vietnamese territory. This declaration was not
challengedbythe51representativesattheconference.

PhilippinesClaim

Philippinesclaimstartsoffwithan1801mapoftheEastIndiesIsleswhichshowsthe
Spratly Island. The country claims that there was no effective sovereignty over the
islandsuntilthe1930swhenFranceandJapanacquiredtheislands.PursuanttotheSan
FranciscoTreaty,Japanrenouncedtheirsovereigntyovertheislandsandrightstoislands
wererelinquishedwithoutanyspecialbeneficiary,turningtheislandsintoResnulliusand
availableforannexation.ThishasbecomethebasisfortheclaimofthePhilippinesonthe
SpratlyIsland.

The claim is further supported by another basis which is the geographical basis. In
accordancewiththe1982UnitedNationsConventionontheLawoftheSea(UNCLOS),
islandsclaimedbythePhilippineshavebeenshowntoliewithinits200mileExclusive
EconomicZone.Thisargumentwassupportedbythecontentionthattheislandswereres
nullius.AnothercontentionisbasedonthemaritimelawthatopposesPeoplesRepublic
of Chinas extension of its baseline claims to the Spratlys as the latter is not an
archipelagicstate.

OthercountriesClaim

BasedontheUnitedNationsConventionontheLawofSea(UNCLOS),Bruneiclaims
thepartofSouthChinaSeasnearesttoitaspartofitscontinentalsheldandExclusive
EconomicZone(EEZ).In1984,BruneideclaredanEEZthatencompassesLouisaReef
anddeclaredthesouthernpartoftheSpratlyIslandschainaspartofitscontinentalshelf,
makingitpartofitsterritoryandresources.Brunei,however,doesnotpracticemilitary
controlinthearea.
Malaysiasclaimisbaseduponthecontinentalshelfprinciple.Underthisprinciple,it
requiresthattheislandberesnullius,arequirementthathasbeensatisfiedthroughthe
renouncement of Japans sovereignty over the island pursuant to the San Francisco
Treaty.ItclaimsonlyasmallnumberofislandsintheSpratlyIslandsthatarecoveredby
itsExclusiveEconomicZoneof200milesasdefinedbytheUNCLOS.Militarycontrol
has been placed in three islands, namely: Swallow Reef (Layang Layang/Terumbu
Layang/Pulau Layang Layang), Ardasier Reed (Terumu Ubi), and Mariveles Reef
(TerumbuMantanani),whichitconsiderstobewithinitscontinentalshelf.

ConflictbetweenPhilippinesandChina

Asearlyasyear2012,ChinaandthePhilippineshavebeenengagedinalengthy
maritimestandoff,bothsidesaccusingeachotherofintrusionsinthedisputed

ScarboroughShoal.OnJanuary2013,PhilippinesoptedtotakeChinatotheUNTribunal
undertheauspicesoftheUNCLOSinordertochallengeitsclaims.Andrecently,
satelliteimagesreleasedonApril2015showedChinaongoingconstructionofanairstrip
onthereclaimedlandintheSpratlys.Suchactwasdeemedasanassertiveactonthepart
ofChinaandthePhilippinesrespondedbyfilinga3,000pagesupplementalsubmission
totheUnitedNations(UN)ArbitralTribunalpresentingadditionalargumentsand
information.
Chinahasalsorepeatedlyrefusedtoparticipateinthearbitrationproceedingsinsisting
theyhaveindisputablesovereigntyovertheentireSouthChinaSea.Theyhave
deployedmultipleNavalvesselstotheareatoblockshipsaswellasfishermenfromthe
Philippinesfromgoingtothearea.

PhilippinesInitiationofArbitration

A submission of dispute to international arbitration requires an agreement reached

betweentwopartiesconcerned,whichinthiscase,includesChina.However,Philippines
failedtoobtainsuchconsentfromChinabeforeitinitiatedtheArbitration.Assuch,
Chinaexpressednonacceptanceofthearbitrationastheformercommittedtoresolving
itsdisputedwiththePhilippinesthroughbilateralnegotiations.Moreover,theyinsiston
havingindisputablesovereigntyovertheentireSouthChinaSea.
The Philippines initiation of arbitration is based on the UNCLOS. However, such
conventioncannotbeappliedtoallmaritimeissues.Thedisputeoverislandsismainly
territorialandisnotcoveredbytheConvention.Moreover,asignatorytotheconvention
mayrefusetoacceptthejurisdictionofanyinternationaljusticeorarbitrationaslongasit
makesadeclaration,towhichtheChinaexerciseditsrightasasignatory.Ithasbeena
commonplacepracticeamongbigcountriesliketheUnitedStatestotakethepositionof
notacceptingjurisdictionnorenforcingtherulingsofrelatedinternationallitigationor
arbitration.ItwouldthenturnoutunfairtoaccuseChinaofdisobeyingtheinternational
lawonthegroundthatithasnotacceptedthearbitration.Itwouldseemthenthatbilateral

negotiationsandconsultationswouldbethemostpreferredoptionasChinarefusedto
yield.
Another view on this, however, has been expressed in an article by Daniel Wagner
entitledChinasImperialOverstretchandChinaandtheMosquitoes.Theyargued
thattheSpratlyIslandquestionisatestonwhetherornottheChinawillbegintoactasa
responsiblememberoftheinternationalcommunityandassuchwouldbewillingto
engageothercontestantsinarulesbasedregimeinaccordancewithestablishednormsof
diplomacy.
TherearehangingquestionsonwhetherChina,despitebeingapartytoUNCLOS,canbe
subjecttothecompulsoryjurisdictionoftheInternationalTribunalfortheLawofthe
Sea, as well as the legal weight of the tribunals advisory jurisdiction. It has been
admittedbythePhilippinePresidentBenignoAquinothatPhilippines,standingalone,is
nomatchforChinasmilitaryandeconomicmight.ThefactthatChinesemilitaryassets
arebeingdeployed(afactwhichmakesitnotconduciveforconstructiveagreement)will
seemtoonlyfurtherostracizeChinafromtheinternationalcommunity.Suchviewwould
seemtomakesenseofthePhilippinesrelianceoninternationaltribunalasopposedto
thebilateralnegotiationsbeingpushedforwardbyChina.

TheHague

An arbitration court in the Netherlands ruled that it has jurisdiction to hear some
territorialclaimsthatthePhilippineshasfiledagainstChinaoverthedisputedarea.Ithas
found authority to hear the submissions under the UNCLOS and that Chinas
unwillingnesstoparticipatedidnotdeprivethetribunalofjurisdiction.Althoughinthe
process of reviewing the lengthy decision, the tribunal said that the arbitration will
proceedtobeconsideredonitsmeritandaddedthatinaccordancewiththetermsofthe
UNCLOS,thedecisionofthetribunalwouldbelegallybindingonboththePhilippines
andChina.

AbirdseyeviewonthedisputewouldrevealtwoverydifferentviewsbytheStates.One
partybelievesinthepowerofhistorytodeterminewhohassovereigntyoverwhatwhile
theotherpartybelievesthattheapplicationofthelawistheproperwaytosolvedisputes
oversuch.Asthereareconflictingviewsonwhattherightsolutionis,itonlyservesto
addmoreconfusiontothedisputeandtotheemergenceofirreconcilableterms,which
willmakeitdifficult,ifnotimpossible,toputanendtotheconflictsanddisputes.

Sources:
http://www.bbc.com/news/worldasiapacific13748349
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/119660/inphotoschinasconstructionofmilitarybases
insouthchinasea#ixzz3xwekBfdA
http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2015/12/28/filipinoprotesterslandonpagasaislandin
disputedsouthchinasea.html
http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2015/10/30/arbitrationcourtSouthChinaSea
Philippines.html
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/phlchinarunwaysheightensea000000547.html?
linkId=20438878
http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2015/07/14/westphilippinesea101maritime
entitlements.html
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/03/vietnamprotestsafterchinalands
planeondisputedspratlyislands

SubmittedBy:
DelaFuente,RachelAnnM.
2014400059
Section2B
January22,2016,Friday
PublicInternationalLaw