The South China Sea channels a third of the world’s shipping and is rich with fisheries, oil and gas deposits. It is also one of the most disputed areas in Southeast Asia and there have been scuffles between countries in recent years. Seven sovereign states, namely Brunei, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam, have been contending over territory within the region of the South China Sea for centuries. Examples of these territorial clashes include claims in the maritime boundary in the Gulf of Tonkin as well as in maritime boundaries off the coasts of Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei. Of course, the argument also involves overlapping claims among the various island chains of the South China Sea basin, including the Spratly Islands and the Paracel Islands, of which have contributed to the intensifying strains between several countries lately.
Personally, I believe that there are several factors as to why so many countries are fighting relentlessly for sovereignty over the two island groups (as depicted in news reports in recent months). Firstly, it is believed that the region around the Spratlys and Paracels is sitting atop vast oil and gas deposits. However, as there has been little detailed exploration of the area, estimates are largely extrapolated from the mineral wealth of the neighbouring area. This approximation ranges from 28 billion barrels to 213 billion barrels, which are figures the U.S. Geological Survey (28 m.) and the Chinese officials (213 m.) have given respectively. Secondly, the abundant fishing prospects within the region are another incentive. In 1988, the South China Sea is believed to be accounted for 8% of world fishing catches, a figure that has grown since then. Combined wit...
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...d set of guidelines for determining national autonomy over territory in the face of competing factual claims. Governments are unwilling to “lose” boundary disputes since they might lose out on economic, political and/or social gains. As such, I believe that these conflicts can only be resolved by reaching a compromise that will benefit the various parties involved. Examples of such approaches include: joint management and exploitation of contested or shared resources (mineral/oil reserves or fishery stocks etc.), joint regulation, or cooperative sharing, of contested and/or shared resources (grazing rights and/or water supplies etc.), negotiated access to the sea for landlocked states or through territorial waters for neighboring states and/or commitments to respect the cultural, historical, or social heritage, as well as political autonomy of national minorities.
When China Ruled the Seas: The reassure fleet of the dragon throne, (1405-1433) by Louise Levathes
The first interpretation of sovereignty that is examined by Flanagan views sovereignty in an international sense. Sovereignty for these leaders means gaining more international power and acceptance. Flanagan argues that major international bodies such as the United Nations will be accepting such an attempt at sovereignty (71). As the second largest country in the world the geographical constraints on uniting Aboriginal people living across the country plays a significant factor. Flanagan also points to the diversity within this group; there are over six hundred bands across the ten provinces in Canada in more than 2,200 reserves. Compounding the geographical constraints facing their unity, Aboriginal bands in Canada often differ from each other significantly in their culture including language religion/customs (Flanagan 71). Many Aboriginal people now choose to live off reserve which further complicates their unity (Flanagan 73). Flanagan highlights that as many small bodies they would not be able to survive in the competition of the international community. Current international governance is extremely complex and Flanagan argues it is unlikely for poor isolated people to succeed (73). One united aboriginal voice is also highly unlikely according to Flanagan; having been freed of one power most bands would not choose to become conne...
First, if the CCP recognizes Taipei as an independent state, the CCP risks losing it bargaining power over the decisions and actions taken in regard to the island. A country’s bargaining power is the strength of a states claim over the disputed territory. A decline in this power mea...
The Takeshima/Dokdo Island, also known as the Liancourt Rocks by other nations, is an island that is located 215km away from mainland Korea while and is also located 250km away from Japan and has been a very well known cause for Japan and Korea to fight over. The two countries have been arguing against one another trying to declare that the island actually belongs to them, rather than trying to find peaceful talks of resolving such an issue. Such dispute did not occur in recent years, but has been going on for decades, from the Japanese declaring annexation in the early 1900s until today, where the current Korean president does not feel there i...
Flanagan, Thomas. "Native sovereignty: Does Anyone Really want an Aboriginal Archipelago?". In Crosscurrents: Contemporary Political Issues, 3rd ed. ed. Mark Charlton and Paul Barker, 9-15. Toronto: Nelson, 1998.
Second, they desire to see no territorial changes that do not accord with the freely expressed wishes of the peoples concerned;
Treaties are formal written agreements between nations. Treaties discussed throughout this paper are regarding the negotiated agreements between several distinct Indigenous Nations and European Settlers in Canada, generally regarding the sharing of land and/or land rights. The sovereign nation known today as Canada was shaped largely through these treaties, and the majority of its land is in part governed by them. Development of these treaties required two vastly different cultures to modify their political traditions and practices in order to amalgamate the two governing systems, resulting in ‘understanding’ and ‘agreement’ by both parties. Although the treaties helped form the diplomatic nation of Canada, the processes used for their creation
The issues surrounding Aboriginal land claims have posed both challenges and opportunities for Canadian unity. Establishing agreements between Aboriginal people and the federal government is quite complex, as the claims are often linked to social issues, governance, and other matters. Many Aboriginals see self-government as having been given to them by the Creator, and view it as a part of their spiritual connection to the land. Regardless, the federal government and Canadian Aboriginal people have been successful in negotiating several important settlements. This dispute however, has also lead to opportunities for Canadian unity. The long history and rich culture of Aboriginal people in Canada not only help define our national identity, but also shape our economic and social well-being. Collaborating with agreement partners help strengthen to approach to treaty implementation. Furthermore, land and resources under the control of these Aboriginal governments are more attractive to investors, and this facilitates partnerships between Aboriginal governments, other governments, and the private sector. As a result, greater prosperity for Aboriginal people and a more promising future for all Canadians may be achieved. The Aboriginal self-determination clearly proves the challenges and opportunities it can bring when dealing with Canadian identity and
By the end of the Ming Dynasty, Chinese emperors sought to influence and establish connections with states along the Indian Ocean through a series of maritime expeditions. The observations and descriptions of the foreign countries were recorded by Chinese expeditioners who were eager to report their findings to the emperor such as Ma Huan. Through his texts named The Overall Survey of the Ocean’s Shores, Ma Huan offers a unique and portrayal of the Afro-Eurasian world. By using the perspective of a Chinese explorer, The Overall Survey of the Ocean’s Shores by Ma Huan provides detailed information about the unknown cultural, social and political structure of the mysterious Muslim world.
Given these sets of circumstances, china, Taiwan and United States have much to gain and even more to lose if an armed conflict erupts in the Taiwan Strait. All three countries have political, economic, and national security issues involved and united states and china are both in competition economic...
Kulasagaran, P. (2012). Five varsities gain autonomy. [online] 27th January. Retrieved from: http://www.thestar.com.my/story.aspx/?file=%2f2012%2f1%2f27%2fnation%2f10550091&sec=nation [Accessed: 26 Mar 2014].
- got around the difficulty of the sui generis character of each maritime boundary differences in legal basis and variability of circumstances. = best scheme available
However, when it is challenged and undermined by other sovereignty states, it proves to be detrimental. The unfortunate event that caused the Malaysia airliner, MH17 to be shot down and causing the lives of 298 people that was on board was due to the sovereignty and control of the peninsula, Crimea becoming the subject of the territorial disputes between Russia and Ukraine when Russia annexed Ukraine in 2014. It depicts not only a country's sovereignty being endangered but also the innocent people that have lost their lives due to the chaotic and selfish conflict between the two countries. Conflicts should be resolved amiably by incorporating numerous activities such as conflict avoidance and conflict resolution. In comparison with Singapore when dealing with external threat over its sovereignty, Singapore did it in an amiable manner. The political issue over the ownership of Pedra Branca (pulau Batu Puteh) took place in December 1979 after the production of a new map drawn by Malaysia which portrayed that Pedra Branca was inside of Malaysian regional waters. This results to a series of protests from Singapore and authority discourses to determine the issue, including requires the trading of reports to learn the responsibility for the island and two bordering islets, middle rocks and south ledge.
Before we delve deeper into this topic, it is imperative to properly provide a definition of sovereignty and lay down some foundation on this topic. There are four different definitions of sovereignty – international legal sovereignty, Westphalia sovereignty, domestic sovereignty and interdependence sovereignty. International legal sovereignty deals with “the practices associated with mutual recognition, usually between territorial entities that have formal juridical independence” (Krasner 4). The main definition of sovereignty that this paper will use is the ...
The conflict mainly focuses on which country should be claiming the island. Many evidences of ownership were stated and debates went over, but there is still no guarantee of naming the owner of the island. Golez, a very reliable source of information, said that China has been doing illegal and inappropriate strategies. Knowing that Philippines lacks warships, China has sent some of theirs in the perimeter area of Scarborough Shoal when the issue of ownership started. Chinese fishermen were also seen trespassing and stealing some charcoals and specimens in the said Island. Because of their actions, Philippines started to question why do China uses force to take over