Disputes in the South China Sea

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Disputes in the South China Sea DISPUTES IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA OFFICE OF THE HONOURABLE SENATOR THANH HAI NGO S����� S���� CANADA Produced by the office of the Honourable Senator Thanh Hai Ngo Vincent Labrosse, Director of Parliamentary Affairs Angus Wilson, Research Assistant **** Originally published on November 30, 2016 Last updated on February 15, 2017 42nd Parliament, 1st Session Table of Contents Message from the Senator ............................................................................................................................. 1 Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................................... 3 Section A: Maritime Disputes and International Law................................................................................... 5 UNCLOS and the South China Sea .......................................................................................................... 5 Differentiated Levels of Sovereignty ..................................................................................................... 5 Maritime Features and Artificial Islands .............................................................................................. 6 Dispute Resolution Mechanisms ........................................................................................................... 7 United States Navy Freedom of Navigation Operations ........................................................................... 8 The Arbitration Case between China and the Philippines....................................................................... 10 Details of the Award ........................................................................................................................... 12 Section B: Positions of the South China Sea Nations ................................................................................. 14 People’s Republic of China ..................................................................................................................... 14 The Nine-Dash Line ............................................................................................................................ 16 Chinese Activity in the South China Sea ............................................................................................. 17 Republic of China (Taiwan) .................................................................................................................... 19 Taiwan’s Position on the Disputes ...................................................................................................... 19 Socialist Republic of Vietnam ................................................................................................................ 21 The Sino-Vietnamese Relationship ...................................................................................................... 22 Republic of the Philippines ..................................................................................................................... 24 Philippine Activity in the South China Sea ......................................................................................... 25 Malaysia .................................................................................................................................................. 27 Negara Brunei Darussalam ..................................................................................................................... 29 Republic of Indonesia ............................................................................................................................. 29 Republic of Singapore ............................................................................................................................. 30 Section C: International Perspectives on the South China Sea Disputes .................................................... 31 The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) ......................................................................... 31 In Pursuit of a Code of Conduct ......................................................................................................... 31 ASEAN Divided ................................................................................................................................... 32 Commonwealth of Australia ................................................................................................................... 35 European Union and Member States....................................................................................................... 36 Japan ....................................................................................................................................................... 40 Republic of India ..................................................................................................................................... 42 Republic of Korea ................................................................................................................................... 42 Russian Federation .................................................................................................................................. 43 United States of America ........................................................................................................................ 45 Section D: Timeline of Major and Recent Events ...................................................................................... 46 Section E: Impacts of the Disputes ............................................................................................................. 63 Environmental Impacts ........................................................................................................................... 63 Land Reclamation ............................................................................................................................... 64 Fisheries Management ........................................................................................................................ 65 Economic Impacts ................................................................................................................................... 67 Section F: Canadian Policy ......................................................................................................................... 69 Conclusion and Recommendations ............................................................................................................. 72 Recommendations for South China Sea Claimants ................................................................................ 74 Recommendations for Canada ................................................................................................................ 76 Appendix A: Maps ...................................................................................................................................... 78 Appendix B: Land Reclamation in the South China Sea ............................................................................ 80 Appendix C: Senate Inquiry and Motion .................................................................................................... 92 Addendum: Update – February 2017 ........................................................................................................ 102 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................................. 107 Note on Nomenclature Given the long history of occupation and use of the South China Sea by its littoral states, and owing to the contested territorial sovereignty of the maritime features in the region, each geographic feature is often referred to by several different names. In this paper they will generally be referred to by their most common international or English name. These are listed below along with their most prevalent alternatives. The terms used throughout the paper appear in italics. The South China Sea, or portions thereof, is referred to as the South Sea in China, the East Sea in Vietnam, the West Philippine Sea in the Philippines, and the Natuna Sea in Indonesia; The Paracel Islands (or Paracels) are referred to as the Xisha in China and the Hoàng Sa in Vietnam; The Spratly Islands (or Spratlys) are referred to as the Nánshā in China, the Trường Sa in Vietnam, and the Kalayaan Island Group in the Philippines; The Scarborough Shoal is referred to as the Huangyan Dao in China and the Panatag Shoal in the Philippines; Itu Aba Island is also referred to as Taiping Island, particularly in China and Taiwan; Woody Island is referred to as Yǒngxīng in China and Phú Lâm in Vietnam. The names listed here and those used throughout the paper do not constitute an endorsement of any state’s claim to the feature in question. In addition, it should be noted that unless otherwise specified the term “island” is here used in a colloquial sense, without making a declarative statement as to the maritime feature’s status as an island, rock, or low-tide elevation as defined by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The islands, islets, cays, sandbanks, shoals, and reefs of the South China Sea are generally referred to here as “maritime features”. Office of the Honourable Senator Thanh Hai Ngo Message from the Senator The South China Sea has emerged as one of the world’s diplomatic hotspots in recent years. Ringed by the growing economies of Southeast Asia, the
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