© The Author 2012. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved doi: 10.1093/chinesejil/jms054; Advance Access publication 14 December 2012 Fisheries in the South China Sea: A Centrifugal or Centripetal Force? Erik Franckx* Abstract The present paper intends to have a look at fisheries in the South China Sea in order to find out whether this particular issue is a problem solver or rather a problem creator in this region characterized by tense inter-State relation ships at present. In this part of the world’s ocean, dominated by maritime features such as the Paracels and the Spratleys, i.e. shallow areas, sometimes drying only at low tide, and sometimes at high tide as well, fish is a plentiful resource relied upon by many fishermen of the surrounding countries as a source of income. If we take Europe as an example, fisheries seem to have the dual capability to either trigger disputes between States, resulting some times in outright fish wars, or to provide a means of furthering integration between States, such as has been accomplished by the European Common Fisheries Policy. In the South China Sea a similar duality can be witnessed. At times, fishermen have dramatically influenced the relations between * Research Professor, President of the Department of International and European Law, Director of the Centre for International Law and Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Law and Criminology at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB; Pleinlaan 2, B- 1050, Brussels, Belgium;
[email protected]). He holds teaching assignments at the Vesalius College, VUB, Université Libre de Bruxelles, the Brussels School of International Studies (University of Kent at Canterbury), the Program on Inter national Legal Cooperation (Institute of European Studies, VUB) and the Univer sité Paris-Sorbonne Abu Dhabi.