SOUTH CHINA SEA

DISPUTE
South China Sea Dispute At a Glance From The Perspective Of Malaysia

Made By:
1) Pratham
2) Advait
3) Saachi
4) Gauree
 Geography & Importance Of
South China Sea
 Marginal Sea of the Western Pacific Ocean.
 Area - 3,500,000 km2
 Surrounded by China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines &
Brunei.
 Natural Resources:
• 7.7 Billion Barrels Of Oil
• 266 Trillion Cubic Feet Of Natural Gas
• 1/3 Of World’s Marine Biodiversity.
Map Of South China Sea
Trade Map Of South China Sea
 History Of South China Sea Conflict
 During World War II, the Empire of Japan used the islands in the
South China Sea for various military purposes.
 Indicated by the Kuomintang government of the PRC (People’s
Republic Of China) in 1947, PRC claims to the South China Sea.
 The PRC made various claims to the islands during the 1951 Treaty
Negotiations.
 From 2013 to the beginning of 2018, China carried out land
reclamation in the South China Sea.
 About South China Sea Conflict
 There Existed Maritime & island claim disputes between different
sovereign states in the region.
 Legal ,territorial & Political disputes persist, primarily over the
Spratly and Paracel Islands
 Against UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the
Sea).
 UNCLOS enshrines the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), a 200
Nautical Kilometers Region that extends sole exploitation rights to
coastal nations over marine resources.
 Implications Of The Conflict
 Growth of military exercises and deployments in the South China
Sea By The United States.
 Deterioration of US-China relations can put the Southeast Asian
countries in a tough spot.
 Serious Environment Changes causing increase in Global Warming.
 Dredging process (Construction Of Artificial Islands) has a
significant environmental consequence.
 Possible Outbreak of World War 3
 Role Of Malaysia In the Conflict
 Claims the Features in the Southern Spratley that falls inside the
border of Malaysian Sea.
 Overlapping sovereignty claims with The Philippines and Vietnam in
the Spratly Islands, and overlapping maritime boundaries with those
two and Indonesia.
 Exploration by Malaysia’s Petronas in the sea recently triggered
a three-way standoff.
 Not conducive to any international confrontations.
 Legality Of The Claim
 Based on its corresponding claim to a continental shelf as defined by:
• 1966 Law
• 1979 Map
• 2009 Joint Submission with Vietnam
 Claimed that the country enjoys rights to certain maritime features
because they fall within its EEZ.
 This claim is inconsistently referenced
 Political Statements Of Malaysian Leaders
 “Just because you have enemies, doesn’t mean your enemies are my
enemies….I think we have enough level of trust that we will not be
moved by day-to-day politics or emotions.”
– Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, 2013
- Reference to the China
 “We’ve been monitoring, they strayed into our waters…That’s a
natural thing. As long as it was an innocent passage, that is okay with
us.”
– General Zulkifeli M. Zin, 2014
- Reference to the China
 Actions To Prove Claims
 1983: Malaysian troops occupied Swallow Reef.

 1986: Malaysia occupied Ardasier and Marivales Reefs.

 1987: Malaysia occupied Dallas and Louisa Reefs.

 1998: Malaysia occupied Erica Reef.

 1999: Malaysia occupied Navigator Reef.

 Settlement Of The Conflict
 Diplomacy – Settle the Conflict By Meeting & Agreement.
 War – Fight with each other and take over The Land.
 Limit their claim to the areas of 200 nm of the Special Economic
Zone following the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
 Lay out their claims and allow a neutral party to adjudicate based on
the UNCLOS or any other relevant international laws.
 DEFINITIONS
1) Marginal - Relating To Or At The Edge Or Margin
2) Maritime - Connected With The Sea, Especially In Relation To
Seaborne Trade Or Naval Matters
3) Sovereign - Possessing Supreme Or Ultimate Power

FULL - FORMS
4) UNCLOS - United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
5) EEZ – Exclusive Economic Zone