The origins and development of the South China Sea maritime dispute

Abstract

The South China Sea maritime dispute has evolved considerably over the past five decades. Once it was once a regional dispute over maritime claims left over from the past that did not trouble the main business of governments at the time. Accordingly, China has resorted to pressure tactics against the ASEAN claimants, Vietnam and the Philippines in particular, to recognise its claim. The need to define maritime borders was an accompaniment to the task of state formation in the postcolonial era. This was China's southern maritime frontier, an indeterminate area that was distant from the mainland and not part of the empire proper. In April 1935, the committee drafted a map of the South China Sea, 30 The U-shaped line was supposed to be the median line between China and the coastal states, but the baselines used were unclear. The oil reserves of the South China Sea attracted attention in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Show more