South China Sea: Managing shared resources the key
Published on: Saturday, May 28, 2016
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Kota Kinabalu: Managing shared resources can be key to finding a solution to the political issues concerning the South China Sea, says a China expert Dr Carla Park Freeman (pic).She believes this is an area where Malaysia can take the lead on the merit of its excellent marine conservation policies and initiatives."Because environmental health of the South China Sea is so important and of such high value given the significance of the fisheries here to the regional economies and also as a source of food for people. "Maybe the concern about environmental impact can be a way to engage in some kind of cooperation on how to better manage the shared resources," she said during a roundtable meeting with the media on the South China Sea, Friday.
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She said 20 per cent of people's protein in coastal states comes from South China Sea, a maritime area where Malaysia and few other countries have territorial claims but dwarfed by China who claims nearly all of it. The ocean area is also a major shipping route.
China claims an area defined by the "nine-dash line" and asserts its right to the area going back to centuries ago.Sharing her personal views on the issue, Dr Freeman, who is the Director of Foreign Policy Institute and Associate Research Professor of China Studies from the John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, expressed concern over pointed environmental impacts, some of which were serious, caused by human activities in the South China Sea.
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While it has been reported that countries involved have made their presence in the resource rich ocean areas including that of naval assets, none could compete with China that has among others added more than 3,000 acres to their man-built islands since 2013. The international tension in the region caused by the unresolved situation has not slowed down human activities that have and could further cause serious environmental impacts. Freeman is of the opinion, however, that this could offer a new point of discussion on the table that may lead toward finding a solution to the political issues.
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"Obviously no country will stop claiming. But maybe if they discuss how best to manage the shared resources, it will be a new entry point to the international process in trying to resolve the issue," she said, agreeing that nations share many common concerns over environmental issues particularly that which concerns the livelihood of the population.But to her knowledge, none of the countries has taken the initiative so far and believes Malaysia, known marine conservation efforts, could take a lead.Recently, Malaysia and China have agreed to settle South China Sea-related issues through the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and to speed up the completion of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC).Besides China, Asean countries involved in the overlapping territorial claims in the South China Sea are Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. The overlapping territorial maritime claims had resulted in the signing of the DOC in 2002 between ASEAN and China to pave the way for and draw up the COC as a guideline to avoid any friction in the area.In February this year at the U.S.-ASEAN Press Conference in Sunnyland, California, President Barack Obama reiterated that "the United States will continue to fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows, and we will support the right of all countries to do the same.""Second, with regard to security, the United States and ASEAN are reaffirming our strong commitment to a regional order where international rules and norms — and the rights of all nations, large and small — are upheld. We discussed the need for tangible steps in the South China Sea to lower tensions, including a halt to further reclamation, new construction and militarization of disputed areas. Freedom of navigation must be upheld and lawful commerce should not be impeded."
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The Philippines filed an ongoing lawsuit at the UN International Court of Arbitration, questioning the legality of China's territorial claims which it alleges violates the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos). China has refused to participate in the arbitration, questioning its validity.