China's Nine-Dotted Lines in the South China Sea: The 2011 Exchange of Diplomatic Notes
Ocean Development & International Law, Vol. 43, No. 1, pp. 35-56, 2012
26 Pages Posted: 5 Aug 2011 Last revised: 13 Feb 2012
Date Written: August 5, 2011
Abstract
Important events relating to the sovereignty dispute over the Spratly Islands have arisen by fits and starts since 2009, marking the start of a new phase in the legal battle over territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea. While exchange of legal arguments between parties in this battle has gradually laid bare their maritime claims, much still remains shrouded in uncertainty. Among the obscure claims wanting in clarification is China’s infamous nine-dotted-line map, which has recently elicited response and counter-response between the Philippines and China. This article revisits the maritime and territorial claims of the Philippines and China as revealed in the recent discord over the nine-dotted-line map.
Keywords: law of the sea, South China Sea, Spratly Islands, Kalayaan, nine-dotted lines
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