China and the Law of the Sea Convention Follow the Sea

This study introduces principles and practices of ocean law by discussing particular issues of major concern for less developed states. It maps the development of these issues and how they have influenced the ocean policies of the states in East Asia, especially China. It examines the major nonliving resource in the area, oil, because geological surveys predict enormous offshore oil deposits. In an attempt to extend their boundaries to include as much of the rich seabed as possible, the East Asian states are involved in disputes over boundary methods, island claims, and exploration rights. It also examines management and development of the living resources, as food supplies are depleted by rapidly growing populations and marine pollution. It looks at the concerns of effective national security, involving freedom of navigation and movement. The final chapter concludes by reassessing underlying assumptions in international ocean policy and Chinese ocean policy, and the new focus on the oceans that centered on the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention.