Appraisal of China’s Claim over the South China Sea

Dagnew SW

Published on: 2025-06-06

Abstract

One of the issues international law deals with is laws related to water bodies. This is because they have been sources of conflicts for many years. And the root cause, as many analysts agree, is the economic interest of states, as water bodies have multidimensional economic benefits.

The South China Sea dispute is one typical example of water bodies’ dispute in the contemporary world. Though many years have passed since the disputes on the sea arose, they have not been solved yet despite some attempts to resolve the dispute amicably. The dispute is not resolved for some reasons, one of which is that the disputants are not in agreement with the implementation of the international law governing it. The other and major reason is the intervention of third parties, like the United States of America (the US), in the negotiation process.

International law of the sea is not implemented properly, and disputes arise despite its existence. This is because, on one hand, there is no mandatory law enforcement and judiciary to implement, and powerful states manipulate it to fit their interests rather than fit common interests and global cooperation. Hence, it is necessary that states have an equal tendency to respect international law so that it will be a solution to several water disputes, and the same shall apply to the South China Sea dispute.