Sense and sensibility – Addressing the South China Sea disputes

This Report, based on the work of the EU committee of the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP EU), focuses on the territorial disputes that currently put peace and stability in the region at risk.

Assessing the possible implications and consequences of the upcoming ruling from the ICJ’s Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) on the rival claims in the South China Sea, it explores the legal, political and geostrategic dimensions of the disputes. It also examines how the EU, as a party with no territorial claims in the region, may be well-positioned to promote the primacy of international law in its awaited response to the UN Arbitral Tribunal’s decision.

ESO: Background information: Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the EU on Recent Developments in the South China Sea http://www.europeansources.info/record/press-release-declaration-by-the-high-representative-on-behalf-of-the-eu-on-recent-developments-in-the-south-china-sea/

ESO: Background information: Danger on the High Seas: The East Asian Security Challenge http://www.europeansources.info/record/danger-on-the-high-seas-the-east-asian-security-challenge/

Chatham House: Expert Comment, 04.07.16: China's Fury Over South China Sea Belies Its Legal Insecurities https://www.chathamhouse.org/expert/comment/chinas-fury-over-south-china-sea-belies-its-legal-insecurities

---