18 August 2010 | CIL Seminar Series (This event was by invitation only)

The Sino-US controversy over military activities in the exclusive economic zone: Strategy and Law

Introduction

The controversy over the legitimacy of the US military activities in China’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) was triggered by the EP-3 incident of 2001 and escalated by the Impeccable incident of 2009. Relevant official negotiations, track two diplomacy and academic discussions between the two sides have been under way for years. However, not only consensus on some major issues concerned has not been reached so far, but also some more disagreements occur as the US military activities continue and the debate widens and deepens.

This seminar addressed the issues of the US military activities in China’s EEZ from the perspective of strategy and law. Relevant international law which is embodied in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and other instruments concerned, as well as national laws and regulations were systematically examined. Strategic issues and root causes of the Sino-US maritime conflicts were also analyzed. Finally, some maritime confident building measures were also discussed.

About the Speaker

The speaker Dr. WANG Hanling is Professor of International Law and Marine Affairs; Director, Centre for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, Institute for International Law, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and currently a visiting research fellow in the Centre for International Law, National University of Singapore.