Sense and sensibility

The report analyzes the volatility of the South China Sea, focusing on the legal battle between the Philippines and China at the Permanent Court of Arbitration. It explores the strategic rivalry between the US and China, the difficulties of joint resource development, and the potential for ecosystem-based governance. The EU maintains a position of 'principled neutrality,' advocating for UNCLOS and the rule of law to ensure regional stability and freedom of navigation.

• The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruling on jurisdiction in October 2015 indicated that China's 'nine-dash line' likely lacks validity as a basis for maritime zone claims and that the Spratly islands do not constitute an archipelago entitled to generate straight baselines.
• Tensions between the US and China are exacerbated by conflicting interpretations of international law regarding military activities within Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs), with the US advocating for high seas freedoms and China requiring permission for foreign military entry.
• Joint resource development in the South China Sea is hindered by the 'implicit recognition' problem, where states fear that agreeing to a joint development area constitutes political recognition of another claimant's validity.
• The 2005 Tripartite Agreement for Joint Marine Scientific Research (JMSU) between China, Vietnam, and the Philippines failed by 2008 due to domestic political pressure in the Philippines, where critics argued it legitimized Chinese claims.
• The Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) approach offers a holistic, transboundary governance model for the South China Sea that prioritizes ecological health and sustainable fisheries over sovereignty disputes.
• The European Union employs a strategy of 'principled neutrality,' avoiding positions on territorial sovereignty while consistently advocating for the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and peaceful dispute resolution.
• China's approach to the PCA arbitration is described as 'non-participatory participation,' where it refuses to participate in proceedings but submits legal arguments via position papers to defend its claims.
• The South China Sea Large Marine Ecosystem (SCSLME) is of critical global importance, contributing approximately 10% of total world fish production.

APA

Pejsova, E., Burnay, M., Duchâtel, M., Ekau, W., Long, R., Odgaard, L., Schultheiss, C., & Tønnesson, S. (2016). Sense and sensibility. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/922c71e2-50d5-4492-b96b-dc62efd43cb0/Report_28_SouthChinaSea_online.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Pejsova, Eva, Matthieu Burnay, Mathieu Duchâtel, Werner Ekau, Ronán Long, Liselotte Odgaard, Christian Schultheiss, and Stein Tønnesson. Sense and sensibility. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2016. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/922c71e2-50d5-4492-b96b-dc62efd43cb0/Report_28_SouthChinaSea_online.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{pejsova2016sense, author = {Pejsova, Eva and Burnay, Matthieu and Duchâtel, Mathieu and Ekau, Werner and Long, Ronán and Odgaard, Liselotte and Schultheiss, Christian and Tønnesson, Stein}, title = {{Sense and sensibility}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2016}, month = may, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/922c71e2-50d5-4492-b96b-dc62efd43cb0/Report_28_SouthChinaSea_online.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }