Germany scholar: If aggrieved, China _ to quit the law of the Sea Convention News

For years, China has been a strong supporter of the United Nations Convention on the law of the. Recently, however, China has realized that the Convention, in particular its provisions relating to compulsory dispute settlement, may be used by other countries for political purposes. Despite the full knowledge of territorial sovereignty and maritime border dispute is not within the jurisdiction of the dispute settlement mechanism of the Convention, the Philippines continues to provoke a "legal war", South China Sea territorial dispute with China was presented in accordance with the UNCLOS annex VII arbitral tribunal established by the United Nations, called for compulsory arbitration.

In the 70 's of the last century around the United Nations Convention on the law of the negotiating process, China made in respect of the dispute settlement provisions of concern that these provisions "inappropriate" and should not be included in the Convention. China suggested that the separate articles should be written to enable States to decide for themselves whether or not to accept such a compulsory dispute settlement mechanism. After compromises and compromises, negotiations eventually resulted in the agreement, disputes will not be included in the mandatory dispute settlement mechanism within the framework of the Convention; for other disputes, States parties declared in a statement is not accepted. While the latter includes maritime delimitation, historic ownership and sovereignty or the land or other rights in the territory of the island, military operations and law enforcement-related disputes. On August 25, 2006, is submitted pursuant to this provision to the United Nations Secretary-General's written statement, indicated that he did not receive any international judicial or arbitral jurisdiction in these disputes. In other words, has a maritime dispute with China, will no longer apply the referee system, directly from China and the countries concerned through consultations.

But according to the provisions of the United Nations Convention articles No. 288 4th paragraph, about whether the Court or Tribunal with jurisdiction in the event of disputes, the issue should be resolved by the Court or Tribunal to determine, rather than decided by the disputing parties. This related party is a big risk and uncertainty, especially in the face of adherence to the "judicial activism" when the Court of arbitration. A practical example of this is this: on October 29, 2015, established by the unilateral request of the Philippines sea arbitration the arbitral jurisdiction and admissibility decision, ruled that the case continues to trial. Despite international law defines requirements related to the dispute between the "real opposition", but South China Sea Arbitration Tribunal are not sure this actually true or not, but by "inference" establish the existence of a dispute. And as a result, originally belonging to the territorial sovereignty and maritime border dispute, are also related to the Tribunal redefined the ocean topography and sources of maritime rights disputes. As the Tribunal pointed out that China does not set out detailed positions on these issues.

If sea arbitration decision of the arbitral tribunal in the second half by 2016, in violation of China's territorial sovereignty over Nansha Islands way judgment, which is its "redefinition" of the dispute, China is considering to withdraw from the United Nations Convention on the law of the possibility. According to Article No. 317 of the Convention provides that States parties may by notice in writing to the United Nations Secretary-General, denounce the present Convention, and an explanation of its reasons, did not state any reasons shall not affect the validity of exit. Denunciation shall take effect one year after the date of receipt of the notice. Although unable to exit as a ground for its obligations as a party has ever produced, but China can no longer subject to Viet Nam, and Indonesia and Malaysia on the South China Sea, and Japan in the East China sea bound by similar demands.

If you exit the United Nations law of the Sea Convention, whether China will face any serious adverse impact? It simply does not. China will continue to enjoy the majority of the United Nations Convention on the law of advantage, because most of the provisions of the Convention had been considered part of customary international law. The only exception to this might be relevant to the Convention, "regional" clauses, such as deep ocean mining (part XI), the development and transfer of marine technology (part XIV) as well as provisions on compulsory dispute settlement (part XV). United States, for example, while in the past 33 years has not the United Nations Convention on the law of the State party, but it has never had any serious problems. Contrary to United States enjoy under the framework of the Convention's most favorable conditions (such as freedom of navigation and leaps, the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf rights, etc), without having to bear any responsibilities required under the Convention. If you exit the Convention, China will no longer be entitled to seats of judges of the International Tribunal, is no longer represented in the Commission on the limits of the continental shelf, was no longer a member of the International Seabed Authority. China may be under customary international law to claim that foreign interests and resources of the continental shelf, but the energy companies would be excluded from the "zone" exploration and exploitation activities (unless they were made by another State party registration and funding).

Whether China wants to continue to be the United Nations Convention on the law of the State party will depend on the area of judicial and political "cost-benefit" analysis results. The Convention itself provides the exit approaches for China, if its territorial sovereignty in accordance with the decisions of the arbitration tribunal established under the Convention, and its reason to quit. (The author is Germany Institute of public international law, University of Bonn, Director, St Anne's College, Oxford University part-time researchers, this article translated by Wang Xiaoxiong)

Source: global times

Responsible editor: Wang Hao

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德国学者：若受侵害，中国可退出海洋法公约_新闻资讯

　　多年以来，中国一直都是《联合国海洋法公约》的坚定支持者。可是最近，中国却体会到，《公约》、尤其是其中有关强制性争端解决的条款，可能会被其他国家出于政治目的而利用。尽管完全知晓领土主权和海洋边界争端并不在《公约》争端解决机制管辖范围之内，但菲律宾依然挑起一场“法律战争”，将与中国之间的南海领土争议提交给了按照《联合国海洋法公约》附件七设立的仲裁法庭，要求进行强制仲裁。

　　在上世纪70年代围绕《联合国海洋法公约》进行谈判的过程中，中国就对其中的争端解决条款提出关切，认为这些条款“并不适当”，不应被纳入公约。当时中国建议，应将这些条款单列成文，以便各国自行决定是否接受这种强制性的争端解决机制。经过妥协和折中，谈判最终达成的协议规定，某些争端将不被包括在《公约》的强制性争端解决机制框架内；对于其他争端，各签约国则可发表声明宣示不予接受。而后者中主要包括与海洋划界、历史性所有权、主权或有关陆地或海岛领土的其他权利、军事活动以及执法行为有关的争端。2006年8月25日，中国正是依据这一规定向联合国秘书长提交书面声明，表示不接受针对上述这些争端的任何国际司法或仲裁管辖。也就是说，对于与中国之间存在的海洋问题争端，将不再适用裁判制度，而直接由中国与相关国家通过协商解决。

　　但是根据联合国海洋法公约第288条第4款的规定，对于法院或法庭是否具有管辖权如果发生争端，这一问题应由该法院或法庭以裁定解决，而非由争端双方决定。这就为相关缔约国带来了很大风险和不确定性，尤其是在遇到坚持“司法能动主义”的仲裁法庭时。这方面的一个现实例子就是：2015年10月29日，应菲律宾单方面请求建立的南海仲裁案仲裁庭做出关于管辖权和可受理性问题的裁决，裁定该案继续开庭审理。尽管国际法中定义的争端要求相关方之间存在“真实对立”，但南海仲裁案仲裁庭实际上并不能确定这种对立真实与否，而是通过“推论”确立了争端的存在。而且如此一来，原本属于领土主权和海洋边界争端，也被该仲裁庭重新定义成了有关海洋地形地貌和海洋权益来源的争端。正如该仲裁庭指出的那样，中国还未在这些问题中阐明过详细立场。

　　如果南海仲裁案仲裁庭在可能于2016年下半年做出的裁决中，以侵害中国对南沙岛屿领土主权的方式判决这一被其“再定义”了的争端，那么中国不无考虑退出《联合国海洋法公约》的可能。根据《公约》第317条规定，缔约国可给联合国秘书长书面通知退出本公约，并可说明其理由，未说明理由应不影响退出的效力。退出应自接到通知之日起后一年生效。尽管不能以退出为理由解除其作为缔约国时已经产生的义务，但中国未来却可以不再受越南、印度尼西亚或马来西亚有关南海以及日本有关东海的类似诉求的约束。

　　如果退出《联合国海洋法公约》，中国是否会因此面临什么严重不利影响呢？简单来说不会。中国将会继续享有《联合国海洋法公约》带来的大多数有利条件，因为现在该公约的绝大多数条款都已被视作习惯国际法的组成部分。唯一的例外可能是《公约》中有关“区域”的条款，比如深海采矿(第XI部分)、海洋技术的开发与转让(第XIV部分)以及关于强制性争端解决的条款(第XV部分)。以美国为例，虽然过去33年来一直不是《联合国海洋法公约》缔约国，但它从未遇到过什么严重问题。正好相反，美国享受到了《公约》框架下的大部分有利条件(例如航行和飞跃自由、专属经济区和大陆架权益等)，而无需承担任何《公约》所要求的责任。如果退出《公约》，中国将不再享有国际海洋法法庭的法官席位，不再向大陆架界限委员会派驻代表，也不再是国际海底管理局的成员国。中国可能根据习惯国际法来主张对外大陆架及其资源的权益，但其能源公司会被排除在该“区域”的勘探和开发活动之外(除非它们是由另一缔约国注册和资助)。

　　中国最终是否想要继续成为《联合国海洋法公约》缔约国，将取决于司法和政治领域的“成本收益”分析结果。《公约》本身为中国提供了退出途径，若其领土主权受到根据《公约》设立的仲裁法庭所作裁决的侵害，则其就有理由退出。(作者是德国波恩大学国际公法研究所所长、牛津大学圣安妮学院兼职研究员，本文由王晓雄翻译)

　　来源：环球时报

责任编辑：王浩成

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