Normativity and Maritime Competitivity

The Chapter covers contributions from the Asian region to the development of the Law of the Sea, such as the notion of archipelagic States, rules concerning international straits, concern for landlocked states, the challenge of exploitation of deep sea bed resources and related technology transfer, and principles concerning maritime delimitation as linked with equidistance and equity. It analyses key cases involving Asian countries on the issue. Not all is convergent, however, In particular, with the competition for resources and overlapping claims. While some maritime disputes have lent themselves to dispute settlement, others are intractable and difficult to resolve. A case is point is the heavily contested fate of the Spratly Islands which has been addressed by an international tribunal.