United nation convention on the law of the sea: Inevitable way towards revision to overcome south China sea disputes

Abstract

In the authors’ opinions, some provisions and definitions of UNCLOS have serious gaps that lead to various interpretations and misunderstandings by countries. Due to provisional gaps, all parties of the South China Sea Disputes have their own opinions on the UNCLOS interpretations and are confident that they follow International Law. The authors propose that certain provisions of UNCLOS need revised in order to resolve actual disputes and prevent further debates. These provisions include, but are not limited to, the current distinction between an island and a rock; and the strait baseline concept that permits to delineate big sea areas far from the coast.