China’s act violates 1982 UNCLOS: South Korean expert

Sharing the world public’s condemnation of China’s illegal placement of an oil rig in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf in the East Sea, an expert from the Republic of Korea (RoK) has affirmed that China’s act violates the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Based on the UNCLOS, a State has special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources, including energy production from water and wind, in an exclusive economic zone (EEZ), Prof. Dr. Kim Tae-wan, head of the Political Science Department under the Dong-eui University told Vietnam News Agency reporters in the RoK on May 15. He added that the EEZ stretches from the baseline out to 200 nautical miles (around 370km) from a country’s coast.

Chinese ship ramming into Vietnamese ship. Photo: qdnd.vn

Meanwhile, since May 2, China has been stationing its Haiyan Shiyou-981 drilling rig at 15 degrees 29 minutes 58 seconds north latitude and 111 degrees 12 minutes 06 seconds east longitude. The location is 80 nautical miles deep inside Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone.

Thus, the Korean expert came to the conclusion that China’s unilateral act of placing the rig in Vietnam’s EEZ infringes upon the 1982 UNCLOS.

A scholar at the International Research Institute under the China-based Tsinghua University, Kim Tae-wan is an expert on international relations, especially the external policy of China and the US-China ties.

He is also the author of a piece of research on “International sea law’s impacts on addressing the disputes in exclusive economic zones in Northeast Asia”.

According to the Vietnam Fisheries Surveillance Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, by May 15 China had deployed 99 ships (38 coast guard vessels, 19 logistical boats, eight tugs, four warships and 30 fishing ships) and different aircraft to the area where the rig stands illegally in Vietnam’s waters.

Chinese ships have repeatedly rammed and fired water cannons at Vietnamese coast guard and fisheries surveillance ships, which are carrying out their law enforcement missions in the country’s waters, causing damage to boats and leaving several fisheries surveillance officers injured.