The South China Sea encompasses a number of land and maritime disputes and while the majority of the maritime claims within the region are or will be generated from islands and other maritime features such as rocks, reefs, atolls, and cays, a threshold issue will be the capacity of these features to generate maritime zones consistent with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. In this regard, particular legal questions arise as to whether these maritime features are Article 121 (1) islands, or Article 121 (3) rocks. Even when those matters are determined, there will remain issues as to how these features will be considered for the purposes of delimiting EEZ or continental shelf maritime boundaries. Some of these matters have been highlighted by the January 2013 application by the Philippines to invoke Part XV dispute resolution against China via Annex VII Arbitration. This seminar will assess these legal questions, and also consider the ICJ’s 2012 decision in Nicaragua/Colombia which has particular relevance to some of these legal issues.

Please RSVP by Wednesday 22 May 2013
E rsvp@law.anu.edu.au

Please note the change of venue to the Gareth Evans Theatre

Please see the flyer below for more information

Please note: Parking is severely limited. Alternative transport is highly recommended.