Defining the baselines for off-shore islands and groups of islands in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982- Practical analysis of China’s baselines

Abstract

On December 12, 2019, China sent to the United Nations the Note Verbale No. CML/ 14/2019 in order to affirm its claims in the South China Sea (known as the ‘four-sha claim’). This note is a response to Malaysia's submission to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf on 12 December 2019. Undoubtedly, the event has created a ‘diplomatic war’ between the concerned stakeholders, including the United States, a country with indirect interests in the South China Sea. In this paper, the author mainly focuses on analyzing the legal aspects of defining the baselines for off-shore islands and groups of islands in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982. The article will then examine and analyze the baselines defined in the documents published by China, including the Note CML/14/2019 in order to clarify the 'baselessness' and 'illegality' of these claims in the South China Sea.