The south china sea arbitration case and the consequences for the legal regime of islands in international law regarding unclos article 121.3
| Autor | Fernando Villamizar Lamus |
| Cargo | Director de la Carrera de Derecho, Universidad Bernardo O´Higgins (Chile) |
| Páginas | 11-34 |
VILLAMIZAR LAMUS, Fernando (2020): “THE SOUTH CHINA SEA ARBITRATION CASE AND THE
CONSEQUENCES FOR THE LEGAL REGIME OF ISLANDS IN INTERNATIONAL LAW
REGARDING UNCLOS ARTICLE 121.3”, Ars Boni et Aequi, Año 16 (2020), pp. 11-34.
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Artículo recibido el 6 de julio de 2020 y aceptado para publicación el 11 de febrero de 2021
THE SOUTH CHINA SEA ARBITRATION CASE AND THE CONSEQUENCES
FOR THE LEGAL REGIME OF ISLANDS IN INTERNATIONAL LAW
REGARDING UNCLOS ARTICLE 121.3
El caso de arbitraje del mar del sur de China y las consecuencias para el régimen jurídico
de las islas en el Derecho Internacional con respecto al artículo 121.3 Convemar
Fernando Villamizar Lamus*
ABSTRACT: This paper aims to determine whether there is uniformity in the
interpretation of the UNCLOS Article 121.3 and whether the Arbitral Award can be
considered as a threat to it. The historical context and the ambitions of the involved parties
are presented and analyzed. In addition, an analysis of the treatment of the island regime
in international case law is carried out, as well as an analysis of the Tribunal’s
interpretation of Article 121.3. The main finding is that there is no contestation regarding
the uniformity its case law interpretation; but a necessary complement given the ambiguity
of Article 121.3.
KEYWORDS: Law of Sea; Islands; Philippines vs. China; South China Sea.
RESUMEN: El presente documento tiene por objeto determinar si existe una unidad de
interpretación del artículo 121.3 de la Convemar y si el laudo arbitral la amenaza. Se
analiza el contexto histórico y las pretensiones de las partes. También se analiza cómo se ha
tratado el régimen insular en la jurisprudencia internacional y cómo el Tribunal interpretó
el artículo 121.3. La conclusión principal es que no hay impugnación de la unidad de
interpretación de la jurisprudencia, sino un complemento necesario dada la ambigüedad del
artículo 121.3.
PALABRAS CLAVE: Derecho del Mar; Islas; Filipinas vs. China; Mar del Sur de China.
INTRODUCTION
In April 2017, publications specialized in security and defense matters reported military
deployments in the Philippine-controlled South China Sea Islands. The Philippine president
Rodrigo Duterte argued that "You try to be friends with everybody, but we have to
maintain our jurisdiction now - at least over areas under our control" (Domínguez, 2017).
This behavior is the result of a very complex series of events that create tension in the
South China Sea; the Arbitral award (Philippines v. China, 2016) examined in this article is
a relevant element for the comprehension of this conflict. This Award can be studied from
many different perspectives. For instance, it can be analyzed from with respect to the
Tribunal’s or law enforcement’s jurisdiction and competence of , but this paper’s aim is
* Director de la Carrera de Derecho, Universidad Bernardo O´Higgins (Chile), fvillamizar@ubo.cl. Código
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0967-1161
Ars Boni et Aequi, Año 16 (2020), pp. 11-34.
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to analyze the Tribunal’s interpretation of the article 121 paragraph 3 of the United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 (UNCLOS)1.
In order to fulfill this objective, the central research questions are the following: How do
International Courts or Tribunals interpret the legal regimen of the Islands according to the
UNCLOS article 121.3? Is there uniformity in the interpretation of this article in preceding
case law? If so, how does the South China Sea Arbitration challenge that consensus? What
repercussions does the South China Sea Arbitration have for the legal regime of islands in
International Law? The hypothesis which will guide this analysis and help resolve these
questions is the following: The South China Sea Arbitration Case does not necessarily
imply a breach in the interpretation and definition of the concept of ‘islands’ in
International Law. This case is merely a clarification of the article 121, especially useful for
island regimes in International Law. In pursuance of this objective, solving these research
questions and testing this hypothesis, the case antecedents will be studied. Thereafter, the
interpretation of the UNCLOS article 121.3 as declared by the Tribunal will be analyzed in
order to determine whether the Award presents a challenge for island definition and
interpretation in International Law. Finally, the paper will address the possible
consequences of the Award regarding the interpretation of islands in International Law.
1. PREVIOUS ISSUES TO CONSIDER IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA
ARBITRATION
1.1 Introduction
The geographical area in dispute, the South China Sea, is a peripheral sea that is part of the
Western Pacific Ocean. It is delimited by the southern part of mainland China, the
Indochinese Peninsula, the Kalimantan island, the Palawan Island, Luzon Island, and the
island of Taiwan. According to the demarcation issued by the International Hydrographic
Organization (IHO), this area of the South China Sea is approximately 3,500,000 square
kilometers large (1,400,000 square miles). The South China Sea contains over 250 small
islands, atolls, cays, shoals, reefs and sandbars, most of which were formed by coral reefs2.
The features are grouped into four archipelagos, which are the Xisha Islands (the Paracel
Islands)3, the Dongsha Islands (the Pratas Islands), the Zhongsha Islands (The Macclesfield
Bank, including the Scarborough Shoal), and the Nansha Islands (the Spratly Islands)4.
1 Article 121 Regime of islands
1. An island is a naturally formed area of land, surrounded by water, which is above water at high tide.
2. Except as provided for in paragraph 3, the territorial sea, the contiguous zone, the exclusive economic zone
and t he continental shelf of an island are determined in accordance with the provisions of this Convention
applicable to other land territory.
3. Rocks which cannot sustain human habitation or economic life of their own shall have no exclusive
economic zone or continental shelf.
2 The names of the most important features in English, Chinese and Filipino are available in the “ Glossary of
Geographic Names Mentioned In This Award” of the Award, P. XIX.
3 The Xisha Islands consist of two archipelagos, which are the Amphitrite group and the Crescent group. The
Yongxing Island (the Woody Island) is located in the Amphitrite group, which is the largest of the Paracel
Islands in the South China Sea.
4 YU (2013) p. 26.
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