Skip to Main Content

China's Law of the Sea: The New Rules of Maritime Order

Online ISBN:
9780300271546
Print ISBN:
9780300256475
Publisher:
Yale University Press
Book

China's Law of the Sea: The New Rules of Maritime Order

Isaac B. Kardon
Isaac B. Kardon
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Find on
Published online:
21 September 2023
Published in print:
28 March 2023
Online ISBN:
9780300271546
Print ISBN:
9780300256475
Publisher:
Yale University Press

Abstract

This book is the first comprehensive study of the law and geopolitics of China's maritime disputes. It provides a rigorous empirical account of whether and how China is changing “the rules” of international order—specifically, the international law of the sea. Conflicts over specific rules lie at the heart of the disputes, which are about much more than sovereignty over islands and rocks in the South and East China Seas. Instead, the main contests concern the strategic maritime space associated with those islands. To consolidate control over this vital maritime space, China's leaders have begun to implement “China's law of the sea”: building domestic legal institutions, bureaucratic organizations, and a naval and maritime law enforcement apparatus to establish China's preferred maritime rules on the water and in the diplomatic arena. The book examines China's laws and policies to defend, exploit, study, administer, surveil, and patrol disputed waters. It also considers other claimants' reactions to these Chinese practices, because other states must acquiesce for China's preferences to become international rules. China's maritime disputes offer unique insights into the nature and scope of China's challenge to international order.

Contents
Close
This Feature Is Available To Subscribers Only

Sign In or Create an Account

Close

This PDF is available to Subscribers Only

View Article Abstract & Purchase Options

For full access to this pdf, sign in to an existing account, or purchase an annual subscription.

Close