| Summary: | 碩士 === 淡江大學 === 國際事務與戰略研究所碩士在職專班 === 98 === South China Sea is one of the largest ocean areas following the World’s Five Ocean Areas. In the South China Sea, countries including the People’s Republic of China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei have had the dispute and individual viewpoint over “the Sea Baseline” and “the Principle of Equidistance Median Line” , and even declared their sovereignty by military force. According to United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, all adjacent countries draw the sea line. At the end of 2002, these concerned countries have signed “DECLARATION ON THE CONDUCT OF PARTIES IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA”, but these countries failed to follow this regulation and still argued about its sovereignty, which has resulted in the serious impact on our interests. Since our country gains the sovereignty over the Spratly islands, Paracel Islands, Macclesfield Islands, Pratas Islands and waters around these islands, the South China Sea is not only the issue of sovereignty and the right, but more the issue of our national security.
This study relies on three main points: first, to inspect the current status and problem of South China Sea; second, to realize the point of view over the issue among these concerned countries; third, to examine our South China Sea policy and come up with perspectives and suggestions.
This study has started from our government’s rule in Taiwan since 1949. In 2008 we were in shift of political power first time from KMT to DPP. Over the period of time, these concerned countries to the issue of South China Sea have gone through four stages. How these countries have responded to this issue is included in this study. Due to many factors resulting in the sovereignty issue of South China Sea and changing greatly with time, some additional related information and status in 2009 are also added in this study. This study uses historical research and documents and also gathered information from papers, essays and journals to select directly related data to be included. In addition, by theory this study goes back to inspect our South China Sea policy and how it has been influenced by regional power change.
Before 1949, we had no clear policy over the South China Sea. In 1970s, some countries around South China Sea have had the dispute over the sovereignty. With more complicated political situation and new technologies used in exploring resources, these concerned countries and our country have begun taking new steps to do strategy deployment. By all possible respects of international law and conventions, history and education, these concerned countries have tried to declare the sovereignty over the South China Sea. Following 1990s, although energy problem became an international issue, the use of force power to compete for sovereignty still took place, which has made it an international security issue. Under the involvement of UN Security Council and the States, this issue had changed from “Force Conflict” into “Mutual Trust System”. All concerned countries have found their new opportunities to cooperate among each other.
Our country proclaimed “the Policy Guidelines for the South China Sea” in 1993, and after that our country has more clear policy towards South China Sea strategy. As DPP gained the political power in 1999, she had different view from KMT about “the Policy Guidelines for the South China Sea”, which had resulted in internally political contradiction. In addition, the Policy Guidelines for the South China Sea” was also influenced by external environment. Especially, China has begun doing business and signing mutual freedom trading agreement with these countries and adopting peace ways to solve border dispute, which has reduced some contradiction dispute over South China Sea issue. And this situation has caused the interests of our country to be ignored gradually. However, even under such internal and external restrictions, our country still has to work hard on seeking for our own interests by cooperating with these concerned countries.
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