The South China Sea Disputes: Territorial and Maritime Differences Between the Philippines and China

Abstract

This article will discuss the ongoing dispute in the South China Sea, specifically the legal issues over territorial and maritime disputes between the Philippines and China. The introduction will lay out the timeline of events and geopolitics in the South China Sea specifically related to the Spratly archipelago. In the second section, I will start by discussing the maritime disputes that the 2016 arbitral award tried to address; these will specifically pertain to historic rights and the status of maritime features in the Spratly Island Archipelago. In the third section, I will discuss the hypothetical sovereignty over the Spratly islands. As section 3 finishes, I will conclude with who has the stronger position to claim sovereignty over the Spratlays.