- P Y RCHIPElA OS

I , U
HD NO SA- I DON S : SUIHAI llGH sli'
I Da an 19 - 21 In 2014

1he arace| Is|ands D|spute:
Geo-Strateg|c Issues and the ko|e of Internat|ona| Law
|n romot|ng Cooperat|on
Car|y|e A. 1hayer









Paper presented to international conference on
Paracel-Spratly Archipelagoes: Historical Truth
co-sponsored by
University of Da Nang and Pham Van Dong University
Da Nang, Vietnam
June 19-21, 2014
"
1he arace| Is|ands D|spute: Geo-Strateg|c Issues and the ko|e of
Internat|ona| Law |n romot|ng Cooperat|on
Car|y|e A. 1hayer

8ackground
1he aracel lsands (Poang Sa ln vleLnamese and xlsha ln Chlnese) are a group of
approxlmaLely LhlrLy feaLures (small lslands, rocks, reefs and sandbanks) lylng aL Lhe
norLhern end of Lhe seml-enclosed SouLh Chlna Sea. 1he aracel archlpelago conslsLs of
Lwo groups, Lhe AmphlLrlLe group ln Lhe norLheasL and Lhe CrescenL group ln Lhe
souLhwesL. 1he LoLal land area ls esLlmaLed aL roughly elghL square kllomeLres
embraclng a marlLlme zone of 13,000 square kllomeLres.
Chlna's unllaLeral move ln early May ln placlng Lhe M/v Pal ?ang Shl ?ou 981 (P?S? 981)
mega drllllng rlg ln vleLnam's Lxcluslve Lconomlc Zone (LLZ) ralses complex hlsLorlcal,
pollLlcal and legal lssues regardlng compeLlng clalms Lo soverelgnLy. lor example, Lhe
MlnlsLry of lorelgn Affalrs of Lhe eople's 8epubllc of Chlna (8C) asserLs:
xlsha lslands are an lnherenL parL of Chlna's LerrlLory over whlch Lhere ls no dlspuLe.
Chlna was Lhe flrsL Lo dlscover, develop, explolL and exerclse [urlsdlcLlon over Lhe
xlsha lslands. uurlng Lhe norLhern Song uynasLy (960-1126 Au) Lhe Chlnese
governmenL already esLabllshed [urlsdlcLlon over Lhe xlsha and senL naval forces Lo
paLrol Lhe waLers Lhere. ln 1909, Commander Ll Zhun of Lhe Cuandong naval force of
Lhe Clng uynasLy led a mlllLary lnspecLlon mlsslon Lo Lhe xlsha lslands and reasserLed
Chlna's soverelgnLy by holsLlng Lhe flag and flvlng a salvo on Lhe ?ongxlng [Woody]
lsland.
1

Chlna's offlclal accounL ralses quesLlons abouL Lhe concepLs of effecLlve [urlsdlcLlon and
soverelgnLy. unLll Lhe colonlal era Lhe aracel lslands were unlnhablLed. 1hey had no
real economlc value excepL as a LranslenL flshlng ground and a source of guano used ln
ferLlllzers. Chlna's conLacL wlLh Lhese lslands was lnLermlLLenL and noL conLlnuous.

1
MlnlsLry of lorelgn Affalrs, eople's 8epubllc of Chlna, 1he CperaLlon of Lhe P?S? 981 urllllng 8lg:
vleLnam's rovocaLlon and Chlna's oslLlon," !une 8, 2014.
#
1he modern day concepL of soverelgnLy evolved afLer Lhe eace of WesLphalla ln 1648
(or Lhe 1reaLy of WesLphalla) and only applled Lo lndependenL sLaLes. Mohan Mallk
argues, for example:
ln pre-modern Asla, emplres were characLerlzed by undeflned, unproLecLed, and
ofLen changlng fronLlers. 1he noLlon of suzeralnLy prevalled. ln oLher words, Chlna's
clalm LhaL lLs land boundarles were hlsLorlcally never deflned and dellmlLed sLands ln
sharp conLrasL wlLh Lhe sLance LhaL Chlna's marlLlme boundarles were always clearly
deflned and dellmlLed. Pereln lles a baslc conLradlcLlon ln Lhe Chlnese sLand on land
and marlLlme boundarles whlch ls unLenable. AcLually, lL ls Lhe mld-LwenLleLh-
cenLury aLLempLs Lo converL Lhe undeflned fronLlers of anclenL clvlllzaLlons and
klngdoms en[oylng suzeralnLy lnLo clearly deflned, dellmlLed, and demarcaLed
boundarles of modern naLlon-sLaLes exerclslng soverelgnLy LhaL lle aL Lhe cenLer of
Chlna's LerrlLorlal and marlLlme dlspuLes wlLh nelghborlng counLrles. uL slmply,
soverelgnLy ls a posL-lmperlal noLlon ascrlbed Lo naLlon-sLaLes, noL anclenL emplres.
2

unCLCS does noL accepL hlsLorlcal clalms or hlsLorlcal [usLlflcaLlons as Lhe prlme
deLermlnanLs ln deLermlnlng soverelgnLy over marlLlme feaLures and waLers. nelLher
does modern lnLernaLlonal law accepL hlsLorlcal dlscovery of lslands, Lhe proxlmlLy of
marlLlme feaLures Lo a land mass,
3
or Lhe lncluslon of marlLlme feaLures on sLaLe-lssued
maps as sufflclenL evldence Lo supporL a clalm Lo soverelgnLy. lnLernaLlonal law requlres
a sLaLe clalmlng soverelgnLy Lo demonsLraLe conLlnuous occupaLlon and admlnlsLraLlon.
Sam 8aLeman seL off a llvely debaLe when, ln a recenL 8SlS CommenLary, he argued
desplLe much global commenLary suggesLlng LhaL vleLnam has a case Lo supporL lLs
soverelgnLy clalm, closer analysls of Lhe hlsLory of Lhe dlspuLe suggesLs oLherwlse."
lf we Lurn from anclenL hlsLory Lo Lhe sevenLeenLh and elghLeen cenLurles, lL becomes
clear LhaL vleLnam has conslderable ground for lLs clalms over Lhe aracels.
4
ln Lhe
sevenLeenLh cenLury Lhe nguyen Lords commlssloned offlcers from Lhe 8oyal CourL Lo
ralse crews for beLween flve and elghLeen boaLs formlng Lhe Poang Sa lloLllla (!"#

2
Mohan Mallk, PlsLorlcal llcLlon: Chlna's SouLh Chlna Sea Clalms," World Affalrs !ournal, May/!une 2013,
hLLp://www.worldaffalrs[ournal.org/arLlcle/hlsLorlcal-flcLlon-chlna's-souLh-chlna-sea-clalms.
3
Sam 8aLeman, new 1enslons ln Lhe SouLh Chlna Sea: Whose SoverelgnLy over aracels?," 8SlS
CommenLarles, no. 88/2014, May 14, 2014.
4
8o ngoal Clao (MlnlsLry of lorelgn Affalrs) and uy 8an 8len Clol Cuoc Cla (naLlonal 8oundary
Commlsslon), %&' (')*+ ,'- .#*/ 0-1 !"# ."# 2-# ('-+ !-" 2"-+3 4- 5- 67'"+3 4- [vleLnam's
SoverelgnLy over Lhe 1wo Archlpelagoes Poang Sa and 1ruong Sa] Panol: nha xuaL 8an 1rl 1huc, 2013.
$
2"-+3 4-, someLlmes LranslaLed as Poang Sa 8rlgade). 1he Poang Sa lloLllla spenL
approxlmaLely flve monLhs ln Lhe aracel lslands carrylng ouL flshlng, mapplng, surveys
and recoverlng Lhe cargo from merchanL shlps LhaL had run aground.
1he Lmperors of Lhe nguyen uynasLy conLlnued Lo malnLaln Lhe Poang Sa lloLllla.
Lmperor Cla Long formally Look possesslon of Lhe aracels ln 1816. under hls successor,
Lmperor Mlnh Mang, Lhe Poa Sa lloLllla conLlnued Lo survey and map Lhe lslands,
consLrucLed a Lemple (1833), and planLed sLone sLele marklng Lhe klngdom of An nam's
LerrlLorlal clalms.
An nam malnLalned clalms Lo soverelgnLy over Lhe aracels for much of Lhe colonlal era.
under Lhe Lerms of Lhe 1reaLy of Pue ln 1884 lrance assumed responslblllLy for Annam's
exLernal affalrs lncludlng defence of lLs soverelgnLy and LerrlLorlal lnLegrlLy. lor example,
ln 1931 and 1932 lrance proLesLed Lo Lhe CovernmenL of Chlna when auLhorlLles ln
Cuangdong provlnce called for blds Lo explolL guano ln Lhe Poang Sa archlpelago.
lL can be argued LhaL Lhe Clng uynasLy recognlzed Lhe soverelgnLy of Lhe lrench
roLecLoraLe of An nam ln a LreaLy convenLlon slgned ln 1887 and a supplemenL Lo Lhls
convenLlon slgned ln 1893. 1he klngdom of An nam laLer became an AssoclaLed SLaLe of
lrench unlon as Lhe SLaLe of vleLnam.
lrench navy warshlps and CusLoms shlps made frequenL vlslLs Lo Lhe aracels ln Lhe
1920s and 1930s. 1he lrench lnsLlLuLe of Cceanography ln nha 1rang carrled ouL
sclenLlflc surveys ln Lhls perlod as well. ln 1938, Lhe lrench Covernor-Ceneral slgned a
decree formally esLabllshlng an admlnlsLraLlve unlL ln Lhe Poang Sa. lrance consLrucLed
a llghLhouse, a meLeorologlcal sLaLlon and a radlo sLaLlon on aLLle lsland ln Lhe
CrescenL group.
ln 1947, afLer Lhe Second World War when lrench auLhorlLy was resLored ln lndochlna,
lrench armed forces secured conLrol of Lhe aracel archlpelagoe where Lhey rebullL Lhe
radlo and meLeorologlcal sLaLlons. 1he eople's 8epubllc of Chlna (8C) occupled Lhe
AmphlLrlLe group ln 1930 followlng Lhe wlLhdrawal of Lhe 8epubllc of Chlna (naLlonallsL
Chlna).
%
ln 1931, Lhe head of Lhe SLaLe of vleLnam's delegaLlon Lo Lhe San lranclsco eace
Conference sLaLed, we afflrm our rlghL Lo Lhe SpraLly and aracel lslands, whlch have
always belonged Lo vleLnam." no ob[ecLlons were recorded.
1he llnal ueclaraLlon of Lhe Ceneva Conference of 1934 provlslonally dlvlded vleLnam
lnLo Lwo zones roughly along Lhe sevenLeenLh parallel. 1he aracel lslands lay below Lhe
Lhls parallel and Lherefore came under Lhe conLrol of Lhe 8vn. ln 1936 Lhe 8vn
proLesLed Lhe 8C's occupaLlon of Lhe lslands ln Lhe AmphlLrlLe group. 1haL year Lhe
8vn replaced lrench forces ln Lhe aracels and Lhe ueparLmenL of Mlnlng, 1echnology
and Small lndusLrles conducLed a survey of four lslands ln Lhe aracels.
8aLeman's clalm LhaL Lhe uemocraLlc 8epubllc of vleLnam (u8v) recognlzed Chlna's
soverelgnLy over Lhe aracels ln 1938 ls lnaccuraLe. remler ham van uong's leLLer Lo
Chlna does noL menLlon Lhe aracel (or SpraLly) archlpelago nor does lL recognlse
Chlna's soverelgnLy over Lhe aracels. ln 1938 Lhe u8v sLlll held ouL hopes of reunlfylng
vleLnam under Lhe pollLlcal Lerms of Lhe 1934 Ceneva AgreemenL.
1he 8vn malnLalned a conLlnuous presence ln Lhe CrescenL group from 1936 unLll
!anuary 1974. lor example, ln 1939 Lhe 8vn deLalned Chlnese flshermen who landed on
four lslands ln Lhe aracel archlpelago. lrom Lhen and LhroughouL Lhe 1960s 8vn
auLhorlLles conLlnually chased away Chlnese flshermen operaLlng ln waLers around Lhe
CrescenL group. 8y 1966, Lhe 8vn presence on aLLle lsland was reduced Lo a slngle
garrlson and a weaLher sLaLlon. AfLer Lhe 1973 arls AgreemenLs Lhe 8vn presence was
reduced Lo a slngle plaLoon of soldlers.
Ch|na Se|zes the arace| Is|ands
ln !anuary 1973 Lhe vleLnam War was broughL Lo an end wlLh Lhe slgnlng of Lhe
AgreemenL on Lndlng Lhe War and 8esLorlng Lhe eace ln vleLnam ln arls by four
parLles: Lhe unlLed SLaLes, 8vn, u8v and Lhe rovlslonal 8evoluLlonary CovernmenL of
Lhe 8epubllc of SouLh vleLnam (8C). As a resulL of Lhe arls AgreemenL Lhe unlLed
SLaLes wlLhdrew all mlllLary forces from SouLh vleLnam and lefL Lhe 8vn wlLhouL an ally.
&
1hls was Lhe sLraLeglc conLexL ln whlch Lhe 8C made Lhe declslon Lo reasserL conLrol
over Lhe CrescenL group.
ln !anuary 1974 eople's LlberaLlon Army (LA) Lroops landed on urummond and
uuncan lslands ln Lhe aracels supporLed by Lwo armed flshlng Lrawlers. 1he 8vn
dlspaLched Lhe frlgaLe PC-16 8) 6&'"+3 9#*/ Lo lnvesLlgaLe. 1he frlgaLe dlscovered a
Chlnese landlng shlp moored on uuncan lsland and bunker manned by LA soldlers.
1he Chlnese also deployed Lwo 97"+:/-;-class submarlne chasers, #281 and #282. When
PC-16 8) 6&'"+3 9#*/ reporLed Lhe presence of Chlnese forces Lo Salgon, Lhree naval
vessels were dlspaLched wlLh orders Lo evlcL Lhe Chlnese. Cn arrlval on 16 !anuary Lhe
8vn naval force slgnaled Lhe LAn forces Lo wlLhdraw. 1he Chlnese responded by
demandlng Lhe 8vn shlps leave Chlnese waLers.
Cn Lhe followlng day, Lhe 8vn landed abouL LhlrLy naval commandos on 8oberL lsland
where Lhey removed a 8C flag. 1hey were relnforced by Lhe arrlval of Lhe frlgaLe PC-4
67-+ 9&-+& !'. Cn 18 !anuary, 8vn frlgaLes PC-3 67-+ <#+& 67"+3 and PC-10 0&-/ 6-"
arrlved on Lhe scene. 1he naval commandos were augmenLed by a plaLoon of soldlers
and an underwaLer demollLlon Leam. Chlna relnforced lLs poslLlon wlLh Lhe dlspaLch of
four LAn corveLLes, #271, #274, #389 and #396, and landed an unknown number of
LA marlnes and armed mlllLla on uuncan lsland.
1he baLLle for Lhe aracels commenced on 19 !anuary wlLh Lhe landlng of 8vn soldlers
from PC-3 67-+ <#+& 67"+3 on uuncan lsland where Lhey engaged LA Lroops. llndlng
Lhemselves ouLnumbered Lhe 8vn Lroop wlLhdrew.
8vn frlgaLes PC-10 0&-/ 6-" and PC-16 8) 6&'"+3 9#*/ lnlLlaLed an armed engagemenL
wlLh Lhelr Chlnese counLerparLs LhaL lasLed less Lhan Lhree quarLers of an hour. 1he PC-
10 0&-/ 6-" was sunk and Lhe PC-16 8) 6&'"+3 9#*/ was badly damaged. All remalnlng
8vn naval forces wlLhdrew from Lhe area. Cn 20 !anuary Chlna commlLLed [eL alrcrafL
and ground aLLack alrcrafL from Palnan lsland Lo bomb and sLrafe Lhree of Lhe 8vn-
occupled lslands. AfLer Lhe LA conducLed an amphlblous landlng Lhe remalnlng 8vn
forces surrendered. 1he 8vn was dlssuaded from sendlng relnforcemenLs Lo Lhe
'
aracels by lnLelllgence reporLs from Lhe unlLed SLaLes LhaL lndlcaLed Chlna has
moblllzed a more powerful fleeL. noneLheless Lhe 8vn lssued publlc denunclaLlons of
Chlna's acLlons and unsuccessfully Lrled Lo ralse Lhe maLLer aL Lhe unlLed naLlons.
3

Much has been made by Chlnese offlclals and scholars such as 8aLeman abouL Lhe u8v's
equlvocaLlon on soverelgnLy lssues wlLh respecL Lo Lhe aracel lslands durlng Lhe
vleLnam War. vleLnam needed Chlnese supporL and Lhus elLher downplayed Lhe
soverelgnLy lssue or gave Lhe lmpresslon LhaL Chlna held soverelgnLy over Lhe aracel
lslands. 1hls vlew falls Lo Lake lnLo accounL proLesLs by Lhe 8C lmmedlaLely afLer
Chlna's selzure of Lhe aracels and subsequenLly (26 !anuary and 14 lebruary 1974). 1he
8C was noL only a slgnaLory Lo Lhe arls eace AgreemenLs, buL prlor Lo Lhe formal
reunlflcaLlon of vleLnam ln 1976 was an appllcanL (along wlLh Lhe u8v) for membershlp
ln Lhe unlLed naLlons. 1he uS veLoed Lhe 8C's bld. AfLer reunlflcaLlon Lhe SoclallsL
8epubllc of vleLnam became Lhe successor sLaLe and assumed Lhe pollcy poslLlons of Lhe
8C on Lhe SouLh Chlna Sea (see WhlLe apers lssued ln 1979, 1981 and 1988 on
vleLnamese soverelgnLy over Lhe aracels).
WhaL are Lhe lessons learned from Lhe baLLle for Lhe aracels?
Chlna opporLunlsLlcally wlll use changes ln Lhe geo-sLraLeglc balance Lo press lLs
marlLlme clalms ln Lhe SouLh Chlna Sea.
Palnan lsland (and a ma[or naval base near Sanya) ls a vlLal rear area for Lhe surge of
mlllLary forces lnLo Lhe SouLh Chlna Sea.
Cccupled feaLures ln Lhe aracels and elsewhere ln Lhe SouLh Chlna Sea are
vulnerable Lo lnLerdlcLlon and aLLack by superlor alr and naval forces. lL ls easler Lo
Lake an lsland Lhan Lo defend lL.
Chlna demonsLraLed lL could moblllze more powerful naval force Lhan Lhe 8vn.
1hese naval forces were equlpped wlLh larger and longer-range naval guns Lhan Lhelr
8vn counLerparLs. 1he Chlnese shlps had beLLer flre gun conLrol Lhan Lhe llghLly
armed 8vn shlps.
1he 8vn (llke Lhe SoclallsL 8epubllc of vleLnam Loday) cannoL counL on Lhe unlLed
SLaLes for supporL. AlLhough u.S. aclflc lleeL forces were ln Lhe area Lhey were
ordered noL Lo asslsL Lhe 8vn.

3
6&* =#"# 8*+ >+ 67'+3 %"+3 ?-1 8-+3 2"-+3 4- %'- .0%2 [1he World Condemns CommunlsL Chlnese
Aggresslon ln Lhe arcels lslands of Lhe 8epubllc of vleLnam] publlshed by Lhe Armed lorces of Lhe
8epubllc of vleLnam, 1974. lndochlna Archlve (uouglas lke CollecLlon), 1he unlverslLy of Callfornla aL
8erkeley. hLLp://paracels74./Lrlpod.com/hoangsahalchlen.hLm.
(
SoverelgnLy over Lhe aracels ls currenLly conLesLed by Lhe 8epubllc of Chlna on 1alwan
and vleLnam.
Geo-Strateg|c Issues
1he aracels lslands are lmporLanL for Lhelr sLraLeglc locaLlon and posslble oll and gas
deposlLs ln Lhelr surroundlng waLers. ln 1990, Chlna consLrucLed a 363 meLre runway on
Woody lsland LhaL has been exLended Lwlce Lo lL presenL lengLh of 2,399 meLres. 1he
alrsLrlp on Woody lsland can accommodaLe flghLer alrcrafL such as Lhe Su-27 and Su-
30Mkks, P-6 bombers and large supply LransporL alrcrafL. 1he faclllLles ad[acenL Lo Lhe
runway lnclude four hangers. Alr Lrafflc ls conLrolled by a 1ype 791 x-band preclslon-
approach radar. CLher mlllLary lnfrasLrucLure on Woody lsland lncludes naval docks
capable of accommodaLlng frlgaLes and desLroyers and a fuel depoL. LA soldlers are
based on Woody lsland Lo proLecL Lhe runway and oLher mlllLary faclllLles.
Chlna has also bullL mlllLary-relaLed faclllLles elsewhere ln Lhe aracels. A weaLher
sLaLlon has been bullL on aLLle lsland, whlle 8oberL lsland houses a radlo beacon, Lhe
only beacon souLh of Palnan. 1he docks on uuncan lsland are belng expanded. A Slgnals
lnLelllgence (SlCln1) sLaLlon has been operaLlng on 8ocky lsland, Lhe hlghesL
premonlLory, slnce 1993.
6
1hls sLaLlon could provlde alr or surface warnlng and supporL
alr mlsslons or shlp LargeLlng. Cpen sources reporL LhaL Chlna may have sLaLloned Lhe
P?-2 anLl-shlp crulse mlsslle on Woody lsland.
7

Cn 19 !uly 2012, Chlna's CenLral MlllLary Commlsslon offlclally declded Lo esLabllsh a
mlllLary command ln Sansha ClLy afLer lLs elevaLlon Lo prefecLure-level admlnlsLraLlve
sLaLus. 1he garrlson was placed under Lhe LA Palnan provlnclal sub-command wlLhln
Lhe Cuangzhou MlllLary Command. 1he Sansha mlllLary garrlson has been asslgned
responslblllLy for naLlonal defence moblllzaLlon, mlllLary operaLlons and reserves.
Accordlng Lo uefence MlnlsLry spokesperson Ceng ?ansheng, Chlna may seL up local

6
!. Mlchael Cole, Chlna ueploylng MlllLary Carrlson, Lo SouLh Chlna Sea?," 6&* !#@A"1-/, !uly 23, 2012
7
8lll CeerLz, Woody lsland Mlsslles," 6&* B-:&#+3/"+ 6#1*:, !une 13, 2001.
)
mlllLary command organs ln Lhe clLy [Sansha] accordlng Lo relevanL regulaLlons."
8
Senlor
Colonel Cal xlhong was appolnLed commander of Lhe Sansha garrlson and Senlor
Colonel Llao Chaoyl was named ollLlcal Commlssar.
9

8eLlred u.S. 8ear Admlral Mlke McuevlLL argues LhaL a mlllLary garrlson ln Sansha wlll
noL affecL Lhe mlllLary balance or slgnal lmmlnenL hosLlllLles ln Lhe SouLh Chlna Sea.
McuevlLL polnLs ouL LhaL any ma[or mlllLary operaLlons ln Lhe SouLh Chlna Sea would be
mounLed from Palnan where Lhe LA has ma[or bases. Accordlng Lo McuevlLL, puLLlng
garrlsons on Woody lsland or elsewhere ln Lhe aracels would effecLlvely maroon Lhese
guys, so Lhe only advanLage would be [usL showlng Lhe flag - Lo say, 'We are serlous'."
10

Ch|na's Doctr|ne of 1hree Warfares
1he marlLlme confronLaLlon beLween Chlna and vleLnam over Lhe placemenL of M/v Pal
?ang Shl ?ou 981 (P?S? 981) mega ollrlg ln dlspuLed waLers ln Lhe SouLh Chlna Sea ls
now enLerlng lLs sevenLh week. Cn 9 !une Chlna unexpecLedly opened a new fronL
when Wang Mln, uepuLy Ambassador Lo Lhe unlLed naLlons, presenLed unlLed naLlons
SecreLary Ceneral 8an kl-moon a formal poslLlon paper on Lhe dlspuLe wlLh a requesL
LhaL he clrculaLe lL Lo all 193 un members.
Chlna's acLlons ln lnLernaLlonallzlng lLs dlspuLe wlLh vleLnam does noL represenL a
change ln lLs long-sLandlng pollcy LhaL marlLlme dlspuLes can only be seLLled bllaLerally
Lhrough dlrecL consulLaLlons and negoLlaLlon of Lhe parLles dlrecLly concerned. A day
afLer Chlna submlLLed lLs poslLlon paper Pua Chunylng, a spokesperson for Lhe MlnlsLry

8
xlnhua, Chlnese mlllLary may esLabllsh presence ln Sansha: defense spokesperson," MlnlsLry of naLlonal
uefence of Lhe eople's 8epubllc of Chlna, !une 28, 2012. hLLp://eng.mod.gov.cn/ress/2012-
06/29/conLenL_4381230.hLm.
9
Chlna sLeps up clalms over world's mosL dlspuLed waLers," 0-/#"+-A C":/, !uly 27, 2012.
10
klrk SplLzer, new Carrlson, Cld 1roubles ln 1he SouLh Chlna Seas," <-//A*D#*A;, !uly 26, 2012.
hLLp://baLLlefleld.blogs.Llme.com/2012/07/26/new-garrlson-old-Lroubles-ln-Lhe-souLh-chlna-sea. AnoLher
analysL argues, Lhe Sansha garrlson has mlnlmal operaLlonal value barrlng a slgnlflcanL upgrade ln naval
and alr lnfrasLrucLure Lo enable susLalned operaLlons" and ls malnly an example of Chlnese coerclve
dlplomacy. See: Crlana Skylar MasLro, 1he Sansha Carrlson: Chlna's uellberaLe LscalaLlon ln Lhe SouLh
Chlna Sea," CenLer for a new Amerlcan SecurlLy, E-:/ -+; 4"'/& %&#+- 4*- <'AA*/#+ no. 3, SepLember 2012.
*+
of lorelgn Affalrs sLaLed LhaL Chlna re[ecLed unlLed naLlons arblLraLlon of lLs dlspuLe
wlLh vleLnam.
Why Lhen dld Chlna Lake lLs dlspuLe wlLh vleLnam Lo Lhe unlLed naLlons?
ln 2003 Lhe Chlnese CommunlsL arLy CenLral CommlLLee and CenLral MlllLary
Commlsslon formally adopLed Lhe docLrlne of Lhree warfares" (:-+ F&"+3 F&-+D-). 1he
Lhree warfares docLrlne ls an essenLlal elemenL of lnformaLlon warfare.
Accordlng Lo %&#+-G: 6&7** B-7D-7*:, a sLudy wrlLLen by 1lmoLhy A. WalLon for uelex
ConsulLlng, SLudles and Analysls (18 !anuary 2012), Chlna's Lhree warfares" comprlses
Lhe followlng componenLs: psychologlcal warfare, medla warfare, and legal warfare. lL ls
Lhe laLLer Lwo componenLs LhaL shaped Chlna's poslLlon paper.
Medla warfare, accordlng Lo WalLon, ls a sLraLegy deslgned Lo lnfluence lnLernaLlonal
publlc oplnlon Lo bulld supporL for Chlna and Lo dlssuade an adversary from pursulng
acLlons conLrary Lo Chlna's lnLeresLs.
Chlna's poslLlon paper was senL Lo Lhe unlLed naLlons ln order Lo ouLflank vleLnam's
own propaganda efforL and Lo lsolaLe vleLnam. 1he vasL ma[orlLy of un members have
no dlrecL lnLeresL ln LerrlLorlal dlspuLes ln Lhe SouLh Chlna Sea. Many SouLheasL Aslan
sLaLes LhaL hold concerns abouL Chlna's acLlons would shlrk aL belng forced Lo Lake a
publlc sLand on Lhe lssue.
Legal Warfare, accordlng Lo WalLon, ls a sLraLegy Lo use Chlna's domesLlc and
lnLernaLlonal law Lo clalm Lhe legal hlgh ground Lo asserL Chlnese lnLeresLs. Chlna's
poslLlon paper ls repleLe wlLh selecLed reference Lo lnLernaLlonal law Lo supporL Chlna's
sLance.
Chlna lnlLlally defended lLs placemenL of Lhe ollrlg by argulng LhaL lL was wlLhln Chlna's
LerrlLorlal waLers. Chlna noLed LhaL Lhe P?S? 981 was locaLed sevenLeen nauLlcal mlles
from 1rlLon lsleL, Lhe wesLern mosL feaLure of Lhe aracel lsland. Chlna's use of Lhe Lerm
LerrlLorlal waLers" carrled aL leasL Lwo meanlng: (1) a clalm Lo all Lhe waLers lnslde lLs
**
nlne-dash llne as LerrlLorlal waLers" or (2) a clalm Lo LerrlLorlal waLers" under Lhe un
ConvenLlon of Lhe Law of Lhe Sea (unCLCS).
Chlna could noL posslble clalm LerrlLorlal waLers" as Lhe [usLlflcaLlon of Lhe locaLlon of
Lhe ollrlg because lL was aL leasL flve nauLlcal mlles beyond lLs legal LerrlLorlal sea under
Lhe deflnlLlon provlded by unCLCS.
Cn 6 !une Chlna' sLaLemenL amended Lhls error by clalmlng LhaL Lhe P?S? 981 was
wlLhln Chlna's conLlguous zone. 1hls new clalm, however, also lack legal foundaLlon.
Accordlng Lo unCLCS Lhe sole purpose of Lhe conLlguous zone ls Lo enable a coasLal
sLaLe Lo exerclse Lhe conLrol necessary Lo: (a) prevenL lnfrlngemenL of lLs cusLoms,
flscal, lmmlgraLlon or sanlLary laws and regulaLlons wlLhln lLs LerrlLory or LerrlLorlal sea,
(b) punlsh lnfrlngemenL of Lhe above laws and regulaLlons commlLLed wlLhln lLs LerrlLory
or LerrlLorlal sea."
Chlna has also aLLempLed Lo [usLlfy lLs dlspuLe wlLh vleLnam by advanclng Lhe argumenL
LhaL Lhe locaLlon of P?S? 981 ls closer Lo Lhe aracel lslands Lhan Lhe vleLnamese
coasLllne. Chlna's poslLlon paper argues, for example, Lhe P?S? 981 was operaLlng
sevenLeen nauLlcal mlles from boLh 1rlLon lsleL and Lhe basellnes drawn around Lhe
aracels and 133 Lo 136 nauLlcal mlles from vleLnam's coasLllne.
AL Lhe same Llme Chlna clalms soverelgnLy over Scarborough Shoal whlch ls locaLed
closer Lo Lhe hlllpplnes Lhan Lhe nearesL Chlnese land feaLure. under lnLernaLlonal law
mere proxlmlLy ls noL sufflclenL Lo demonsLraLe soverelgnLy.
Chlna's poslLlon paper Lo Lhe un acLually undermlnes lLs use legal warfare Lo advance lLs
case. lor example, Chlna's poslLlon paper sLaLes:
1he waLers beLween Chlna's xlsha (aracel) lslands and Lhe coasL of vleLnamese
malnland are yeL Lo be dellmlLed. 1he Lwo sldes have noL yeL conducLed dellmlLaLlon
of Lhe Lxcluslve Lconomlc Zone (LLZ) and conLlnenLal shelf ln Lhese waLers. 8oLh
sldes are enLlLled Lo clalm LLZ and conLlnenLal shelf ln accordance wlLh Lhe unCLCS.
lf Lhls ls Lhe case, Chlna should have followed Lhe provlslons of unCLCS Lo deal wlLh
overlapplng clalms. 8oLh Chlna and vleLnam should have enLered lnLo provlslonal
*"
arrangemenLs over Lhe dlspuLes area unLll agreemenL was reached on dellmlLaLlon.
uurlng Lhls perlod each slde was en[olned from alLerlng Lhe sLaLus quo and from Lhe
LhreaL or use of force. Clearly Chlna's placemenL of Lhe ollrlg ln dlspuLed waLers vlolaLed
lnLernaLlonal legal prlnclples.
8uL Chlna's poslLlon paper undermlnes lLs legal case by argulng LhaL lnLernaLlonal law ls
lrrelevanL. 1he poslLlon paper sLaLes:
2"H*5*7I /&*:* H-/*7: H#AA +*5*7 J*,"1* .#*/+-1G: EEK -+; ,"+/#+*+/-A :&*AD +"
1-//*7 H&#,& @7#+,#@A* L"+ #+/*7+-/#"+-A A-HM #: -@@A#*; #+ /&* ;*A#1#/-/#"+ L*1@&-:#:
-;;*;MN
Chlna's Ambassador Lo AusLralla, Ma Zhaozu, conLrlbuLed Lo 8el[lng's lnformaLlon
warfare campalgn by repeaLlng Lhe same argumenL ln an op ed arLlcle ln 1he AusLrallan
on 13 !une. Ma argued LhaL Lhe dlspuLed area has never been dellmlLed and no maLLer
whlch prlnclple [of lnLernaLlonal law] ls applled Lhese waLers concerned wlll never
become vleLnam's parL of LLZ and conLlnenLal shelf."
Us|ng |nternat|ona| Law to romote Cooperat|on
Chlna's formal Labllng of a poslLlon paper wlLh Lhe un SecreLary Ceneral should be
Laken up by members of Lhe lnLernaLlonal communlLy LhaL are concerned abouL
escalaLlng Lenslons beLween Chlna and vleLnam and Lhelr posslble lmpacL on reglonal
securlLy. 1hese sLaLes should argue LhaL Lhe maLLer be Laken up by Lhe SecurlLy Councll.
Chlna should noL be permlLLed Lo pursue lnformaLlon warfare ln order Lo have lL boLh
ways - clrculaLlng a poslLlon paper Lo Lhe un ln order Lo demonsLraLe Lhe serlous naLure
of lLs dlspuLe wlLh vleLnam and re[ecLlng un arblLraLlon. 1he unlLed SLaLes and AusLralla
should press for a un SecurlLy Councll debaLe. !apan and oLher marlLlme powers wlLh a
sLake ln sLablllLy ln Lhe SouLh Chlna Sea should [oln ln.
Chlna should be forced lnLo Lhe uncomforLable poslLlon of opposlng any SecurlLy Councll
debaLe and Lhus scuLLllng lLs aLLempL Lo use un for propaganda purposes. Cr Chlna
should be placed ln Lhe poslLlon of veLolng any resoluLlon arlslng from a debaLe ln Lhe
SecurlLy Councll crlLlcal of Chlna's acLlon ln Lhe SouLh Chlna Sea. 1he lnLernaLlonal
*#
communlLy Lhrough Lhe unlLed naLlons should demand LhaL Chlna shold wlLhdraw lLs
drllllng rlg and armada of shlps form lLs presenL locaLlon.
1he presenL dlspuLe over soverelgn rlghLs ln Lhe waLers surroundlng Lhe aracel lslands
can only be resolved bllaLerally by Chlna and vleLnam based on lnLernaLlonal law
lncludlng unCLCS. vleLnam should sLrongly argue Lhls polnL ln governmenL-Lo-
governmenL level Lalks wlLh Chlna.
vleLnam should lobby Lhe AssoclaLlon of SouLheasL Aslan naLlons Lo be more forclble ln
lLs supporL for Lhe seLLlemenL of dlspuLes on Lhe basls of lnLernaLlonal law and wlLhouLh
Lhe LhreaL or use of force.
ASLAn sLaLes should conLlnue Lo pursue wlLh Chlna Lhe lmplemenLaLlon of Lhe 2002
ueclaraLlon on ConducL of arLles ln Lhe SouLh Chlna Sea (uCC) and a Code of ConducL
for Lhe SouLh Chlna Sea (CCC). lL musL be noLed, however, LhaL ASLAn's ob[ecLlves ln
worklng Lowards a CCC wlLh Chlna are posslbly unachlevable ln Lhe foreseeable fuLure.
1he CCC process has led Lo dlvlslons wlLhln ASLAn and dlvlslons among ASLAn's
clalmanL sLaLes. Chlna's asserLlon of lndlspuLable soverelgnLy" over Lhe SouLh Chlna
Sea, and lLs recenL unprecedenLed aggresslve asserLlon of soverelgnLy uLlllzlng mlllLary
vessels and alrcrafL, ls now Lhe ma[or lmpedlmenL Lo managlng Lhe marlLlme commons
ln Lhe SouLh Chlna Sea.
ln llghL of Lhls developmenL ASLAn should drafL and raLlfy a Code of ConducL 1reaLy for
SouLheasL Asla's MarlLlme Commons. 1he securlLy of Lhe reglon's marlLlme commons ls
lndlvlslble and lnLernaLlonal law ls unlversal. ln order Lo develop Code of ConducL 1reaLy
for SouLheasL Asla's MarlLlme Commons lndlvldual member sLaLes should resolve
LerrlLorlal and marlLlme dlspuLes wlLh oLher members. 1he recenL agreemenL beLween
lndonesla and Lhe hlllpplnes on demarcaLlng Lhe marlLlme boundarles ln Lhe Celebes
and Mlndanao seas ls a good example.
1he proposed CCC 1reaLy for SouLheasL Asla's MarlLlme Commons would enhance
ASLAn's unlLy and coheslon, promoLe reglonal auLonomy and ASLAn's cenLrallLy ln Lhe
reglon's securlLy archlLecLure. 1he reglonal Code of ConducL 1reaLy should cover
*$
SouLheasL Asla's marlLlme commons ln a manner analogous Lo Lhe Zone of eace
lreedom and neuLrallLy (1971), 1reaLy of AmlLy and CooperaLlon (1976) and SouLheasL
Asla nuclear Weapons lree Zone 1reaLy (1993) and be open Lo accesslon by ASLAn's
dlalogue parLners.





TRANHCHAPHOANGSA: cACVANDE BJACHIENLLJ'<)C VA VAl
TROCVA PHAPouocTE
TRONGVIECTANG CU'O'NG HOP TAC
. .
Carlyle A. Thayer
CO' sO'
QuAnGaO Hoang Sa (ten Viet Nam 1::\ Hoang Sa, ten Trung Quoc la Narn
Sa) la111Qt nhorn khoang30 cau true (ciaonho, cia, bai can) 0- phAn cuoi phia
cuaVLlI1g Dongmra kin. Quanciao HoangSa g6111 hai nh0111. NhomAn
VTnh n5m 0- phia Dong B5c va nhorn Nguyet aphia TByNa111. Dien tich
dAt dudoan vao khoang8kl11
2
bao g6m111Qt vung rQng 150001(111
2
.
Hanh dong 00'11 phuong CLIa Trung Quoc ha gian khoan khung HYSY
981 dAu thang 5 vira qua trong VLlI1g d0C quyen kinh CLIa Viet Na111 d?t ra cac
van lich sir, chinh tri va phap Iy phirc tap lien quan cac yeu sach tranh
chAD nhau ChLI Cluv2n. Vi duo BE> Nooai [7i80 llUO'C CT-fDrND Trnn Hoa elll;']
1 J .; / t.....;J. U - - - - - --0 _.- -1 _._-
quyet: "Quandao Tay Sa la mot phanc6 hiru cualanh th6 TrungQu6ckhong
co tranh chap. Trung Quoc la nuoc tier: phat hien, phat trien, khai thac va
tlnrc hien tai phan d6i voi quan dao Tay Sa. Trong thoi ky Bilc T6ng (960 -
1126) ChinhphuTrungQuoccia xac lap tai phan d6i voiTay Sa va cir lire IUQ'ng
hai quan tharn vung nay. N3111 1909, do cl6c Ly C11llAn cua luc IUQ"ng
hai quan Quang Dong thai nha Thanh Ga hanh mot cuoc thanh sat bang
quan su'toi quan dao TBySa va khangdinh 1
0i
chu quyen cua Trung Quoc bang
each duncavabanmot loatdai bac tren dao Phu Lam".
Thongtin rna TrungQuocthu thap duoc 00t 1'a cac cau hoi v6 khai tai
phan va chu quyen hiiu hieu. Cho toi thoi tlnrc clan thi quan dao Hoang Sa
khong co ngurri a. QuAn dao khong co gia tr] kinh thuc sir tnr mot khu vue
danh ca t
0111
thai va nguon phan chim san xuAt phan bon. Su' lien CLIa
TrungQuocdbi voi quanGaO nay luc co, luc khongva khong lien tuc.
Khai niern ngay nay v2 ChLI quyen trien sau Hi9P dinh Hoa binh
Westphalia n3111 1648 (hay con goi la Hiep uoc Westphalia) va chi ap dbi
vo-i cac qu6c gia oQc Vf Mohan Malik "0 Chall A tnro-c
th(\i hin 00i, cac ch& co 00C la dLrang bien gi6i chua dll'C)'c xac c1jnh,
khong duoc bao va thirong thay d6i. Quan niern srr ba chu luon thfJllg
... N6i each khac, yeu sach cua Trung Quoc rang rauh gic'yi trcn lien clura
bao gio duoc xac dinh va duoc phan dinh qua 1ich su, ngiroc hoan ioan
voi quan rang ranh giai tren cua Trung Quoc luon luon duoc dinh
va duoc phan dinh 1'5 rang. Di6u nay cho thay mot mau thuan co ban. khong
virng trong tnrong cua Trung Qu6e vc ranh gi6i ucn clAt Ii0n runh
gioi tren bien. Thuc la day la cac n6 hrc vao khoang giCra Ih0 ky 20 nh[ull
chuyen d6i nhimg duong bien gici chua diroc dinh 1'0 ella cue van minh co
xua va cac vuong quoc thua huong su ba chu tro thanh ({IC ranh gi6'i duoc x.ic
dinh, phan dinh cua cac quoc gia moi thuc thi chu quyen va ch inh c1icu nay nJm
0' trung tam cua cac tranh chap lanh theS va bi0n giCra Trung Quoc cac nuoc
lang gieng. N6i 111Qt each don girm, chu quyen la mot kh,,'li nicm XU!11 hicn sau
thai cac ot va duoc gianh cho cac quoc gia dan IQe clur khcmg lihai die
c6 xua". Cong uoc Lien hop quoc vc LUQt bien (UNCI.OS) khcmg
nhan yeu sach ljch str hay su bien minh lich su' nlur 1<1 y6u quyet dinh trong
viec xac dinh chu quyen 06i voi cac can true va cac vuug bi6n. Lu01 phap
quoc hien cling khong chap phat lilellig tinh lich su' (ic3i \'c)'i
cac dao, tinh gui cua cac cau true bi6n voi ciAt lien, hay vice bao gC\11l die
cau true d6 trong nhu'ng tAm ban db do qu6e gia ph6t he1nh. eoi do hl bflllg
chu'ng dAy du h6 trq cho mQt yeu sach Chll ph,,)p qu0e t6 c!c')i h6i
mQt qu6c gia yeu sach chu phai chlrng minh vie ehi0m hehl Ve1 I)!
lien t\IC.
Sam Bateman da lam blll1g ph{It IllQt eUQe tranh cui sc)i 1l()i kl1i. lrong mC)l
bai binh day elta RSIS, ong ta bin lUQn r5ng "i'v10e elLl CCl rAt nhicu )7
ki6n binh tren th6 gi6i cho Nam e6 cO" so de hC11rq' cho yeu S{lC
chu nhung S\I phal1 tfch sau hon Ijch slr Cl'la tnlllh eh"lp 1",1i eho Ih{IY
khae". ehlll1g ta tinh ttl' \!eh slr xa Xll'a t6i ky 17 th0 k)! 1Kdll 1'0 r6ng
thAy r5ng Nam e6 co s6' dang vc yeu s8eh ella minh d(\i vc)'i qu,\n cbo
Hoang Sa. Trong ky thLI' ]7, ehlla cia ra cho dIe qUem chLrc
trong tim I1<;\P thuy thu eho tll' 5 ] 8 nen dQi HO<lng Sa, J)()i
Hoang Sa ho?-t dQng 6' dao Hoang Sa kh021llg 5 Ih{lllg de d{lllh dl, VC hell1
db, khao sat va hang h6a tll' cae tau buon bj chim.
:2
Cac vi vua ella Nguyen tiep tuc duy tri doi Hoang Sa. Vua Gia Long
da chinh tlnrc hiru quan dao Hoang Sa tir nam 1816. Duoi thai ella nguo.
vi, Vua Minh Mang, dQi Hoang Sa lai ticp tuc khao sat va ve ban d6 quan
dao, xay mot mien tho nam 1835, dung mot bia da khiie len yeu sach lanh th6
cua virong quae An Nam.
Vuong quoc An Narn duy tri yeu sach chu quyen d6i voi Hoang Sa trong
phan lou thoi ky thuoc dia. Thea cac khoan ella Hiep uoc narn 1884,
Phap nhan trach nhiem dai dien eho cac van d6i ngoai cua An Narn trong do
co bao ve chu quyen va roan ven lanh th6 ella An Nam. Vi du narn 1931 va
1932, Phap phan d6i Chinh phu Trung Quoc khi nha chirc trach tinh Quang
Dong goi thAu khai thac phan chim tren quan dao Hoang Sa.
Co co tranh cai rang nha Thanh oa tlnra nhan chu quyen cua sir baa hc)
cua Phap d6i voi An Nam trong mot cong uoc ky nam 1887 va cong uoc b6
sung ky nam 1895. Vuong quoc An Nam sau do tro thanh quoc gia lien hicp
trong kh6i Lien hiep Phap voi tu each la quoc gia Viet Nam.
Hoang Sa trong nhirng niim 1920 va 1930. Vien H,1i duong hoc Phap a Nha
Trang cung oa hanh cac khao sat khoa 11Qe trong thoi gian nay. Nal11 1938,
Th6ng 06e Phap ky mot nghi dinh chinh tlurc thanh lap mot don vi hanh chinh (r
Hoang Sa. Phap xay dung mot cay den bien, mot tram khi urong thuy van va
I11Qt oai phat song radio tren dao Hoang Sa (PattIe Island) narn trong nhom

Nam 1947, sau tranh gioi IAn thu hai, sir thong tri ella Phap lai
duoc khoi phuc aDong Duong. Cac luc lirong vii trang cua Phap gianh quycn
kiSm soat quan dao Hoang Sa v,1119 xay dung dai phat song radio va tram khi
tuo'ng thuy van. Nurre CHDCND Trung Hoa nhom An Vinh nam 1950
sau khi Trung Hoa dan qu6c rllt kh6i day. N3111 1951, nguo-i c1Crng dAu phili doan
ella qu6e gia Nam HQi nghi hoa binh San Fanciseo tuyen b6 "ehClllg toi
khAng c1inh 06i vai qu5n dao Hoang Sa va quAn c1ao Truo-ng Sa, chllllg
luon luon thuQc Viet Nam". Khong co sv phsn d6i nao dll'C)'c ghi nh?n.
821t1 Tuyen b6 eu6i Cllllg ella HQi ngh) Geneva nam 1954 da tho-i chia
ciit Nam thanh hai khu V\l'e dQe thea VI tuy6n 17. Qu5n dao Hoang Sa n5m
duoi vi tuyen nay do vay no thuoc quyen scat cua Viet Naill Cong lIoa.
Narn 1956, Viet Nam Cong Hoa phan d6i sir chi0m dong cua CI-IND Trung I10a
d6i voi cac dao thuoc nhorn An Vinh. CLIng nam do Viet Naill Cong lloa thay
cac 1I;1'c luong Phap tren quan dao Hoang Sa va BQ Khui khoung khoa hoc V:J
Cong nghiep I1h6 hanh mot cuoc khao sal d6i voi b6n duo thuoc quan dao
Hoang Sa.
Qua quyet cua Bateman la Naill D8l1 chu cong hoa thira nh011 chu
ella Trung Quoc d6i voi quan dao Hoang Sa nam 1958 I:J khong chinh
xac. Birc thu cua Thu tuong PIWIll V3l1 D6ng glri Trung Qu()C khong d0 cfip u)'j
quan dao Hoang Sa (hay la quan ciao Truong Sa) cLIng nhu khong h0 thira nhan
chu cua Trung Quoc d6i voi quan dao HO[\11g Sa. Naill 1958, Viet Nal11
Dan chu cong hoa hy vong th6ng nhat Viet Nam thco cue cli0u khoan chinh
tri cua Hiep dinh Geneva 1954.
Vit Nam Cong Hoa duy tri mQt su hien dicn lien tuc ()' nh()111 Nguyct
tir nam 1956 toi thang 1/1974. Vi du, 113111 1959, C'()l1g Hoa eli}
giam ngu dan Trung Quoc tham tren b611 ([(10 thuoc quan dao Hoang
Sa. Tu do va trai qua nhfrng nam ]960, nha clurc trach Viet Na111 Cong lloa lien
tuc xua duoi ngu dan Trung Quoc hoat dong trong vung bien xung quanh nhom
Nguyet Nam 1966, sir hien dien cua Vil Nam Coug 110,1 ircn duo Pattlc
giam xuong chi con mot don vi d6n tru I11Qt tr(1111 du bao ihci li0t. Sau lIicp
dinh Paris 1973, sir hien dien ella Vit Narn CQng Hoa gi,1111 xuong clu eon 111()l
trung dQi linh.
Trung Quae quAn dao Hoang Sa
Thang 1/1973, chien tranh Viet Nam di d6n k2t thuc voi vice k) llicp dinh
Paris cham dirt tranh va lai hoa birth ()' Vil Nal11 boi ben:
My, Viet Nam Cong hoa, Vit Nam Dan chu CQng hC1a Vel Chinh phLI e{lCh 111"l\1g
lam thai cQng hoa Nam Vit Nal11 (PRG). Theo k0l qU,l ella Ilip cljnh
Paris, Nly rLlt eac lugng quan kh6i Nam Vil Nal11 cl0 Vit Nal11
CQng Hoa khong co d6ng minh. Day chinh la b6i c,1nh ehi0n ]m.)'C l11a C(mg he'),1
DCND Trung Hoa dinh gianh qLlybn ki6m soM dC)i vcyi nh{ml Nguyl

4
dong ella Trung Quoc va ail e6 dua van (16 nay I'Ll Lien hq]J CJ uoc nhung
khong thanh cong, nhieu qULm chirc VLl hoc gia Trung nlur Bateman (lEt
noi su 10 nuoc doi cua Viet Narn dan chu cong hoa cac van d0 chu
quyen lien quan quan dao Hoang Sa trong chifn tranh Vit Narn. Viet Nam
can su ung hQ ella Trung Quoc va vi vay ho.ic la lam giam nhc vL1n chu quycn
hoac t'-,10 ra tuong la Trung Qu0e co chu quyen cl0i voi d,10 l Ioang Sa.
Quan nay ail khong tinh su' phan d6i cua PRCi-Chinh pliu Cach mung
Him thai Cong hoa Nam Nam ngay sau khi Trung Ou{)C chi8m quan
dao Hoang Sa va sau 00 (26/1 va 14/2/1974). PRG khong nlnrng la mot ben k)!
Hiep dinh hoa binh Paris rna truce khi Viet Nam ehinh thuc thong nhfrl niim
1976 thi PRG la mot nguoi dung dun cung voi Viet Narn dan chu cong hoa tham
gia va 11'6 thanh thanh vien cua Lien hQ'P quoc. My dEt phu quyct e6 ella
PRG. Sau khi thong nhat, CHXHCN Viet Nam 11'6 thanh quoc giLl k8 thuu V<.l
tiep We ehinh sach ella PRG lien quan Bien Dong (xcm Sach tr5ng niim
1979, 1981 va 1988 chu quyen elm Viet Nam (10i voi quan dL10 l-Ionng S<.I),
Bai hoc nao tir tran chien Hoang Sa?
- Trung Quoc nhan co hQ l?n dung cac thay d{)i trong can cun chi0n iuoc de
daynhanh cac yeu sach lanh th6 tren Bien Dong;
- Dao Hai Narn (din ell' quan sir )6'11 ()' gc1n Tam A1<'1 mot khu vue hau quan
s611g con eho viec phat lire IUQ'ng quan sir nhiim VaG Dong).
- Cac cau true bi tren quan dao Hoang Sa VLl noi khac trcn Bien
Bong rat bi phong toa va tan cong boi uu th6 elm cac Iuc Iuoug khCmg qULIn
va hai quan. GaO thi cle hon la b,lo v ciao.
- Trung Qu0e dil ehu'ng minh 119 co th0 huy dQng Im)t I\rc luqng hai qU<.ln
nlL,lnh hon Il;l'e luVng hai quEm Nam eQng h()a. L\rc luqng h<.li qULIn n,ly dU'l)'C
trang bj o'-,1i bae to hon va co tam xa hOI1 so v6'i 1\l'e IUQ'ng clla Vil Nam c(mg
hoa. Tau eua Trung Qu0e co ki6m soM hOLl l\l'e tAL hon so Vll'i C:1C UlU CllLI Vit
Nam eQng hoa lrang bj vu khi h'-,1ng nhc;.
- Nam CQng hoa (giAng nhu CHXI-ICN NLlm ng[ly nay) kh6ng the
vaG thuan eua My. M0e clli 110m dQi Th{li Binh Duong Clla My IllC lit')
dang atrong khu Hoang Sa nhung no dUq'e lnh khong gill)) Vit Nam c(mg
G
H{Ji Iltao q1l8c 14: "lIo/lIlg Sa - Trtrang Sa: SII'"
hoa. Chu quyen 06i voi quan dao Hoang Sa hien dang tranh chap boi Cong hoa
Trung hoa hay Dai Loan va Viet Nam.
vAn din liro'c
Quan dao Hoang Sa rAt quan trang boi vi tri liro'c va trfr luorig c1Au
khi tai cac VLl11g xung quanh no. Nam 1990, Trung Qu6c xay dung 365m
. .
duong bang tren dim PhLI Lam va sau nay duoc mo rQng gap dci vo: chien dai
nay la 2399m. Duong bang tren dao PhLI Lam co dap ung cho may bay
chi2n dAu nhir SU-27, SU-30, MKK, may bay bam H-6 va rnay bay van tai
hau can 16'n. C{lC thiet bi, co so vat chAt gAn duong bang baa gorn ca b6n h5m
chira may bay. Luu thong hang khong duoc soar boi h th6ng rada tiep can
chinh xac 10<,1i 791. Cac co so' ha quan sir khac tren dao PhLI Lam con bao
g6m cac tau hai quan co kha nang dap irng cac tau khu true ICm nho va mot
khu clura Quan linh cua PLA dong trcn dao PhLI Lal11 d6 baa duong bang
va cac cc so quan su khac. Trung Quoc cung xay dung cac co so quan su O' ch6
khac tren quan dao Hoang Sa. MQt t1'<,1111 khi tirong oa duoc xay dung 6 dao
Pattle Trang khi 6 dao Robert cling da xay dung 111Qt tr<,1111 radio canh baa elfin
duong - tram c1uy nhAt 6 phia nam cua dao Hai Naill. Cac ben tau dau (). dao
Duncan hien dang duoc 1116 rong. Ttl' nam 1995, mot tram tin hieu thong tin tinh
baa da heat dong tren dao Rocky voi oQ canh baa cao nhAt. 1'1'<,1m nay co
cung cap eric canh baa tren khong va tren bien h6 tro eho cac cuoc khong
kich va nham vao cac muc tieu tau thuyen, MQt s6 nguon tin cong khai cho
rang Trung Qu6c co da 00t ten lira HI-2 chong tau chi6n tren dao PhLI Lam.
Ngay 19/7/2012 HQi dong Quan uy Trung irong Trung Quoc chinh thLI'C quyet
dinh thiet so chi huy quan su oong 6 thanh ph6 Talll Sa sau khi no duqc
nang cAp th,1nh mQt dO'n vi hanh chinh cAp Dan vj d6n trLl nay ouqc et0t
duoi chi huy clla quan c1Qi T1'ung Qu6c 0 oao Hai Na111 Trang khuon kh6 Clla
BQ Chi huy quan tinh Quang Chau. KIm 06n trLI quan 6' Tam Sa cia
giao trach khai phong thll qu6c gia, cac dich quan va
tru. Thea Nguoi phM ngon clla 8Q Qu6c phong Trung Qu(3c Geng Yansheng
"Trung Qu6c co 10P cac cO' quan chi huy quan dja phuang 6 th,1nh
ph6 Tam Sa thea cac quy oinh tLl'ong Lrng". ChuAn tuang Cai Xhihong oUQ'c Cll'
h1111 chi huy Clla khu vvc 06n trLl Ta111 Sa V,1 Chufrn tuang Liao Chaoyi Cl1l1g
c1uQ'c cu lam chinh llY.
7
Chuan ao a6e aft nghi huu cua My 1a Mike MucUevitt iranh luan rang mot
khu vue a6n tru quan su 6 dao Tam Sa se khong anh huong d0n dill can luc
luong hay phat di hieu thu dich dang trcn Bien Dong. MacDevil.l
chi ra rang ell' mot hoat dong quan su 16'n nao tren DC)Jlg phai Xuf\l
phat tir dao Hai Nam nai rna quan aQi Trung Q1l6e co cac co so chinh. Theo
MaeDevitt "dat cac dan vi d6 tru tren dao Phu Lam hoac 110i khac lren d[IO
Hoang Sa se la viec bo tren GaO hoang mot each co hicu (jwl nhirng ngu()'i linh
nay, nen 1Q'i duy chi 1a vay e(J va noi "chung loi nghicm lLIC".
HQc ba hinh thai trunh cua Trung Qu6c
Su d6i tren giG'a Viet Naill va Trung Quoc xung quanh vice ha d.it
gian khoan khung Hai Duong 981 trong vung bi0n tranh chap gj(J day cl<1 sang
tlnr 7. Ngay 9/6, Trung Quoc bAt ngo mo mot mat tran moi khi Vuong Dan,
Pho Dai sir tai Lien hop quoc trinh len Tong Thu k)1 Lien hop quoc Ban Ki-
moon mot van ban neu quan diem chinh thuc cua Trung Quae d6i v6'i tranh chap
va nghi Tong Thu ky eho luu hanh trong 193 thanh vieu ella Lien hop quoc.
Hanh dong cua Trung Quoc trong vice quoc to hoa tranh chap \()'i Vil N(1l1l
kh6ng hien mot su thay doi troug chinh such lau dui 11C) la cac trunh chap
co chi giai quyet song phuong thong qua tham van true iiep va darn
phan cua cac ben true tiep lien quan. MQt ngay sau khi Trung Quae d lrinh
quan cua 119 thi Hoa Xuan Oanh, Nguoi phat ngon cua B() Ngoai giao
tuyen b6 Trung Quae bac bo co trong tai cua Lien hop qual' Iicn quan
tranh chAp vai Nam. sao Trung Quae lS1i mang tranh eh5p eLla minh V()'j
Naill 1'a tnrae Lien hQ'p qu6e ?
Nal11 2003, Oy ban chAp hanh T1'ung HO'ng Dang C(mg S(lI1 Trung QUtlC vii
Quan LIY t1'ung uang ehlnh thlre thong qua mQt hQc gqi "ba hin11 lh{li
tranh". HQe ba tranh 1a 111Qt nhf\l1 lC) co ban eua ehi0n
tranh thong tin. Thea bai "Sa 111nh thai tranh eLla Trung C)utK''', 111()l
nghien ell'll eua Timothy A. Walton thuQe Cong ty 'I'll' vtll1 nghicn elru V[1 p11fll1
tlch De1ex ngay 18/1/2012, ba cUQe tranh ella Tnmg Qlll\C bao gl)tr! nhCrng
th8.l1h t6 sau day: t1'anh tam 1y, tranh thong, tranh
1y trong a6 hai thanh ta sau cLlI1g eta tSlo nen quan diem eLla Trung Qu6e. Then
Walton, t1'anh thong 1a 111Qt 1u9'e nh5111 (mh hU'C'mg lrang
c1u qU6e xay Llllg hQ cho Trung QU6e C{lI1 tl'l)' dai thll khong
thea du6i cae hanh aQng di nguQ'e lQ'i feh Cl:13 T1'ung Qu0c.
8
lI(Ji tluio quiJc: Ii: Truong
Van ban neu quan diem chinh thirc ella Trung Quoc glri tci Lien hop quoc
danh vao suoncac n6 liretuyen truyen ella Viet Nam Vel co lap Nam.
Phfm lou cacniroc thanh vien ella Lien h9'P quoc khongco loi ich truetieptrong
tranh chap lanh tho 6' Dong. R<1t nuoc Dong Nam ;\quan tam cac
hanh d()ngella Trung Qu6e ne tranh viec phai co mot quan diem cong khai
v6 v5n nay.
Theo Walton thi tranh phap ly la mot luoc su' dung luat phap
ella Trung Quoc va luat phap quoc gianh l<1y uu phap 1)1 eao han
khangdinh cac IQ'i ich cua TrungQu6e. Trangcac van ban chinh thirc cua Trung
Ouoc, nhi6L1 thir da diroc eung cap qua cac vien dan da diroc lua chon ella ILl0t
phapquoc te nham h6 troeho quan ella Trung Quoc. Luc daLl TrungQuoc
bao viec 110 dat gian khoan bang bien luan rang no trong lanh hai ella
TrungQuoc. TrungQuocluuy la gian khoanHai Duong98Jduoc d?t each dao
Tri Ton J7 hai ly, each e<1u true xa nh<1t phai Tay quan dao Hoang Sa. Trung
Ouoc suclungthuat ngir lanh hai mang lai ft nh<1t hai y nghia: J. Yell sach goi
C,1c vung mroc trong duong 9 la lanh hai; 2. Yeu sach g9i "lanh hai" theo
Cong troc Luat bien. TrungQuAe khong dOl hoi Iftnh hai theo each giai thich
vi tri ella gian khoan boi vi no duoc d?t it nh<1t 5 hai ly ngoai vung lanh hai
hopphap theo quydinh ella UNCLOS.
Ngay 6/6, Tuyen b6 ella Trung Quoc da sua lai 16i nay qua vice eho
gian khoan Hai Duong981 duoc c1?t trong vllllg giap ella Trung Qu6e. TLlY
nhien tuyen b6 nay cling cO' So' phap lY. Theo UNCLOS, nwc dfch duy
nh<it eUL1 vlmg gi2lp la cho phep qu6e gia yen soMefrn
thi6t a. ngan eh?n vi ph'.lITI quy dinh ella nuo'c do hai quan, tai kh6a,
di trLI VLl dieh trong Uinh th6 hay lanh hai; b. T1'lrng pl10t vi pl10m lu(1t
VLl cae quy dinhnoi t1'en I'a tl'Ong lanh th6 va lanh hai".
TrungQuAc eungco muu d6 minh t1'anh eh<1p elW minh v6i Nam
b5ng Sll' ly Ie 1<1 vi trf ella khoan Hai DuO'ng981 gfrn qun dao
IJO,lng Sa hO'n ber Nam. Van ban ehinh thLl'e eLla TrungQu6e lu?n
ILl giiln khoan I-Iai Dmmg981 dang tae eaeh Tri Ton 17hai 1)' vii dm'mg
cO' S()' vc xungquanh qUfrn (tao Hoang Sa, va caeh boo Nam tll' 133
156 hai IY.
9
Hili tluio (!1I(1c la: "Hoane Sa - Trtrone Sa: SIt' IIu71 liclt sii"
b ,....
Dong thoi Trung Quoc cling doi hoi chu quycn dbi v6'i bai can
Scarborough, gAn Phil ippines hon Ja cac cau true etA1 gdn cua TQ. Thco lu.it
phap quoc chi su' gAn gui khong thai lil chua elL! (10 chung minhChLI quycn.
Van ban chinh thirc neu quan diem cua Trung Ouoc tlnrc 10 cia IUIll suy ycu
viec Trung Quoc sir dung phap Iy gianh lqi 1h0. Vi du, (juan diem
chinh thirc cua Trung Quoc cho rang: Vllng bien giiia q/lc;n (/OO](IJ' So (I foclng
Sa) va (16t lidn Vit Nam c1711'Cl G1u'(J'c phdn clinh. Hoi hen chtra lic;17 lianh !JIUIII
dinh vung tk.lc quyen kinh Id vel th6m luc dia trong v/'l/7g /7(1.1', Hui hell e1m/c
quydn doi hoi vung dac quyen kinh Id va IhJI/1 luc diet phi, 170/) voi UNCLOS.
tnrong hop nay la dung thi Trung Qu6e phai tuan thco die quy dinh
cua UNCLOS XLI' ly voi cac yeu sach chong lan. Trung Qube va Vi1 Nam
deu phai tharn gia V210 cac tim xep tam thoi d6i voi khu vue 11'a11h chap cho c10n
khi co duoc th6a thuan phan dinh.Trong thoi gian mo: ben khCmg durrc
phep thay dbi nguyen trang hay de doa h00C sir clung VlI luc. [\6 rang Iii vice
Trung Quoc ha gian khoan trong vung bien tranh chap cia vi pharn cac
nguyen cua luat phap quoc t6. Nhung van ban ncu quan di0111 chinh thirc cua
Trung Quoc da huy hoai truo'ng hop pluip ly cua minh b5ng each cho rang luat
phap quoc la khong phil hop. Van ban tuyen b6:
Tuy nhien nhiing vung bie"n /1(7Y se khcJng boo gic'y 11'0' tlianh l'img diu: qlllJn
kinh ttl va thdm ll;Jc aia ciia Vit Nam Ice' ca khi {1j7 dung hefl k.l' nglll/en nao
cua ludt phap quoc td vao vice phan dinh.
Dai sir cua Trung Qu6c aOxtraylia Ma IIt'IC (!c1ng, g()P chi0n dic
tranh thong tin cua Kinh qua 10i lo'i bin he) (ren trong 1l1()1
bai bao dang 6 trang 2 cua Bao The Allstralion. ()ng MB bin minh khu
tranh chAp chua duQ'c phan dinh va "bAt k0 nguyen eua lu{11
qu6c se duQ'c ap thi nhu'ng vung bi0n nay cling sc kh6ng gio' (l"(l'
thanh Vlll1g kinh va dla cua Vi1 Nam",
SUo d\lng phap quac va tang cll'irng IW'P t{le
Van ban quan chinh tht'rc Clla Trung Qu6c d 1rtnh TCmg Thu k)' Lien
hQ'p qu6c cfrn duqc cac thanh vien cQng d6ng Clu6c ncu m, c(mg c1(\ng
dang quan tru6c cang dang tang Icn giLi'a Trullg Ou{)C Vit Nmll
va tac dQng co clla no dbi v6i an ninh khu NhCrng CjU(\c gia c() the
yell cfru dua nay I'a HQi d6ng Bao an.
10
H{Ji '/tito qlu]c Ii: S{I- Truong Sa: ,r.;{l' tjell sii"
Trung Quae khong duoc phep theo duoi tranh thong tin co
no b5ng cahai each - luu hanh van ban quandiem cua TrungQuoc tai Lien hop
d0 chungminh ban chAt nghiem trongcuatranh chap vci Viet Nam va bac
bo co trong tai cua Lien 11911 quoc. My va Uc nen hai thuc cho mot tranh
luan tai HQi dongbao an Lien hop quoc. NhatBan va cac cuongquoc khac
co IQ'i ich trongsir on dinh cua Dongnen tham gia.
TrungQuac co the se bi 6' VaG vi khoug chju lcl changlai bAt ky mot
cuoc tranh nita trong 1-1Qi dong Bao an va phai loai bo ca cua minh
muan sir dungno Iire chocac mucdichtuyen truyen, hoac TrungQuac se bi dat
VaG tinh phai phu quyet b5t ky mot giai phap nao xuat phat nr tranh luau
trong I1Qi dong Bao an chi trich hanh dQng ella Trung Quac trcn Dong.
C0ng dong quae thong qua Lien hop quoc se yeu cAu Trung Quoc rut gian
khoan va doi tall ra khoi vi tri hientai.
Tranh chap nay quyen chu quyen trong cac vung xungquanh
quan dao Hoang Sa chi co duoc giai quyet song phirong giCra Viet Nam va
Trung Quoc dua tren phap quoc bao g6m UNCLOS. Viet Nam can tranh
') , , ,
1 '" 1 ........ rt-'" - r ::1-"'." 1 1 1) , -J...., r
iuanmannme orem nay trongcactrao Cl01 capcuinn pnu VOl t rung\juoc,
Viet Nam nen van dong hoi cac uoc Dong Nam Ato ra manh hon
trong SV' ung hQ cua ASEANcho viec giai quyettranh chaptren coSo' phap
quoc vakhongde doahoacSlt' dungvii luc.
Cac nuoc ASEAN can tiep tuc cung Trung Quoc thea duoi viec thirc hicn
Tuyen ba cach t.'rng Xlr clla diC ben 6 Dongnam2002 (DOC) va mQtB()
Quy titc t.'rng xlr cho Dong (COC). Tuy nhien cfm ILru y r5ng cac nwc tieu
eLla ASEAN huo'ngtai COC v6i TrungQuac co khong dll'Q'c trongtuO'ng
lai gAn. trinh COC da dfln chia re trong n0i b0 ASEAN va chia re
trong nhu'ng mro-c ASEAN eo yeu Sacll. Trung Quae djnh "chi"t
Cluy2n khong tranh dii" v6i Dong va qua quy0t vb ChLl gAn
day mangtinh xam luC)'e khong luangtnro-c,va Sll' tau qW:ln va may
nay la tr6 ng?i chinh cho quan Iy cac gia tri bi0n chungtrcn
Dong. Ova tren phat nay, cac mro-c ASEAN nen thilO va phe cl1U5n
mQt lI'o-C v2 Quy titc lrng XLI' cho cac lQ'i ich chungeLla D6ng Nam A.
bao dam cho cae gia trj chung cua khu 13 khong the ehia se va lu?t
phap quac la ph6 quat. Nh5m phM cac lI'o-C Quytitc lrng xlr, cac
quae gia rieng cAn giai cac tranh ch5p lanh t6 va tranh ch5p tren
11
voi nhau. Thea thuan ~ n Gay giira Indonesia va Philippines v6 phan dinh ranh
gioi bien trong vung Celebest va Mindanao 1<'1 mot vi du tC)1. l-licp uO'C v ~ Quy
t ~ ling xu cho cac loi ich bien chung siS tang cirong su thong nh5t va dCmg
thuan trong ASEAN, tang cirong kha nang tu tri trong khu vue Vel vai tro trung
tam cua ASEAN trong cAu true an ninh khu vue. Hip uoc v ~ Quy telC ung XLI'
trong kim V\l'C se baa h<.1111 gia tri bien chung trong khu vue Dong Nam Athen
mot each thirc giong nhu Khu vue hoa binh, W do va trung 1(11) ( 1971 ), Ilicp urrc
Than thien va Hop tac (1976) va Hi9P iroc Dong Naill Akhong C() Vll khi hat
nhan (1995) va duoc 1116 eho su tham gia cua cac d6i rae d6i thoai CU<.l
ASEAN.I.
12