INDIA BACKS 2016 RULING FAVOURING THE PHILIPPINES IN SOUTH CHINA SEA
UNCLOS (1982) is an international agreement that establishes the legal framework for marine and maritime activities.
INDIA BACKS 2016 RULING FAVOURING THE PHILIPPINES IN SOUTH CHINA SEA
As negotiations continue between China and the ASEAN bloc for a code of conduct in the South China Sea, India called for adherence to the 2016 arbitration decision in favor of Philippines, rejected by China.
Back in 2013, the Philippines had instituted an arbitration proceeding against China in the Permanent Court of Arbitration under UNCLOS (UN Convention on the Law of the Sea). The Court ruled in favor of Manila in 2016, but China had called the ruling "null and void".
• UNCLOS (1982) is an international agreement that establishes the legal framework for marine and maritime activities.
• It divides marine areas into five main zones namely- Internal Waters, Territorial Sea, Contiguous Zone, Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and the High Seas.
•It is the only international convention which stipulates a framework for state jurisdiction in maritime spaces.