Int’l law has supreme role to play in resolving disputes: Russian experts
The ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), based in The Hague (the Netherlands), in July 2016 became an important milestone in the history of territorial disputes in the East Sea, and international law plays the supreme role in resolving these disputes, according to some Russian experts.
Moscow (VNA) – Theruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), based in The Hague (theNetherlands), in July 2016 became an important milestone in the history ofterritorial disputes in the East Sea, and international law plays the supremerole in resolving these disputes, according to some Russian experts.
Dr Alexander Korolev and DrIrina Strelnikova from Russia’s Higher School of Economics made the comment in anarticle published on the website of the Russian International Affairs Council onJuly 1.
They cited the PCA’s rulingas concluding that China’s claims of its “historic rights” and jurisdictionover the waters in the East Sea run counter to the 1982 United NationsConvention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and exceed the geographic andsubstantive limits of China’s maritime entitlements.
The writing affirmed thearguments that China used are not reflected in the principles of internationallaw and thus unable to be considered the excuse for its refusal to implementthe PCA’s verdict.
The authors also underlinedthe role of international law in settling disputes among parties in the EastSea, noting that UNCLOS is the most legally binding for all the parties to theconvention.
They held that UNCLOS is thelegal source replacing any historic right, sovereign right, or jurisdictionthat China used to deal with the East Sea disputes.
The article also highly valuedASEAN countries actively discussing the necessity to replace the outdatedDeclaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), signed in 2002, bya Code of Conduct (COC) in the waters - a legally binding tool that will serveas the foundation for managing disputes in the East Sea./.
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Sinh Ton island (Photo: VNA) 
