- a research programme to explore the history and current status of conflict in the South China Sea

THE 10 MAIN FINDINGS

(as of February 2001) 
Please click to find the most relevant project publications for each finding

1. As knowledge of environmental hazard is diffused in the region, the impetus for conflict resolution will grow.
   
   
2. The disputed Paracel and Spratly Islands have environmental and symbolic, but little economic or strategic value.
   
   
3. China is not as aggressive as its neighbours fear. 
   
   
4. The disputes in the South China Sea cannot be viewed in isolation from the Taiwan question.
   
   
5. To secure energy, transportation is more important for China than offshore exploration. 
   
   
6. Although the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) has been ratified by the regional states, it is not respected.
   
   
7. None of the Spratlys can generate a continental shelf or Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
   
   
8. Fish and gas may lure China and Vietnam into cooperation in the Gulf of Tonkin.
   
   
9. The dispute over the Paracels blocks the road to further Sino-Vietnamese cooperation.
   
   
10. The jurisdictional disputes in the South China Sea could be resolved in six stages.