Topic: 2024-The Situatin in the South China Sea
Country: Ecuador
Delegate Name: Madelynn Fraaza
I.
Over the past 50 years, our world has become increasingly globalized, and one that relies on trades between foreign countries. A large part of what allows that trade to happen are the bodies of water that separate our great continents, one of which being the South China sea and its included side channels. As we have become more trade-dependent, some countries have also started to set boundaries in place to protect their natural resources. This in itself is not an issue, but it becomes one when the question of civilian safety comes into play. Over time, as tensions have risen between seaside countries, an increase in aggression has lead to a decrease in the regard for basic human rights. Countries are now more worried about whatever bits of surface-level salt water they lay claim to than they are the safety of those who rely on crossing said salt-water as a part of their livelihoods. Given the creation of the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) in 1982, you would think that countries may be able to rest easy knowing they have direct control of certain zones within the sea. However, this has caused even more conflict, as even vessels as simple as personal fishing boats are forced to dock in foreign countries by a foreign coast guard simply because they need to pass through a zone that isn’t their own. Or worse, military planes will intentionally crash into each other because they need to fly over the territory of another country. We don’t typically do this on land, so why is the sea any different? Ecuador believes that fair trade is the key to maintaining diplomatic relationships across the world, but to do that we need to establish the rules of said trades in a way that prioritizes non-armed vehicle and civilian safety, while still respecting the international boundary lines of foreign countries.
II.
Ecuador has established its maritime boundaries with Colombia, Costa Rica, and Peru. Jurisdiction over the South China Sea is beyond Ecuador’s bounds, as long as it doesn’t fall within the 200 mile radius our country has claimed as per Ecuador’s Maritime Claims and Boundaries documentation of 2020. However, Ecuador does use some of the trade routes for imports and exports, particularly in partnership with China. Our economy heavily relies on exportation of our natural resources, many of which go through areas of the South China Sea to be delivered to fellow UN member states. With the current aggressive state between countries at the table here, it has been quite difficult to safely send and receive resources abroad, and Ecuador worries that a continuation of the animosity will result in a detriment to our economy. We as a group gather here today because want to find a way to ensure civilian safety and not restrict innocent rights. We also want to keep in mind each country’s boundaries within the bodies of water and their included archipelagos. Ecuador supports a compromise of both of these ideas, but wants to emphasize a lack of intervention in Asian countries’ internal affairs and the ability to continue free trade throughout the world.
III.
The delegation of Ecuador urges fellow delegates to think about the potential benefits of additional UN sanctioned safety devices within the South China Sea and its surrounding areas. These methods would, of course, not interfere with any country wanting to tap into their own natural resources, but would instead help transport and civilian vehicles to safely cross the waters. Ships should not be shored by foreign countries unless they are actively harming land outside of their own boundaries, and aircraft should have additional traffic control towers to monitor unarmed aircraft and take the preventative measure necessary to avoid any more human lives being lost without cause. Ecuador realizes the importance of allowing member states of the UN and the rest of the world their freedom, and wants to find the best way to allow this without infringing on the rights of other countries.
