Topic: Territorial Dispute in the South China Sea
Country: Nigeria
Delegate Name: Abigail Choffel
School: Grand Rapids City High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Nigeria position papers GLIMUN 2015 committees
The Federal Republic of Nigeria appeals to the international community to adhere to any and all relevant treaties when it comes to the territorial dispute within the South China Sea. As a party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Nigeria recognizes the importance of Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) as it relates to the procurement of resources for economic benefit. We recognize and understand both sides of the dispute and wish to work out an agreement between our conflicting allies. Furthermore Nigeria stands in strong belief that all parties within the conflict must be brought to the table, such as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan, Republic of the Philippines, and Brunei Darussalam. We stand firm that this dispute can be solved peacefully.
To solve conflict we must understand all sides of the issue. Nigeria recognizes that the People’s Republic of China does have somewhat of a legitimate historical claim. China claimed this area in back in 1947, justifying that Chinese fishermen held the Spratlys and Paracels more than 2,000 years ago and the islands are still rightfully China’s. These two islands lie roughly in the center of the South China Sea, and if China were to have ownership over them they would be granted Economic Exclusive Zone which infers key rights within 200 nautical miles of the coastline, including exclusive access to energy exploration. However, Taiwan also claims the same area because it was the Nationalist government of China, which later was expelled from mainland China and became Taiwan’s government, who announced this claim in 1947. Vietnam has also appealed to history, pointing to its rule of the islands in the 17th century. The Philippines argues geographical proximity; Malaysia and Brunei also claim parts of the sea that they say fall within their Economic Exclusion Zones. It is clear that there are many conflicting claims, all with some level of legitimacy.
The question arises, what can be done to solve this dispute? Nigeria believes that the main focus of the General Assembly Fourth Committee must be on deescalating the conflict already present in the South China Sea. Any resolution that is formed must comply with United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Nigeria recognizes the importance that resources play within this conflict and propose an agreement similar to one reached by Malaysia and Thailand in 1979. When a boundary dispute existed between these two nations in the Gulf of Thailand they were able to join hands to explore oil and gas in a 7,250 square kilometre area in the disputed gulf. The agreement has worked well. The Joint Development Authority that manages the exploration had by the end of 2007 discovered approximately 8.5 trillion standard cubic feet of gas reserves from 22 fields in the area. Nigeria proposes that a similar agreement be reached, one that satisfies all parties and results in a great distribution of resources.
The territorial dispute in the South China Sea is exceedingly complex. Nigeria believes that all nations within the conflict have some level of legitimacy to their claim and therefore their voices must be heard within any negotiations. Above all, however, the Federal Republic of Nigeria stands firm on the idea that the international community must to adhere to any and all relevant treaties when it comes to the territorial dispute within the South China Sea. A lawful resolution must be reached.
Works Cited
BBC Asia. (2015, October 14). BBC News. Retrieved from Q&A: South China Sea dispute: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-13748349
Beauchamp, Z. (2015, October 28). Why the US sent a missile destroyer into Chinese-claimed waters. Retrieved from Vox: http://www.vox.com/2015/10/28/9627006/destroyer-south-china-sea
Bonnie S. Glaser. (2012, April). Armed Clash in the South China Sea. Retrieved from Council on Foreign Relations: http://www.cfr.org/world/armed-clash-south-china-sea/p27883
Lee, K. (2015, March 13). China is on a crazy mission to build artificial islands. What the hell is it up to? Retrieved from Vox: http://www.vox.com/2015/3/13/8203713/south-china-sea-explained
Meierding, E. (2015, May 24). The real reason tensions are rising in the South China Sea. Retrieved from Vox: http://www.vox.com/2015/5/24/8646571/the-real-reason-tensions-are-rising-in-the-south-china-sea
Muzaffar, C. (2012, July 4). How to resolve conflicts in the South China Sea. Retrieved from Aljazeera: http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/07/201273124725247147.html
United Nations General Assembly. (2014, February 24). Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 29 December 2014. Retrieved from United Nations: http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/69/245
