Topic: Territorial Dispute in the South China Sea
Country: Switzerland
Delegate Name: William Poltrock
School: Forest Hills Northern High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Switzerland position papers GLIMUN 2015 committees
Throughout the recent years, China has been engaging in a seemingly suspicious attempt at “expanding it’s territory” through the construction of massive islands along its Southeastern coast, in waters that initially belonged to small coastal nations which border China, such as Viet Nam. These actions have thus been causing disputes over the South China Sea area, as China refuses to stop its operations, causing these coastal countries to feel threatened and encroached upon, as well as feeling as though their sovereignty has been compromised. On May 28th, 2014, a Chinese oil vessel rammed into a Vietnamese fishing boat in the disputed territory, which thus initiated a series of accusations launched between China and several coastal countries, with the Vietnamese believing the act to have been an intentional act of hostility. This hostility, in turn, has prompted China to illegally expand its territory in an even more aggressive manner, and has prompted numerous outcries not only from the neighboring coastal countries in the South China sea, but also prompts urges from the SPECPOL to follow maritime laws in order to reduce the probability of open conflict occurring as a result, but to no avail. The tensions continue, and the UN continues to criticize China’s actions, which clearly violate maritime law.
Switzerland, which is renowned for its neutrality on foreign matters, has opted to offer mediation to the South China dispute. Didier Burkhalter, the a foreign minister of Switzerland, has expressed the nation’s desire to mediate the dispute in an interview with Swissinfo.ch, in order to reach a common ground between China and the United Nations. Burkhalter said “While Switzerland is not a maritime power, it is a mediation power. As an impartial and credible actor, Switzerland facilitates dialogue reand builds bridges in many conflicts. It is home to Geneva, Europe’s hub for peace where numerous international talks to resolve differences and prevent or resolve conflict have taken place. Moreover, Switzerland is an economic power. We have a strong interest in regional stability and safe shipping routes in the Asia Pacific. While Asia’s security challenges are for Asians to resolve, Switzerland stands ready to facilitate whenever its assistance should be requested. Concerns about unilateral actions in the South China Sea have been growing lately. However, tensions have not yet reached levels where efforts to strengthen cooperative security would seem futile. Now is the time to act. Now is the time to reassure. The multilateral schemes that have been created in the region in past years provide a basis to build upon.”
