As per United Nations Convention, of the year 1982, territorial waters (sometimes referred as the territorial sea), is the area, which stretches 12 nautical miles, from the coastal belt of a country, where that country can exercise its sovereignty. It is a known fact that most of the earth’s surface is covered with water, around 71% and the rest is land mass. It is also an admitted fact that Oceans are still to be explored for natural resources. Therefore, territorial waters have become such an important and significant matter, especially in those parts of the world, where these waters hold natural resources, such as oil and gas, in abundance.
One such example is of the South China Sea, which has become a contentious and highly sensitive matter, because of the claims on the claims on the South China Sea by China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Brunei. Initially, it was considered a territorial dispute between Far-East Countries and involved countries relied primarily on diplomacy to resolve this issue. However, gradually, this diplomatic confrontation is turning into a military confrontation, where global players, such as the United States, are also intervening (Bbc.com).
There are several causes that turned this dispute into a global issue and a military disputed. One of the major reasons is that the South China Sea is an economic sea corridor, which has great trade relevance. China, which is the largest economy, heavily depends upon the South China Sea to move its goods to different parts of the world, especially to West. In addition, some studies suggest that the South China Sea is rich with natural resources, such as gas and oil, which augments its relevance and importance for the countries that are contesting sovereignty of rival over the South China Sea. There are other territorial water disputes, which are turning into hot disputes from cold disputes. This discourse aids us to understand the significance of territorial waters and how much they matter because of oceanic trade routes and natural resources that they hold within.
Work Cited
Bbc.com. “Why is the South China Sea contentious? “BBC. BBC, 12 July 2016. Web. 25 December 2017. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-13748349.
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