The role of tradition in the territorial dispute between Vietnam and China

Abstract

The article analyzes the arguments of Vietnam and China on the ownership of the Paracel Islands and the Spratly archipelago in the South China Sea. The evidence base of the parties is based on historical justifications, which do not include all the islands of the archipelagos with geographical coordinates, have no data on permanent human habitation and economic activity. The International Tribunal in The Hague (2016) issued a verdict that China’s claims to “historical rights” over the maritime areas of the South China Sea contradict the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and are null and void.