| ID | 165119 |
| Title Proper | Interpretation of Article 121(3) of UNCLOS by the Tribunal for the South China Sea Arbitration |
| Other Title Information | a critique |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Gau, Michael Sheng-ti |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | The interpretation of Article 121(3) of the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) was a key part of the Sino-Philippine Arbitration on the South China Sea Award issued in July 2016. This article uses the principles of treaty interpretation codified in Article 31 of the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties to evaluate the interpretation process. The Tribunal paid little attention to the text such as “rocks” in the plural form and overlooked the context of Article 121(3). The travaux préparatoires identified by the Tribunal was based on materials of doubtful weight. |
| `In' analytical Note | Ocean Development and International Law Vol. 50, No.1; Jan-Mar 2019: p.49-69 |
| Journal Source | Ocean Development and International Law Vol: 50 No 1 |
| Key Words | Unclos ; South China Sea Arbitration ; Rocks ; Article 121 of UNCLOS ; Treaty Interpretation ; Regime of Islands |