ABSTRACT
China’s traditional maritime boundary line, commonly known as the U-shapcd line in the South China Sea, has been queried frequently in various circles, whether governmental or academic, on its real meaning. This article addresses the legal implications of this line for the Spratly Islands dispute, including, inter alia, the origin and evolution of the line, China’s attitude towards and practice relating to the line, reactions from other South China Sea countries, the relevance of the line to the concept of historic waters and other law of the sea concepts, and the potential role to be played by the line in the future delimitation of maritime boundaries in the South China Sea.
