The Concept of Regional Common Heritage: Its Possible Application in the South China Sea

The principle of the common heritage of mankind (CHM) is among the most important innovations introduced in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The CHM originated from the Declaration of Principles Governing the Sea-Bed and the Ocean Floor, and the Subsoil Thereof, beyond the Limits of National Jurisdiction adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1970, which stated that the seabed and its resources beyond the limits of national jurisdiction are the CHM. ¹