ABSTRACT
The MSR Initiative, put forward by the Chinese government, aims to strengthen global cooperation through more substantial, convenient and profitable connectivity. The success of the Initiative depends much on the security of the SLOCs around the world. However, the SLOCs security in the South China Sea, which serves as the starting point of the MSR, still remains an issue in the sense that territorial and maritime disputes between/among multiple claimants, as well as the geopolitical competition between China and countries outside the region, may constitute threats to the safety of navigation in this region which is essential for world seaborne trade. Presently, the SLOCs security in the South China Sea face some positive factors and some negative ones, which may respectively enhance and hinder the Initiative. This chapter first introduces the significance of SLOCs security in the South China Sea to the Initiative; then examines the current situation in the South China Sea and identifies the major threats to SLOCs safety in this region. Legal framework of SLOCs security under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOS Convention) and China’s policy on this issue is also mentioned in this chapter.
