ABSTRACT
The extension of coastal state jurisdiction at UNCLOS III has created numerous problems as well as opportunities in East Asia. Among other difficulties, the countries of the region have been forced to confront the issues of ocean boundary delimitation between opposite and adjacent states. 1 In the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea special emphasis was placed on the principle of voluntary negotiation for the settlement of ocean boundary delimitation disputes, 2 but it has already become apparent that two distinct patterns of negotiation are emerging in East Asia. Whereas the coastal, island and archipelagic states of Southeast Asia have been able to negotiate no less than seventeen bilateral ocean boundary agreements, only two negotiated settlements have been achieved in Northeast Asia. See Table 3.1. If we look only at the volume of these agreements, Southeast Asia has at least achieved, if not exceeded, the rate of boundary treaty making in most other regions, but Northeast Asia has lagged far behind.
