Case Study on the Application of Part XV of UNCLOS to the Annex VII Arbitration Case Concerning the South China Sea Disputes between China and the Philippines

On January 22, 2013, the Philippines presented a diplomatic notification to China under Article 287 and Annex VII of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). It aimed at initiating arbitral proceedings to challenge China’s claims and entitlement to areas of the South China Sea (SCS) and the underlying seabed, which the Philippines requests the Tribunal to declare as its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and continental shelf. ¹ Based on the Philippines’ claims and the relief sought under Sections III and V of the ‘Notification and Statement of Claim’ (the Notification), ² there are five groups of claims as follows. ³