Tag Archives: EEZ

China and Vietnam Call a Maritime Truce

China and Vietnam Call a Maritime Truce

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Liu Yunshan (R), a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and secretary of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, holds talks with Le Hong Anh, special envoy of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam(CPV) Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong, also a Politburo member and standing secretary of the Secretariat of the CPV Central Committee, in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 27, 2014. Xinhua Photo

Liu Yunshan (R), a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and secretary of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, holds talks with Le Hong Anh, special envoy of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam(CPV) Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong, also a Politburo member and standing secretary of the Secretariat of the CPV Central Committee, in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 27, 2014. Xinhua Photo

An ongoing dispute over territorial rights in the South China Sea between China and Vietnam may have cooled, following a Wednesday Beijing meeting between both countries, according to reports in Chinese state-run media. Read More →

Oceans: Putting up the 'Keep Out' Signs

Oceans: Putting up the ‘Keep Out’ Signs

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Proceedings, January 2013
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are designated sites found throughout the World Ocean that are set aside for special protection and management. They conserve and protect sensitive ecosystems as well as cultural history. Governments ranging from the national to the local levels have established MPAs in almost every coastal nation in the world.

At 132,000 square miles, Hawaii's Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument is one of the world's largest protected oceanic spaces. But the total global area of such preserves is still just a drop in the bucket. NOAA Photo

At 132,000 square miles, Hawaii’s Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument is one of the world’s largest protected oceanic spaces. But the total global area of such preserves is still just a drop in the bucket. NOAA Photo

The United Nations Law of the Sea Treaty (UNCLOS) gives signatory coastal states a 200-mile wide Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). This includes a 12-mile-wide territorial sea where those countries have full sovereign rights. Beyond that point, states have quasi-sovereign rights to regulate almost all activities out to their 200-mile boundary. Thus coastal states have clear authority to establish MPAs within their EEZs. However, at present most are located within territorial waters. Read More