Head Chair: Troy Nguyen Vice Chair: Tracey Ho Moderator: Rachel Tu
Position papers will be due on February 5, 2021. The position paper format, and all other important conference documents, can be found on our conference website, http://lhhsconference.weebly.com/ . Email all position papers to our committee email: [email protected] . Feel free to contact us via email if you have any questions or concerns!
Hey delegates, my name is Troy Nguyen and I will be your head chair for the LHHS 2020 conference. I am a senior at Laguna Hills High School and this is my 4th year in MUN. I love watching movies and tv shows. I can’t wait to hear your speeches and solutions!
Hello delegates! My name is Tracey Ho and I will be your vice chair for the LHHS 2020 conference. I am a junior at Laguna and this is my 3rd year in the MUN program. I love to dance and watch TV shows. I look forward to meeting you all and having a fun conference!
Hello delegates! My name is Rachel Tu and I will be your moderator for the LHHS 2020 conference. I am a sophomore at Laguna Hills High School and this is my 2nd year of MUN. I play volleyball and I like watching anime. I hope you will all do well and find solutions to this problem!
Topic: South China Sea
Background: The South China Sea is a body of water crucial to global commerce, as it is a rich source of fish as well as oils and gas. Because of this, there is a large incentive for nations surrounding the area to claim it as their own, leading to serious and dangerous disputes between powerful and smaller nations alike. China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Brunei, and Malaysia fighting over the Pericles and the Spratlys, two of the large and uninhabited island chains in the sea, has resulted in instability within the region. Each nation believes that they own respective portions of said waters, however, China has made it known that they believe most of this is of their property, and has used their high economic status and political power to do so; this includes their creation of man-made islands in the area with military facilities present on each. However, currently due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, China has used this to their advantage to keep pushing their military objectives in the South China Sea. As stated previously, nations are trying their best to control this water as it accounts for, nearly, 5.3 trillion dollars worth of trade yearly, which accounts for ⅓ of global maritime trade. While international law only allows a maximum of 200 nautical miles to be taken per nation, when used for economic reasons, and still have it be considered their right to do so, China continues to believe that they deserve more, using the 9-Dash Line as their ‘historical reasoning.’ All of this continues to cause conflict with neighboring countries, damaging their economic opportunity severely. The United States and its allies have been noted to be a strong force in fixing this issue, however, China’s warnings to grow their presence if attempted has left them at a standstill. This, now global, issue goes against international law in nearly all aspects, and is not a sustainable solution for those affected by this territorial dispute.
UN Involvement: The United Nations is in a complicated position regarding the issues in the South China Sea. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea states that China’s claim over the 9 dash line is not legal, but the UN cannot necessarily act on this violation.The UN effectiveness of mediation is not found in the issues regarding the South China Sea disputes. Although no prominent resolutions have been passed through the United Nations, The Hague, which includes the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC), has summoned the Chinese government to the ICJ to make a decision over China’s claims of sovereignty on the South China Sea. Due to the violation of the UNCLOS, ratified by both China and the Philippines, all 5 judges unanimously rejected China’s stance of sovereignty over the South China Sea through its artificial islands. The ruling of the tribunal is legally binding, but there is no mechanism to enforce the decision made by the ICJ. China did not participate in the tribunal, and publicly stated that it will not abide by the ruling made. This ruling is the extent of the action against China by any international body until a mechanism for enforcing the ICJ’s decision is made. With the recent emergence of the coronavirus, territorial claims have been difficult due to the lack of communication opportunities between nations.
Bloc Positions: Western Bloc: This Bloc consists of European countries and the United states. Nations located in the Western Bloc do not have any direct involvement in the dispute as they are not located near the South China Sea. Many of these western nations have become third-party nations. Nations, like the US have been extremely involved in trying to protect the Freedom of Navigation and the rights of those passing by. Western nations have performed some third-party interventions to try to relieve the tensions in the area. Nations that are involved in the dispute have turned towards the Western Bloc for aid.
Latin American and Caribbean Bloc: This Bloc consists of South and Central American countries. The nations located in the Latin Bloc do not have any direct involvement in the dispute. Many of these nations are developing so they do not have a high interest in getting involved in the dispute and lack the resources to give sufficient aid to those directly involved. Some nations may show interest in supporting those in the dispute who they agree with. Most of these nations find this dispute at a lower importance than those that are present in their own sphere of influence.
African Bloc: The nations located in the African Bloc do not have any direct involvement in the dispute. Some nations in this bloc have voiced their opinions on who they support and many claim to stand behind China on this issue as China has provided much financial aid and trade to many African countries. These nations do not have a high interest in getting involved in the dispute and lack the resources to give sufficient aid to those directly involved. They find this dispute at a lower importance than those that are present in their own sphere of influence. However they still want a peaceful resolution to this issue.
Asian and Pacific Bloc: Multiple nations in the Asian Bloc have been involved in the South China Sea dispute. China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Brunei, and Malaysia, to name a few, have all made claims on the sea. These countries have much to gain through controlling the South China Sea as they would have access to many natural resources as well as taxing trade that goes through this sea. As a result, many of these countries seek to increase their influence and power in the South China Sea. Some nations have launched aggressive attacks on other nations and others have even made it impossible to pass through the area. There have been instances in which man made islands have been made to make claims on the sea.
Questions to consider: 1. What is the importance and role of third-party nations that are not directly involved in this dispute? 2. How can the South China Sea be divided so that countries are not dissatisfied by any perceived unfairness? 3. What qualifies as an effective method to assess territorial claim legitimacy? How do you ensure that this new method is implemented in a fair manner? 4. How much of the Freedom of Navigation laws should be implemented in this dispute? 5. How do pre-existing alliances alter the possibility of coming up with solutions or carrying out actions?