南沙诸岛的法律地位

The Legal Status of the Spratly Islands

根据《联合国海洋法公约》第121条的规定,岛屿可以享有与大陆同等的海域范围,而不具备社会经济属性的岩礁则不能拥有专属经济区和大陆架。南沙群岛的归属争议归根结底来自对其岛礁周围海域自然资源的争夺,因此明确南沙诸岛的法律地位是解决主权争端的关键。在运用国际法基本原理,并结合各岛礁的地理信息以及经济价值加以系统分析中,对南沙诸岛的法律地位进行明确,以期在实践中为维护中国在南海的海洋权益提供理论依据。

According to the Article 121 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, islands are entitled maritime zones as mainland territory. However, rocks without socio-economic attributes cannot have its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf. The Spratly Islands dispute is mainly about the resources competition in the waters around those islands and rocks （thus defining the legal status of those geographic features within Spratly Islands is the key solution to the sovereignty dispute）. This article namely interprets the international law related to the legal status of islands and rocks, then analyses the geographic information and economic value of the islands and rocks within the Spratly Islands, so as to define their legal status, therefore provides a theoretical basis for the protecting of China’s maritime rights and interests in South China Sea area.