论低潮高地的陆地属性

On the Land Nature of the Low-tide Elevation

中国南海有大量低潮高地,它们应当被视为陆地,还是应当被视为海洋的组成部分,这些年成了被利用和曲解的问题。菲律宾申请"南海仲裁案"中关于美济礁的诉求,就是典型的例子。美济礁在自然形态上属于海洋低潮高地,菲律宾不顾低潮高地的陆地属性,把美济礁领土主权归属问题包装为海域管辖权归属问题,据此将美济礁的主权归属纳入海洋法法庭仲裁范围,意图达到将美济礁据为己有的目的。根据《联合国海洋法公约》以及国际法关于领土主权归属的原则和规则,低潮高地应当属于陆地,应当按照陆地领土取得的国际法确定其主权归属,而不应属于《联合国海洋法公约》的调整范围。这为中国根据先占和持续控制的历史证据主张对美济礁的领土主权提供合法性支持,也为所有低潮高地的领土主权提供具有普遍意义的法理支持。

There are many low-tide elevations in the South China Sea. Should they be regarded as land or as an integral part of the ocean? These years have become a question of exploitation and misinterpretation. The Philippines'claim for Meiji Reef in the South China Sea Arbitration Case is a typical example. In nature,Meiji Reef belongs to the ocean low-tide elevation. The Philippines,regardless of the land nature of the low-tide elevation,has packaged the territorial sovereignty of Meiji Reef as the issue of jurisdiction over sea areas,thus bringing the sovereignty attribution of Meiji Reef into the arbitration scope of the Court of Law of the Sea,with the intention of taking Meiji Reef as its own. According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the principles and rules of international law concerning territorial sovereignty,this paper argues that the low-tide elevation should belong to land,and that their sovereignty should be determined in accordance with the international law on land territory,not within the scope of the adjustment of the Convention on the Law of the Sea. This provides legal support for China's claim of territorial sovereignty over the Meiji Reef on the basis of historical evidence of preoccupation and continuous control,as well as universal legal support for the territorial sovereignty of all low-tide elevation.