《联合国海洋法公约》的专属经济区争议——基于航行自由视角

Disputes over the Exclusive Economic Zone of UNCLOS—From the Perspective of Freedom of Navigation

《联合国海洋法公约》创设了专属经济区,这是不同于领海或公海的特殊海域,说明海洋权益的多元化及其扩张成为国际海洋法的现实。《联合国海洋法公约》对专属经济区的法律地位和性质的表述并不明确,沿海国和航行国对于专属经济区的权利义务划分及法律解释,一直存有分歧。海洋自由是国际海洋法的支柱性原则,《联合国海洋法公约》构建的国际海洋秩序,应认可航行自由的价值排序高于海洋权益,但这并不意味着航行国可以完全不尊重沿海国的利益和主张,沿海国主张对专属经济区拥有主权,以及航行国主张在专属经济区内有如公海一样的自由航行,都趋于片面。双方不应在《联合国海洋法公约》的列举规定以外扩大解释对于专属经济区的权利。现代国际海洋法理论的演化及更多的国家实践,会推动专属经济区问题的进一步明确。

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea(UNCLOS)creates the exclusive economic zone,which is a special sea area different from the territorial sea or the high seas.It shows that the diversification and expansion of maritime rights and interests have become the reality of the international law of the sea.Due to the unclear definition of the legal status and nature of the exclusive economic zone in the Convention,coastal states and navigation states have been diverging on the division of rights and obligations and the legal interpretation of the exclusive economic zone.Freedom of the seas is a pillar principle of the international law of the sea.The international maritime order established by the Convention should recognize that the value of freedom of navigation should be prioritized over maritime rights and interests.However,this does not mean that navigation states can completely disregard the interests and claims of coastal states,which claim sovereignty over exclusive economic zones.This claim and the claim of navigation countries for freedom of navigation in the exclusive economic zone like the high seas tend to be one-sided.Neither party shall extend its interpretation of the right to an exclusive economic zone beyond the enumerated provisions of the Convention.The evolution of modern international law of the sea theory,and more national practices,will push for more clarity on the issue of exclusive economic zones.