《联合国海洋法公约》附件七仲裁评述——结合南海仲裁案的管辖权问题

A Review on the Arbitration under Annex Ⅶ of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea——with Reference to the Issues of Jurisdiction on the South China Sea Arbitration

《联合国海洋法公约》附件七仲裁程序具有一定的强制性特征。菲律宾借此将南海问题予以拆分、重组和包装,在中国已根据该公约第298条作出排除管辖声明的前提下,将中菲在南海的岛礁主权和海洋划界问题单方提交仲裁。国际条约的签署以国家同意为前提,缔约国依据条约规定作出的声明或保留,正是该国对条约所作的理解和对义务范围的界定。《公约》第十五部分设立的争端解决机制是一个有机整体,附件七仲裁的强制适用应受到相应条款的制约。缔约国有自行选择和平解决争端方法的优先权,第十五部分第三节规定的"限制和例外"条款则是保障缔约国自行决定海洋划界等关乎国家重要利益的争端解决方法的具体体现。然而,仲裁庭擅自扩大解释其自身管辖权限,为个别国家滥用仲裁程序制造国际舆论实现政治目的提供了途径,由此将严重损害附件七仲裁的公信力。

Arbitration procedure under Annex VII of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea( UNCLOS) has somewhat compulsive character. The Philippines took this to distort the truth by means of deliberate misrepresentation and unilaterally filed the arbitration over territorial sovereignty and maritime delimitation issues in the South China Sea,regardless of the fact that China have made the declaration of exclusion provided for in Article 298. As international treaties are based on the premise of State consent,declarations or reservations made by a State Party as provided for by a treaty precisely mark the State Party's understanding of the treaty and define the limits of its obligation and compliance. The Part XV constitutes an integrated system of dispute settlement under UNCLOS. The compulsive application of Annex VII Arbitration should be limited and restricted by relevant articles. The State Parties have priority on choosing any peaceful means of settlement of disputes,and the articles under Section 3 of Part 15 are significant embodiment of safeguarding the State Parties' right on choosing the means of disputes resolution related to some great national interests,such as marine delimitation. The Arbitration Tribunal'extensions of its own jurisdiction provide approaches for the State Parties to abuse arbitration,mislead international public opinions and achieve political goals,which itself will inflict severe damages on the Tribunal'credibility.