the 9-Dash Line is a national boundary, which encompasses the sea itself, rests not on this convention, but rather, Beijing says, on the “historic claim” with “a foundation in international law, including the customary law of discovery, occupation, and historic title.” Other nations reply that the international law “does not recognize history as the basis for a maritime jurisdiction.” To affirm its position, in this view, China would have had to exercise effective sovereignty over the South China Sea for a long and sustained period of time in a “well-known” way. Some would say that China will
...more
