Number: RL31183
Title: China's Maritime Territorial Claims: Implications for U.S. Interests
Authors: Kerry Dumbaugh, Richard Cronin, Shirley Kan, and Larry Niksch, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division; and David M. Ackerman, American Law Division 
Abstract: This report provides an overview of which islands and reefs are in dispute and who claims them; background on Chinese assertions and justifications about the extent of Chinese sovereignty in these waters; the economic and strategic significance of relevant sea lines of communication, both for Asia and for U.S. interests; an analysis of PRC military activity and interests in the region, as well as an overview of confrontations in the area; and an analysis of international legal interpretations of these issues. Finally, the report discusses the implications of competing South/East China Sea claims for U.S. economic and strategic interests, and the implications that U.S. treaty obligations to claimant states have for resolution of these claims.
Pages: 42
Date: Updated November 12, 2001