Joint development in the South China sea: China’s incentives and policy choices

Figures & data

Figure 1. Illustration map of oil and gas-bearing basin in the SCS.

Source: The drawing of this map referenced the following sources: Wang, Ocean Geography of China, 415; China Geological Survey of Ministry of Land and Resources, Marine Geological Work Memorabilia of P.R. China (1949–1999), 26; Li, World Atlas of Oil and Gas Basins, 47.

Table 1. Three types of China’s policy choices on the SCS joint development.

Types	Number	Policy choices	Notes
clear government policies	1	To promote good faith in the SCS	Addressed in the statements and released MoU by the Chinese government.
	2	To limit unilateral activities in disputed areas
	3	To focus on less sensitive areas of the SCS
	4	To reach joint development arrangements by establishing relevant working mechanism
implicit government policies	5	To begin the process in areas where there are only two claimants	May not be in open statements, but can be testified by the actual behaviors of the Chinese government.
	6	To define sea areas for the joint development by seeking consensus
possible policy choice	7	To discuss the feasibility of setting up a SRMA with supranational character	May not accept it in the near future, but worthy of China’s consideration.

Source: by the author.

Figure 2. Map of the operation locations of the HYSY 981.

Source: Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “The Operation of the HYSY 981 Drilling Rig: Vietnam’s Provocation and China’s Position,” Accessed August 31 2019. http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/zxxx_662805/t1163264.shtml.

Figure 3. Illustration map of the claims of SCS coastal States.

Source: Qi, “China’s Presence and Challenges in the South China Sea in Recent Years and China’s SCS Policies in the Future,” 9; Permanent Mission of China to the UN, Note Verbale CML/18/2009; Damrosch & Oxman, “Agora: The South China Sea, Editors’ Introduction”, 96; U.S. Department of State, Spratly Islands in the South China Sea; United Nations Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, Brunei Darussalam’s Preliminary Submission concerning the Outer Limits of its Continental Shelf.

Figure 4. Possible organizational structure of a spratly resource management authority.

Source: Qi, et al., Cooperative Research Report on Joint Development in the South China Sea: Incentives, Policies & Ways Forward, 22; Valencia, et al., Sharing the Resources of the South China Sea, 207.