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Standoff in the South China Sea The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS, designates boundaries for the seas, sorting out nation’s rights to fish and exploit other resources, including gas and oil. An offshore island, defined as a naturally formed feature with an economic function, is entitled to a 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone; rocks are entitled to 12 nautical miles of territorial waters, but not an exclusive economic zone, explains Carlyle A. Thayer of the University of New South Wales at the Australian Defence Force Academy. In smaller seas surrounded by a multitude of nations, space is tight with overlapping borders. Such is the case with the South China Sea, with China embroiled in territorial disputes with neighbors for decades. The latest dispute is with the Philippine over Scarborough Shoal, called Huangyan Island by China or Panatag Shoal by the Philippines. Philippines President Benigno Aquino visited the White House seeking US support. Thayer exp

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