Extended continental shelf submissions in the East and South China Seas: implications for joint development from a global blue economy perspective

Cooperation on the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles can contribute to the blue economy by making scientific investment useful across successive stages of offshore development. This article compares developments in the East and South China Seas through submissions to and progress reports of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS), diplomatic notes, government documents, and judicial decisions. Both seas have recorded dispute-related deferrals, while the rights invoked and the cooperative arrangements under discussion differ. The article examines how cooperation agreements can organize surveys and address project management and benefit-sharing in joint development. It proposes analysis of existing survey data and environmental baseline surveys as near-term starting points for cooperation between China and the states concerned. Agreements on the activities and use of results give these initial steps an operational basis. The analysis extends benefit-sharing to the survey stage and recommends funding for long-term data management and monitoring. The blue-economy return includes both better-founded investment choices and the ability of participating states to monitor the ecosystems affected by development.