By Wang Hanling

June 15, 2016

"At the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on June 4, US Defense Secretary Ash Carter openly accused China of taking extensive, unprecedented moves that 'isolate' itself, and warned that by continuing doing that, China would erect a 'Great Wall of self-isolation'. Although Carter used the word 'principle' 37 times in his speech to emphasize the weight the US places on the rules and norms of international law, it was the US, not China, that is engaging in 'self isolation' in international maritime legal order. The US has isolated itself from the contemporary international maritime legal order based on the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

First, taking advantage of its status as the sole superpower of the present-day world, the US has refused to sign and ratify the UNCLOS. By Oct. 10, 2014, 157 countries had signed it, while 166 countries and international organizations had ratified or joined it. The US is one of the few countries that have not ratified it - and the only major country that has not done so. US State Secretary John Kerry is keenly aware of his country's lonely, embarrassing position. In a recent exclusive interview with Phoenix TV, responding to a question involving the US' failure to participate in the UNCLOS, Kerry said the US has not ratified it, but is a 'signatory'. However, according to international law on conventions, and the UNCLOS, in order to be a signatory, be a party to, and subject itself to an international convention, a country must ratify it through domestic legal procedure. Merely signing on the text of the document does not legally count."

Read more:
http://www.chinausfocus.com/peace-security/u-s-sets-itself-apart-from-international-maritime-order/

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