China and the law of the sea vs. French interests.
Nic Maclellan shows how France's colonial holdings give it the third largest exclusive economic zone (defined as water out to 200 nautical miles from the coast over which a country has special rights over the exploitation of natural resources) in the world.
This in response to a very pertinent question:
'Does any other country successfully claim an expanse of blue ocean so distant from its land mass? Are there any such precedents, or is China pushing totally unrecognized definitions here?
Let's start with some easy examples, where a body of water is nearly enclosed by a territory (a 'lake' if you will). Doesn't the US virtually control the Gulf of Mexico? If there's an oil rig more than 200km from the US coast, is that in international waters? If so, who, if anyone, agrees on the oilfield's boundaries and the terms of the lease?
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(AP Photo)