The Architecture of Maritime Peace: Evaluating Joint Development Zones in the South China Sea

Global Journal of Peace and Conflict Studies | Vol. 2, No. 11, November 2011 | pp. 90–98

DOI: 10.46882/2011/GJPCS/000034

Research Article

The Architecture of Maritime Peace: Evaluating Joint Development Zones in the South China Sea

Linh Pham¹

¹Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, Hanoi, Vietnam

Abstract: Overlapping sovereignty claims in maritime zones present severe risks to regional economic stability and international security. This study analyzes the effectiveness of Joint Development Zones (JDZs) as conflict-mitigation tools in contested waters of the South China Sea. Integrating maritime boundary mapping with historical legal analysis from 1995 to 2010, we evaluate how resource-sharing arrangements affect state interaction patterns. The data reveal that maritime areas governed by active JDZs experienced a 65% reduction in close-quarter naval skirmishes compared to unmanaged zones (p < 0.01). A statistical correlation analysis confirms that resource extraction operations run via joint ventures show a high stability index score of 4.4 ± 0.3 on a 5-point scale. The research demonstrates that suspending sovereignty disputes in favor of shared economic exploitation builds regional trust. We argue for expanding multilateral JDZ models to serve as stepping stones toward final maritime boundary demarcations.

Keywords: maritime security, South China Sea, Joint Development Zones, resource sharing, naval skirmishes, boundary disputes

Manuscript Timeline: Received July 02, 2011; Revised August 29, 2011; Accepted October 01, 2011; Published November 08, 2011.

Citation: Pham, L. (2011). The Architecture of Maritime Peace: Evaluating Joint Development Zones in the South China Sea. Global Journal of Peace and Conflict Studies, 2(11), 90–98. DOI: 10.46882/2011/GJPCS/000034

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