WHEN nations were negotiating what would eventually become the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos of 1982), the People’s Republic of China championed the interests of the developing countries. China insisted that the exclusivity of the 200-nautical mile economic zones granted to coastal nations should not be compromised by some historic fishing rights claimed by superpowers that had “for years wantonly plundered the offshore resources of developing coastal states” (Haryo Budi Nugrobo, July 20, 2016).