CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- The tiny Spratly Islands are dwarfed by the magnitude of the sovereignty and demarcation problems that surround them.
Recently, China came forward with a "code of conduct" for the islands. The proposal is a positive development despite the question marks it raises. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has also proposed its own code of conduct. Officials will soon try to reconcile the two texts.
Academics around the world are studying the Spratly dispute. Recently, Phiphat Tangsubkul, a Thai specialist on ocean law, proposed that: