Abstract
This article analyses the positive and negative aspects of the Chinese U-shaped line (maritime boundary) in the South China Sea as well as certain points of interest that are more ambivalent. Positive aspects of the line include the observation that the line is not an attempt by both Taipei and Beijing to absorb international boundaries within a national framework. Negative aspects of the line include the burden it creates on the Chinese navy. It also addresses questions such as the nature of the relationship between the U-shaped line and Chinese Communist Exclusive Economic Zones, arguing that the non-contradictory relationship must be seen as a form of double insurance that both Taipei and Beijing are investing in.
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