Unilateral actions undermine legal order established by UNCLOS: report

(ECNS) -- A major power that is not a party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) has invoked customary international law to justify unilateral actions, including delineating a so-called extended continental shelf and advancing deep-sea mining without multilateral approval, according to a report released Tuesday by the China Institute for Marine Affairs.

The Assessment Report on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea says such actions undermine the broader interests of the international community and erode the legal order established under UNCLOS.

The report also says the actions reflect what it describes as a "pick-and-choose" approach to international law.