James Kraska and Khanssa Lagdami, The trajectory of science and technology in developing the Law of the Sea and Oceans Governance

Ceren Cerit Dindar, Autonomous Ships and Carriage of Goods by Sea

The form of a ship has changed significantly in recent decades, both structurally and technically. Despite this, one element remains constant: the crew. They have always been on board, responsible for the ship’s operation, maintenance, navigation, and safety. Recent advances in shipbuilding and automation have made unmanned vessel operation feasible. Given their economic benefits and potential for improved navigational safety over human-controlled ships, these partially or fully autonomous vessels are likely to see widespread use soon. Despite their benefits, autonomous ships also pose risks. A major challenge is the potential legal issues tied to their use, as current maritime law was designed for crew-controlled ships. The compatibility of current laws with autonomous ships remains unanswered. To address industry concerns, potential issues should be analyzed from various aspects of shipping. The purpose of this paper is to analyse autonomous ships, focusing on the carriage of goods by sea. It examines how the concept of charterparty applies to this new generation of ships; how the obligations and rights of shipowners and charterers under contracts of carriage affect by autonomous operations; and to what extent the current contractual framework, especially charter forms, must change to accommodate the carriage of goods by such vessels.

This chapter examines how the migrant women navigate the patriarchal norms and cultural expectations that commodify them as objects of Chinese national desire, positioning the bodies of white women as social capital within the Chinese marriage market and immigration system. These women’s presence is valued as a means to enhance the social standing of their Chinese husbands and their families, with their reproductive potential seen as a resource for nurturing future Chinese citizens. I argue that, despite their roles as wives and mothers, foreign women often remain as guests within their own families, as their ‘uterine power’ isn’t sufficient to guarantee their inclusion and form of belonging. To protect themselves from patriarchal pressures, these women draw on maternal instincts, social networks and strategic navigation of citizenship policies and bureaucratic loopholes, creating a delicate balance of autonomy within a system that otherwise seeks to subsume.

Maral Javidbakht, Autonomous Ships and Flag State Attribution and Responsibility

This chapter explores when shipmaster conduct triggers Flag State responsibility. While individual acts are not attributable to States, exceptions arise from special State-individual relationships. Influenced by the shipmaster’s traditional role as agent and navigator, the modern role includes a range of internationally codified duties. If stemming from Flag State obligations, the shipmaster fulfills them, supported by two ARSIWA exceptions to non-attributability: (1) when individuals act under State control; (2) when the State fails to prevent conduct. Flag State responsibility for shipmasters’ conduct evolves in rescue violations. It arises when States fail to ensure shipmasters assist persons in distress where reasonably possible without endangering lives onboard, or when rescued persons face treatment violating international refugee law, including human rights law. This chapter re-assesses Flag State responsibility by examining whether shipmasters’ conduct is attributable based on their humanity or presence onboard. It also evaluates when private conduct is attributable to the Flag State, based on (1) organ/agent status under ARSIWA and (2) the State’s due diligence in preventing unlawful acts. Attributability depends on vessel ownership, breached obligations, and the State’s role in prevention. The chapter expands ARSIWA attribution analysis to autonomous ship operations, where shipmasters are absent or replaced by decision-making artificial intelligence.

The Introduction frames the book’s research within the local histories and sociopolitical dynamics of the Chinese–Russian border region, which have fostered the creation and popularisation of the ‘Russian brides’ village myth in Northeast China. It explores how Chinese–Russian marriages have come to symbolise an idealised form of transnational union in Chinese media narratives. This chapter also outlines the book’s theoretical and methodological approaches, introducing the concepts of hyperreality and intimate and embodied geopolitics. It provides a roadmap for its central arguments, guiding the reader through its interdisciplinary analysis.

This chapter documents how post-Soviet women navigate the complexities of their children’s citizenship status in China, using the concept of ‘embodied border sites’ where racialised geopolitics intersect with individual values and family norms. It explores how issues of citizenship, identity and race shape the experiences of foreign mothers in determining where their children ‘belong’ nationally. I argue that, faced with their own precarious legal and economic status – and the constant fear of separation from their children, these mothers often leverage their native citizenship or informal dual-citizenship arrangements to protect their parental rights within China’s strict single-citizenship rules. The chapter details how China’s citizenship and immigration laws restrict foreign spouses on ‘family visitor’ visas from fully integrating into the reproductive and familial aspects of marriage, leading to difficult negotiations over their children’s citizenship status. These challenges underscore the inequalities embedded in family life for foreign mothers, who continually negotiate their parental rights and sense of belonging within a restrictive legal landscape.

This chapter offers an audiovisual exploration of a group wedding festival held on the Chinese–Russian border during the late summer festival of qixi jie [七夕节]. The official goal of this event is to strengthen Chinese–Russian relations, transforming a traditional celebration into an occasion for the articulation and celebration of international love and desire. The symbolic significance of the location, timing and aesthetics of the event, alongside the national, racial and gender identities of the participants, reveals key insights into China’s national aspirations. I argue that this state-sponsored group wedding is not simply a reflection of China’s foreign relations, nor is it an incidental event – it serves as a crucial site for observing and interrogating China’s geopolitical imaginaries and national desires. Furthermore, it provides a space for both reinforcing and contesting these aspirations through the performance of international love, gender roles, and an ideal form of marriage.

Natalia Perez, Advances in Underwater Archaeology

Underwater archaeology serves to understand cultural heritage, artifacts, sites, and objects. It advances with technology, enhancing the ability to locate and study shipwrecks. Shipwrecks are a key element under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage. This paper examines how underwater archaeology technologies impact the rights of coastal and flag states to access shipwrecks in maritime zones and to collaborate in preserving underwater cultural heritage. It considers wreck locations, vessel types, and the flag state of archaeological ships. The analysis focuses on warships, which may enjoy sovereign immunity, in contrast to other kinds of shipwrecked vessels. Relevant UNCLOS articles, such as 33, 149, and 303, emphasize the protection of objects at sea and warn against infringing upon another state’s rights when retrieving archaeological finds from the seabed. The change is significant as technology increases access to inaccessible sites. The paper explores side-scan sonar, unmanned surface vehicles, and specific underwater imaging technologies. These technologies enable states to study and access shipwrecks across ocean zones. This chapter examines UNCLOS, the Underwater Cultural Heritage Convention, concerning rights to access wrecks within and beyond national jurisdiction amid growing ocean exploration.

This chapter delves into the realities behind dominant Chinese narratives of ‘beautiful and happy’ Chinese–Russian international marriages by foregrounding the voices and experiences of migrant women from former Soviet republics who moved to China. Through personal stories shared by women who moved from the mid-1990s to the late 2010s, this chapter reveals a complex and layered picture that contrasts with prevailing stereotypes of marriage migration. While popular perceptions in China and the former Soviet states suggest that most women migrate to escape difficult conditions in the Russian Far East, settling permanently in Northeast China, the women’s accounts reveal diverse motivations and pathways. By tracing their stories of cross-border romance and the challenges of adapting to life in China, I argue that these diverse narratives reflect a shifting perception of white femininity within China’s transformations and global aspirations. Although white femininity is a desirable asset valorising Chinese masculinity and national image, its value remains constrained, insofar as it serves China’s patriarchal domestic sphere.

The conclusion synthesises the book’s arguments, highlighting how marriage and migration serve as pivotal sites for examining the intersection of geopolitical and intimate projects. It reveals the complex relationship between national desire, family, marriage and race within China’s quest to realise the China Dream. The war in Ukraine further amplified these narratives, reinforcing the image of China as a rising force capable of stepping in where other nations falter. A relational approach to China’s interactions with the world, particularly through the lenses of gender and race, necessitates an exploration of the historical, geographical and normative dynamics that shape China’s self–other relations. Russia, in this context, serves as a critical node, connecting China to the racialised global order through its proximity, historical ties and shared geopolitical outlooks. The gendered and racialised dimensions of these processes highlight that national security and international relations are deeply intertwined with intimate relations.

Murat Sumer, Port Jurisdiction and Remotely Controlled Ships

Jurisdiction institutionalizes shipping regulation, rooted in State sovereignty. States act as flag, coastal, or port authorities. While UNCLOS prioritizes flag States’ jurisdiction, it also recognizes ports as enforcers of international maritime compliance and provides the legal foundation for State jurisdictions. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) creates treaties. The synergy between UNCLOS and IMO adapts the legal framework to emerging challenges. This paper examines the interplay between UNCLOS and IMO regulating MASS and its implications for port and coastal States’ responsibilities and navigational rights. This study assesses the navigational rights to MASS. While port States possess discretion in setting entry conditions, it discusses the legal basis of port State jurisdiction and key elements of autonomy. It explores the rights of semi- and fully autonomous ships to call at foreign ports and analyzes port States’ discretion in regulating MASS entry. Despite UNCLOS and IMO regulations hesitating to regulate ports directly, the advent of MASS operations necessitates port States’ role in ensuring compliance with international norms. This paper examines IMO’s mandate regarding the introduction of MASS. It questions whether IMO plays a proactive role in encouraging Member States, through developing Generally Accepted International Rules and Standards (GAIRS), to welcome such ships in ports.

This chapter examines the visual narratives through which China’s ‘China Dream’ of global rise idealises a particular type of international marriage: a union between a Chinese man and a white woman who is transformed into an obedient daughter-in-law absorbed into Chinese patriarchal structures. Analysing three Chinese TV dramas and a fiction film that highlight pivotal moments in Chinese–Russian relations across three decades of reform (1990–2010s), the chapter explores how these cultural products construct a consistent portrayal of the white woman – strong, intelligent, beautiful and independent – who ultimately submits to Confucian patriarchal values under the guidance of a Chinese man. By connecting televised portrayals of Chinese–Russian romance with broader political and public discourses on China’s foreign relations, this chapter uncovers the role of cinematic geopolitics in creating a hyperreality that bridges fantasy and the everyday.