第三次联合国海洋法会议经过长达近九年的斗争与协商后,终于产生了一部包罗万象,内容丰富的新的海洋法公约。公约中,有一个新出现的引人注目的部分——“区域”。“区域”指的是国家管辖范围以外的海床和洋底及其底土。它是现代海洋法中一个全新的概念,既不同于公海,又有别于海底,有自己独特的法律地位和制度,需要我们加以重视和研究。 After nearly nine years of struggle and negotiation, the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea finally produced an all-encompassing and informative new law of the sea. In the convention, there is an emerging and compelling component, the “region.” “Area” means the seabed and ocean floor beyond its national jurisdiction and its subsoil. It is a completely new concept in the modern law of the sea. It is different from the sea and the sea. It has its own unique legal status and system and needs our attention and study.