Joint development zones (JDZs) can be established to develop offshore oil and gas resources in disputed maritime regions. The contexts for JDZs include the developing consensus against maritime zones based on small islands, rocks, and other features, based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the South China Sea Arbitration between China and the Philippines. This may also provide the opportunity for a multilateral JDZ based on a South China Sea Joint Authority (SCSJA). JDZs may develop less as arrangements to allocate offshore resources, and more as opportunities to promote regional cooperation and development.