SOUTH CHINA SEA DISPUTE

I am Zarin Tasnim Chowdhury and today I will be writing about one of the fastest concerning
issues in the context of international conflicts. It is the territorial dispute of the south china sea
between China VS (5 other countries ) Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia , Brunei and Taiwan.

Where is it?

South China sea is located in the Western Pacific ocean which is in South East Asia. The name
of the sea is given “South China sea” [ CITATION wik \l 1033 ], as in the 16th century the
Europeans had made its trading route from Europe to China, via the shores of south china, hence
the name.

Why is it important?

The south china sea consists of 3.5 million sq km of patch water and is one of the world’s
busiest shipping routes [ CITATION TLD \l 1033 ].There are hundreds of tiny islands, reefs, shoals
and their surrounding waters. The two main groups of islands are called the Paracels islands (in
north) and the Spratly islands (in south)[ CITATION wik \l 1033 ]. The sea itself is a big deal for 3
reasons-

1)It's full of fish. It is estimated that about 12% of the world's global fishing catch will come
from here, worth over US$21 billion per year.[ CITATION TLD \l 1033 ] These living resources
are just not only about money but more than that because it provides employment to at least 3.7
million people and food security of hundreds of millions of people in the surrounding regions.
[ CITATION Sch17 \l 1033 ]

2)It has oil and natural gas reserves, . In 2013 US sources estimated that resources are worth
approximately 11 billion barrels of oil and 190 trillion ft3 of gas.[ CITATION Sch17 \l 1033 ]
3)As south china sea is the second most used sea lane in the world, one thirds (1/3) of the
world’s shipping passes through it which values around 3 trillion dollars value of trade.[ CITATION
TLD \l 1033 ]

What are the competing claims?

Five governments from Philippines, Taiwan ,Vietnam ,Malaysia and Brunei have claims
according to the United Nations Convention on the law of the sea (UNCLOS), [ CITATION kum14 \l
1033 ] which was established in 1982 and it states that a country can have territorial zone of 12
nautical miles off the shores and a further 12 nautical miles limited controls, and then exclusive
economic zone of 200 nautical miles from the coastline [ CITATION YOU \l 1033 ]. This EEZ gives
them the right to claim over any living or nonliving resources beneath the waters.

China on the other hand claims more than 80% of the South China Sea referring to a map from
1947 by drawing a U shaped looping down about 1100 miles , which is called the “nine dash
lines” . China’s claim emerged between 1907- 1947 , it emerged in the context of China
struggling against foreign power in the first half of 20th century , first against Japan , then France
and against Japan again during the Second World War .It became a moment when China wanted
to stand up against the world and that one way was by doing a staking a claim to territory.
[ CITATION YOU \l 1033 ]

How is the situation?

Back in the early 2000s China and the Southeast Asian nations who also have their claims got
along fine and what really sparked off the conflict was when during the early days of Obama
administration when they had the “pivot of Asia”. And so when US did this pivot Asia, it sort of
encouraged the Southeast Asian nations to start exerting their claims in the South China Sea to
start building on islands that they had occupied , and suddenly China by Beijing's telling felt
compiled to do the same and to do in a greater degree. [ CITATION joh21 \l 1033 ] China’s efforts to
claim these islands became more aggressive, according to the U.s government in 2014, China
reclaimed more than 3000 acres of land in Spratly island and also created artificial islands by
filling sandbanks. They started placing military facilities on the already reclaimed territories,
starting from 2015 China installed extensive naval, air and missile systems on them. [ CITATION
Cas19 \l 1033 ] It is presumed from satellite images that, the island now host sophisticated air
defense system, as well as barracks, helipads, runways and hangars capable of hosting dozens of
war place. There are also several ports where large vessels can dock. The much smaller artificial
islands hold radar facilities and supply platforms. These islands are projecting power across the
periphery. This is when the UN declares that the islands are considered as rocks as they do not
sustain human habitation or economic life on their own. But China is illegally expanding.

This brings the intervention of Japan, who have security alliances with U.S.A, both are
conducting maritime security operations in South China Sea with submarines and cruise missiles
and precision guided bomb , where they are harassed by the Chinese ships. The involvement of
Japan and U.S.A is because the indo-pacific is a dynamic region for them and South China sea is
the key connection, moreover U.S.A do not want any other country to be globally competitive
and power like them .Other Asia-pacific nations including Australia, New Zealand , India and
South Korea maintain a military presence as it has passage rights for naval vessels and military
aircraft and freedom of navigation.[ CITATION Cas19 \l 1033 ]

What are the possible solutions?

China is indisputably a superpower in the region and the Philippines, Vietnam, and other
claimants are just smaller states. It is impossible to expect a fair solution that treats every
participant equally, Everything should be proportionate. The ASEAN countries have to learn
how to work with the regional leader,that is China, in a proportionately mutual beneficial way.
Forcing international law on China to agree with ASEAN’s proposal for a Code of Conduct is an
unfair to their superpower. ASEAN should reduce competition among its members, increase
internal aid programs, and exchange technology and experiences. Only when each and every
ASEAN nation is strong enough and really enjoys cooperation within the organization, can a
common approach finally be considered.[ CITATION The \l 1033 ]

On the other hand third parties like the United States, Japan , Australia and India hardly made
any constructive contribution to solving the South China Sea Conflict. All they have done is
pressure China to commit to UNCLOS ,sponsor militarization in the region, and add aggression
where necessary. Seems like they are planning for proxy war against China in the South
China Sea, which ASEAN countries and China should be well aware of.[ CITATION Cas19 \l 1033 ]

Works Cited
1. wikipedia. South China Sea. [Online] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_China_Sea.

2. News, TLDR. youtube . Tensions Escalate in The South China Sea. [Online]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STZxb_ihLWM.

3. Schofield, Clive. Contested ocean spaces. A case study of the south china sea. november 25, 2017, pp.
22-26.

4. rajgeet, kumar. slideshare. scribd comapny . [Online] november 29, 2014.

https://www.slideshare.net/kr_rajgeet/south-china-sea-dispute-42156002.

5. YOUTUBE. The South China Sea dispute explained. [Online] https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=8eqtl0ym1p8.

6. liu, john. executive director. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHCkZbBwFyM. s.l. : bloomberg

news , The Militarization of the South China Sea 2021.

7. Report, Caspian. [Online] december 25, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=GcFiJwpvmq0&t=48s.

8. Carpio, Antonio T. slideshare. [Online] may 11, 2015. [Cited: may 11, 2015.]
https://www.slideshare.net/institutoelcano/18614-08rie-documento-discusin-
oportunidadesmad28oct2014.

9. Diplomat, The. Know the Asia-Pacific. [Online] https://thediplomat.com/2016/07/seeking-a-solution-

to-the-south-china-sea-disputes/.