81. The Geopolitical Significance of the South China Sea: Part II

1.3 The Conflict

“If Asia is the center of world politics, the South China Sea is the world’s epicenter of geopolitical competition”.⁷

As we saw, SCS is a region of utmost strategic importance. A region with such significance has resulted in disputes of ownership and claims that are competing yet overlapping between neighboring countries. These are concerns over maintaining vital trade routes and controlling resources. The disputes have the potential to escalate into an armed conflict, in fact, SCS has become a region with regular proxy wars, and sometimes even military confrontations. South China Sea disputes involve both maritime and land claims. 

The majority of the problem comes from China’s nine-dash line border claim. Under the 1982 United Nations Convention of the Law and the Sea (UNCLOS), a country has claims to 200 miles of water from their coastlines as an Exclusive Economic Zone. China’s territorial Sea claim spans 1,000 miles of water, which they outline with a Nine-Dash Line on government-issued maps, and justify from a historical basis. The lines are contested by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam. 

China claims substantial portions of the regions and its various islands based on a 1947 Kuomintang map, known as the Cow Tongue Map. China refers to the region as its territorial waters. China has built seven man-made islands on the reefs in the Spratly Islands, including a 3000 m long airstrip. China has built outposts and military vases to claim the island. China is also ramping up its military presence in the Woody Islands. It has been an aggressive actor who is using its political and military tactics to dominate smaller states. 

Another point of the question in the dispute is the legal question⁸ of whether military activities can be restricted in the EEZs. China is of the view that other states cannot carry out military activities in or over their EEZs without consent.  In 2016, an international tribunal ruled against China, saying it has no legal basis for the extensive claims. But the Chinese government has ignored the ruling.  In fact, China has embraced the role of a revisionist power⁹. It is increasingly trying to define regional rules and confronting countries that are in disagreement. The fear of a rising China is linked to the unresolved territorial dispute in this region. 

1.3.1. Stakeholders

China's claims to sovereignty in the region have led to numerous diplomatic standoffs. Chinese activities in the South China Sea has angered several international powers. First, the United States of America has denounced Chinese activity in the SCS region. As part of its pivot to Asia policy, the US has been conducting freedom of navigation tour of its vessels in waters claimed by China by continuing to treat the area as international waters. 

The claims are ownership of the Paracels and Spratlys have also resulted in serious clashes between the Chinese and Vietnamese. Moreover, both PRC and Vietnam have been vigorous in prosecuting their claims. This has led to several deaths in the 1970s and 1980s. 

Another facet of the South China Sea dispute is the standoff between Phillippines and China in 2012. Under a 2012 deal mediated by the US, China and the Phillippines promised to withdraw forces from the Scarborough Shoal Island until a deal over its ownership could be reached. Even if the Philippines compiled with the agreement and withdrew, China maintained its presence in the region, even going to the extent of militarizing it. This matter was taken over to the UNCLOS tribunal, but China boycotted the tribunal’s proceedings, saying that the tribunal did not have the authority to deal with an internal matter. 

ASEAN is an important player in the region. The regional body has been keen to ensure the territorial disputes within the SCS do not escalate into a full drawn armed conflict. 

Source: East Asia Forum

References:

1.     Movroydis, J. (2019). Synopsis: The U.S., China, and the Geopolitics of the South China Sea » Richard Nixon Foundation. [online] Richard Nixon Foundation. Available at: https://www.nixonfoundation.org/2018/04/synopsis-u-s-china-geopolitics-south-china-sea/

2.     Norman, B. (2019). The Economic and Geopolitical Importance Of The Disputed South China Seas. [online] Fxempire.com. Available at: https://www.fxempire.com/news/article/the-economic-and-geopolitical-importance-of-the-disputed-south-china-seas-313331 

3.     Pasek, W. (2019). Making Sense Of The South China Sea Dispute. [online] Forbes.com. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/outofasia/2017/08/22/making-sense-of-the-south-china-sea-dispute/#297ec7591c3b