Why is the South China Sea a flashpoint for Asia?

Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="An aerial view of Qilianyu islands in the Paracel chain, which China considers part of Hainan province on Aug. 10, 2018. AFP " src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/afp/08/18/aerial-view-of-qilianyu-islands-afp-8182023.jpg"/><figcaption>An aerial view of Qilianyu islands in the Paracel chain, which China considers part of Hainan province on Aug. 10, 2018. <em>AFP</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA - Competing claims to the South China Sea and its hundreds of reefs and islands have for decades been a source of tension in the region.</p><p>The latest spat erupted on August 5 when Chinese coast guard vessels blocked and fired a water cannon at a Philippine resupply mission to a remote outpost in the disputed waters.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1SXCNYUYGrA?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><p>Such incidents have fuelled fears of a potential miscalculation or accident igniting a military conflict that could draw in the United States.</p><p>AFP looks at the territorial disputes in the sea and what&#x27;s been done to resolve them.</p><div><strong>Where is the South China Sea?</strong></div><p>The South China Sea covers more than three million square kilometres (1.16 million square miles), ringed by southern China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Borneo island and mainland Southeast Asia.</p><p>Most of its hundreds of small islands, islets and rocks were originally uninhabited. The Paracel and Spratly chains contain the biggest islands. Scarborough Shoal is a small outcrop in the east.</p><div><strong>Why does it matter?</strong></div><p>The sea is the main maritime link between the Pacific and Indian oceans, giving it enormous trade and military value.</p><p>Its shipping lanes connect East Asia with Europe and the Middle East, with trillions of dollars in ship-borne trade passing through the sea annually.</p><p>Huge unexploited oil and gas deposits are believed to lie under the seabed, though estimates vary greatly.</p><p>The sea is also home to some of the world&#x27;s biggest coral reefs and, with marine life being depleted close to coasts, it is important as a source of fish to feed growing populations.</p><div><strong>Who claims what?</strong></div><p>China and Taiwan both claim nearly all of the sea, while Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei each have overlapping stakes to parts of it.</p><p>Beijing&#x27;s argument is based largely on Chinese maps dating back to the 1940s. It originally used an 11-dash line to demarcate its claims, but it was reduced to nine dashes under former leader Mao Zedong.</p><p>The expansive claim approaches the coasts of other countries.</p><p>The Paracel Islands are claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam, though Beijing has held all of them since a conflict with South Vietnam in 1974.</p><p>China has also controlled Scarborough Shoal -- a rich fishing ground 230 kilometres (140 miles) off the Philippine island of Luzon -- since seizing it from the Philippines in 2012 following a tense standoff, and it holds at least seven of the Spratly Islands.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hkCgtJJBUYY?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><p>Vietnam controls 21 rocks and reefs in the Spratlys, while the Philippines has outposts on nine reefs and islands in the archipelago.</p><p>Taiwan holds the largest feature in the Spratlys, Itu Aba, while Malaysia controls five others.</p><div><strong>How do they assert their claims?</strong></div><p>For years, rival claimants have been building up the tiny reefs and islets to bolster their claims to ownership.</p><p>China&#x27;s land reclamation program has been particularly aggressive.</p><p>In the past decade, it has ripped up thousands of hectares of reef in the archipelago to create militarised islands, with runways, ports and radar systems.</p><p>China also deploys hundreds of coast guard and other vessels in key parts of the sea, often more than a thousand kilometers from the Chinese mainland, to guard particular features such as Scarborough and perform other security duties.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MXkt9fltWo4?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><div><strong>Has there been military conflict?</strong></div><p>There have been two armed conflicts between China and Vietnam in the sea that killed more than 130 Vietnamese troops.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/08/18/23/china-appears-to-be-building-airstrip-on-disputed-s-china-sea-island">China appears to be building airstrip on disputed South China Sea island</a></li></ul><p>Beijing gained control of the Paracel Islands in 1974 after clashes with the South Vietnamese Navy.</p><p>The other major conflict occurred when Vietnam and China fought a naval battle on Johnson Reef in the Spratlys in 1988.</p><p>Relations between China and the Philippines have been frayed by disputes over the waters, but incidents on the open sea have so far not resulted in military conflict.</p><div><strong>What are diplomats doing?</strong></div><p>The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China adopted a non-binding &quot;declaration of conduct&quot; in 2002 to discourage hostile acts. All sides agreed not to use threats or force to assert claims.</p><p>But negotiations since then to turn it into a legally binding &quot;code of conduct&quot; have failed. Manila will host another round of talks this week.</p><p>In 2013, the Philippines filed an international arbitration case against China. The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled in Manila&#x27;s favour, declaring China&#x27;s &quot;nine-dash-line&quot; has no legal basis.</p><p>Beijing refused to take part in the proceedings and has ignored the judgement.</p><div><strong>cgm/amj/mtp/cwl/smw</strong></div><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div>

MANILA - Competing claims to the South China Sea and its hundreds of reefs and islands have for decades been a source of tension in the region.

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Why is the South China Sea a flashpoint for Asia?

Why is the South China Sea a flashpoint for Asia?

Agence France-Presse

Published Aug 23, 2023 03:22 PM PHT

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