For Your Information: Rising tensions on South China Sea dispute (DISEC Topic B)
The various territorial disputes amongst claimant countries over territories in the South China Sea are long standing ones. However, recent upsurges in tension, particularly between China and America, have reminded the world that this is a conflict that could have global consequences.
The dispute is over territory and sovereignty in the South China Sea, which have also been claimed in part or whole by several other countries. Tensions rose last week after China moved a giant oilrig into an area also claimed by Vietnam. Each country accused the other of ramming its ships near the disputed Paracel Islands.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, rejecting rival claims by Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei. China defines this area by the “nine-dash line” which stretches hundreds of miles south and east from the most southerly province of Hainan. Beijing issued a statement claiming the territory based on 20 centuries of historical precedence and claimed that both the Spratly and the Paracel islands are integral to its heritage.
Vietnam hotly disputes China's historical account and says it has actively ruled over both the Paracels and the Spratlys since the 17th Century and has the documents to prove it. The Philippines invokes its geographical proximity to the Spratly Islands as the main basis of its claim for part of the grouping. Both the Philippines and China lay claim to the Scarborough Shoal, which is a little more than 100 miles (160km) from the Philippines and 500 miles from China. Malaysia and Brunei also lay claim to territory in the South China Sea that they say falls within their economic exclusion zones, as defined by UNCLOS. Malaysia claims a small number of islands in the Spratlys.
China has traditionally taken a strong stance on the protection of what it deems to be its sovereign territory. Chinese president Xi JinPing issued a public statement, stating that China is “strongly committed to safeguarding the country's sovereignty and security, and defending our territorial integrity”. The refusal to settle on a compromise on the part of a major player like China has led to a gridlock that has led to several conflicts, such as when the Chinese seized the Paracels from Vietnam in 1974 that led to the death of more than 70 Vietnamese troops.
The complexity of the dispute has been augmented by motivations of the separate claimant countries on both the political and economic fronts. On the economic front, the potential to harvest oil and other minerals that falls within the territorial zones in the South China Sea provides strong incentives for rival countries to lay claim to these territories that will allow them to exploit these resources. Additionally, the successful acquisition of territories over other claimant countries can also serve as a form of political posturing and is used by the countries to display their military power or political clout.
by Linus Seah
Photo courtesy of http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2631156/China-trying-build-ISLAND-waters-claim-Philippines-tensions-rise-Vietnam-territory-dispute-sparked-riots-Hanoi.html