The South China Sea Crisis: Exploring Global Implications
Tensions rise in the South China Sea as China militarizes disputed islands, triggering maritime disputes with regional rivals over competing claims in this resource-rich waterway The global implications of China's naval build-up and actions in the area are concerning
Maritime conflicts in the expansive South China Sea have escalated in recent years, with a more assertive China militarizing disputed islands and challenging its neighboring countries' conflicting territorial claims in this strategically significant and resource-abundant waterway.
The economically crucial passage, which is bordered by China and various Southeast Asian nations, is subject to multiple government claims. Despite an international court ruling, Beijing boldly asserts its ownership over nearly the entire waterway.
In the last 20 years, China has taken control of various hidden reefs and atolls in the South China Sea, located far from its coast. During this time, China has developed military infrastructure, like runways and ports, on these locations. However, countries like the Philippines, who also claim ownership over these territories, argue that China's activities encroach upon their sovereignty and disregard international maritime laws.
Here's what you should know:
The United States regularly dispatches its Navy destroyers on freedom of navigation operations near disputed islands, a move that has raised concerns about the potential escalation of tensions between the world's two major powers in the South China Sea.
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Why it matters who owns the seas (April 2021)
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CNN
Why does the South China Sea matter?
The 1.3-million-square-mile waterway is vital to international trade, with an estimated third of global shipping worth trillions of dollars passing through each year.
The region is also a habitat for extensive fertile fishing areas that are crucial for the livelihoods and existence of many individuals.
Nevertheless, a significant portion of its economic potential remains unexplored. As per the US Energy Information Agency, the waterway possesses a minimum of 190 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 11 billion barrels of oil.
Who claims what?
: The management and utilization of these resources can greatly influence the environment. The South China Sea comprises numerous predominantly unpopulated islands, coral atolls, and a wide range of wildlife that is vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change and marine pollution.
China asserts its "indisputable sovereignty" over nearly the entire South China Sea, including most of the islands and sandbars within it, even those located hundreds of miles away from mainland China. However, other countries like the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, and Taiwan also have conflicting claims in the region.
A significant turning point came in 2016 when an international tribunal in The Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines in a historic maritime dispute. The decision stated that China lacks a legal foundation to assert historical rights over the majority of the South China Sea.
China has disregarded the ruling, according to Manila, as Beijing persists in dispatching its maritime militia to Mischief Reef and Scarborough Shoal within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines.
Situated in the southern part of the sea, there lies the Spratly Island chain, referred to as the Nansha islands by Beijing. This group of islands comprises 100 islets and reefs, with 45 of them being claimed by China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, or the Philippines.
Beijing has controlled the Paracels, also known as the Xisha islands in China, in the northwestern part of the sea since 1974, disregarding claims from Vietnam and Taiwan.
In addition, China's ruling Communist Party lays claim to self-governing Taiwan as its territory, despite never having governed it.
What does Chinas naval build up mean for the sea?
China has built the worlds largest naval fleet, more than 340 warships, and until recently it has been regarded as a green-water navy, operating mostly near the countrys shores.
However, Beijing's shipbuilding efforts demonstrate its aspirations for blue-water capabilities. Over the past few years, it has successfully deployed sizable guided-missile destroyers, amphibious assault ships, and aircraft carriers capable of operating in international waters and projecting influence thousands of miles away from Beijing.
Moreover, according to Western marine security analysts, as well as the Philippines and the United States, China is believed to possess a robust maritime militia consisting of hundreds of vessels. This unofficial and covert force is allegedly utilized by Beijing to assert its territorial claims in the South China Sea and other regions, while maintaining plausible deniability.
This photo, captured on April 23, 2023, depicts the inactive Philippine navy vessel BRP Sierra Madre located at Second Thomas Shoal in the disputed Spratly Islands within the South China Sea. Philippine marines are stationed on the ship to assert Manila's territorial claims. Alongside the Philippine Coast Guard, AFP, among other media outlets, were invited to embark on a 1,670-kilometre (1,040-mile) patrol of the South China Sea, exploring numerous islands and reefs. Despite an international ruling that discredits Beijing's claim, China persists in asserting sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, including the Spratly Islands. (Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP) / To go with AFP SPECIAL REPORT by Cecil MORELLA (Photo by TED ALJIBE/AFP via Getty Images)
Ted Aljibe/AFP/Getty Images
'Little blue men': Is a militia Beijing says doesn't exist causing trouble in the South China Sea?
The United States does not make a territorial claim to the South China Sea. However, it emphasizes the importance of this region in safeguarding global freedom of navigation. The US Navy consistently carries out freedom of navigation operations (FONOPs) in the South China Sea, asserting its commitment to upholding the rights of all nations to navigate and operate within the limits of international law.
Beijing denounces such operations as illegal.
What has China built in the sea?
Beijing has predominantly focused its military expansion efforts in the Spratly and Paracel island chains of the South China Sea. Extensive land reclamation has been conducted, involving the destruction of natural reefs followed by the construction of artificial islands. Chinese vessels have been observed encircling different atolls and islets, employing dredgers to establish man-made islands capable of accommodating tankers and warships.
In the past ten years, China, referred to as the PRC, has expanded its presence in the Spratly Islands by adding more than 3,200 acres of land to its seven occupied outposts. These outposts now include airfields, berthing areas, and resupply facilities, which support the continuous military and paramilitary presence in the region. Beijing's military construction efforts escalated in 2014 when it commenced extensive dredging operations on seven reefs in the Spratlys.
On August 22, 2023, an image captures the presence of a Chinese coast guard vessel (L) closely monitoring a Philippine civilian boat hired by the Philippine navy. The purpose of the chartered boat is to transport essential provisions to the Philippine navy ship, BRP Sierra Madre, situated in the contested waters of the South China Sea.
Ted Aljibe/AFP/Getty Images
Philippines accuses Chinese vessels of 'dangerous maneuvers' in disputed South China Sea
Beijing has established military bases on Subi Reef, Johnson Reef, Mischief Reef, and Fiery Cross Reef, strengthening its territorial claims in the region, as reported by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. These bases now house advanced weaponry, including stealth fighters, according to Ford.
In early 2018, the People's Republic of China (PRC) has been continuously enhancing its military capabilities on its Spratly Island outposts, which include Mischief Reef, Subi Reef, and Fiery Cross. These improvements consist of advanced anti-ship cruise missiles, long-range surface-to-air missile systems, J-20 stealth fighter jets, laser and jamming equipment, as well as military radar and signals intelligence capabilities. This information was conveyed through a prepared statement. Additionally, China's installation of exploratory oil rigs in the Paracels back in 2014 led to anti-China riots in Vietnam, a competing claimant.
More recently, cruise ships have taken Chinese tourists to the militarized reefs.
Satellite image of Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly Islands group captured on March 29, 2009.
Stringer/Maxar/DigitalGlobe/Getty Images
A runway and military installations built on Fiery Cross Reef as of August 15, 2018.
DigitalGlobe/ScapeWare3d/Maxar/Getty Images
Why are tensions rising again?
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr has implemented a more proactive approach in safeguarding the Philippines' jurisdiction over shoals in the South China Sea. This has resulted in multiple instances of confrontation with Chinese vessels in the surrounding waters of the Philippine islands. These incidents involve standoffs between Chinese coast guard ships and alleged Chinese maritime militia boats, as well as smaller wooden Philippine fishing boats. Moreover, Chinese water cannons have been used to impede the resupply efforts of a shipwrecked Philippine military outpost. In one remarkable incident, a lone Filipino diver resorted to using a knife to cut through a massive floating Chinese barrier.
According to Jay Batongbacal, a maritime expert at the University of the Philippines, the growing number of recent incidents demonstrates China's escalating aggression and self-assurance in its treatment of smaller nations such as the Philippines. The Philippine Coast Guard asserts its dedication to championing international law, ensuring the well-being of Filipino fishermen, and safeguarding the Philippines' rights in its territorial waters.
Chinas Foreign Ministry has defended the behavior of its vessels in the waterway and said Beijing will "firmly safeguard" what it views as its territorial sovereignty.
What are the global implications?
Since assuming office in 2022, President Marcos Jr. of the Philippines has adopted a more assertive position regarding the South China Sea compared to his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte. This has occurred within the context of an ongoing power struggle in the region which has lasted for years.
The South China Sea is widely recognized as a potential trigger point for global conflict. Recent tensions between Manila and Beijing have caused apprehension among Western observers, who fear that these disputes might escalate into an international incident if China, a global superpower, chooses to take stronger actions against the Philippines - a country under the protection of a treaty alliance with the United States.
Washington and Manila are tied together by a mutual defense treaty, signed in 1951, which is still active. This treaty states that both parties will provide assistance to each other in the event of an attack by a third party.
Under Marcos' leadership, the relationship between the US and Manila, which had become strained under his predecessor, has been reinforced. Both allies are now highlighting the possibility of conducting joint patrols in the South China Sea in the future.
Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a warning in April 2023, cautioning against US-Philippine military cooperation interfering in South China Sea disputes. In response, the US criticized China's recent actions in the disputed sea and stated its intention to intervene if Philippine vessels faced armed attacks, as per their mutual defense treaty obligations.
"The growing number of confrontations between China and the Philippines highlights the newfound determination of the Marcos government to confront and resist Chinese intimidation and manipulation," stated Gregory Poling, the director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative.
"This newfound resolve can be attributed in part to the strengthened alliance between the United States and the Philippines, which provides Manila with the assurance that Beijing will refrain from employing open military aggression, for fear of invoking the US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty."
CNNs Helen Regan and Brad Lendon contributed reporting.
