Font size:
Print
Storms brewing in East, South China Seas
Context:
In recent years, maritime East Asia has become a hotspot for escalating power struggles. The East China Sea, which borders China, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea, is a key area of contention.
More on News:
- China claims sovereignty over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, currently controlled by Japan, and these islands have been the source of several crises.
- Meanwhile, the South China Sea, bordered by China, Taiwan, and five Southeast Asian nations — Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, and Indonesia — has become a significant flashpoint in the Indo-Pacific region, with China aggressively advancing its territorial claims there.
Significance of these Seas:
- Trade Routes: Key maritime trade routes in East Asia run through the East and South China Seas, with the Taiwan Strait serving as a vital maritime choke point.
- Undersea Cables: The region also hosts crucial undersea cables that support the global digital economy.
- According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, in 2023, the South China Sea saw the transit of 10 billion barrels of petroleum and petroleum products, along with 6.7 trillion cubic feet of liquefied natural gas.
- Oil and Gas Reserves: Additionally, the area holds significant untapped reserves of oil and natural gas.
Importance of Seas for China:
- Territorial Integrity: China’s Defence White paper, issued in 2019, declares, “South China Sea islands and Diaoyu Islands are inalienable parts of the Chinese territory.”
- Sovereignty and Security: In responding to the criticism regarding China’s activities, it asserts that “China exercises its national sovereignty to build infrastructure and deploy necessary defensive capabilities on the islands and reefs in the South China Sea, and to conduct patrols in the waters of Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea.”
- What China perceives as its defensive actions are considered offensive and provocative by the regional countries surrounding the East and South China Seas.
What is China doing in the Region?
- Two-Pronged Strategy: China has aggressively pursued its territorial ambitions by building defence-related infrastructure and challenging the claims of neighbouring countries in both the East and South China Seas.
- In the East China Sea, China has fiercely contested Japan’s claims, leading to multiple crises between the two nations.
- Rising Tensions in the East China Sea: China and Japan have faced multiple crises over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, with incidents like the 2010 arrest of a Chinese fishing boat captain and Japan’s 2012 nationalisation of the islands heightening tensions.
- Increasing Aggression in the South China Sea: China’s power projection in the South China Sea has intensified, with its growing naval dominance and deployment of the Coast Guard and maritime militia employing aggressive tactics to assert territorial claims.
- Escalation with the Philippines: Tensions between China and the Philippines have escalated since 2022, with repeated clashes in the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), particularly around the Second Thomas Shoal and Sabina Shoal.
- Sino-Russian Naval Exercises and Rejection of Legal Rulings: In July 2024, China held joint naval exercises with Russia in the South China Sea, signalling its defiance of the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling, which invalidated its territorial claims.
Response from Regional Countries:
Regional countries have responded to China’s assertiveness in three main ways:
First
- they are enhancing their defence capabilities. Defence spending has increased across the Indo-Pacific as countries aim to keep pace with China.
- For instance, Japan plans to double its defence expenditure by 2027.
- The Philippines is also bolstering its military capabilities, notably acquiring BrahMos anti-ship missiles from India, among other improvements.
Second
- regional nations are actively countering China’s activities at sea.
- Since 2022, the Philippines has adopted a more confrontational stance, publicly highlighting incidents involving Chinese vessels.
- Additionally, regional countries are engaged in a narrative battle, utilising public diplomacy to shape perceptions.
- The Philippines has begun documenting the behaviour of Chinese vessels and sharing this footage on social media. It has also taken international journalists along on resupply missions in the West Philippine Sea to further publicise these issues.
Third
- the Philippines, Japan, and South Korea, as treaty allies of the U.S., are strengthening their defence ties with America.
- The U.S. and the Philippines have significantly enhanced their cooperation in the South China Sea to “historic levels,” expanding collaboration in areas such as base access, training, and joint exercises.
- They are also collaborating with Australia and Japan in a multilateral maritime initiative known as the “Squad.”
Moreover, the U.S., Japan, and South Korea are deepening trilateral cooperation, with the Defense Ministers of these three countries meeting in Japan for the first time in July 2024.