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Its strategic economic importance and its geographic location at the confluence of several spheres of influence have rendered it one of the "world's hotspots". Pexels India-China Indo-Pacific South China Sea Signalling is important international relations. In 2012, Vietnam and the Philippines sought to consolidate their partnership and alliance with the US in order to enhance their strategic position over SCS disputes. South China Sea and possible options. China perceives Vietnam as an obstacle for acquiring its control over this strategic sea. From the report. Three years ago an arbitration tribunal issued a decision finding that Chinas maritime claims in the South China Sea are inconsistent with the Law of the Sea Convention. Those bases may be vulnerable, but before and at the outbreak of hostilities, they will allow China to project power deep into maritime Southeast Asia, to threaten commercial and military passage through the sea, and to impose and enforce an air defense identification zone. To facilitate capacity building, Washington should preserve regional defense relationships while recognizing that the ability of the United States to partner with frontline states depends on their cooperation and adherence to good governance and human rights. Stay Connected! Accordingly, Malaysia's note verbale serves as the strongest stance of Malaysia on the SCS in recent times and aligns itself with the top priority of its DWP. In order to understand the contention of the South China Sea and its significance, it is firstly imperative to understand the geopolitical importance of Asia, which has given rise to Chinese pre-eminence; enabling its rise to contemporary major political power on the global stage. Other claimant states welcome U.S. involvement precisely because Washington does not favor one claimants territorial ambitions over those of the others. In addition, tensions have been raised with the Philippines after assertive Chinese naval patrols which they described as aggressive action. That claim remained shrouded in a calculated fog of ambiguity until 2010 when Secretary of State Clinton addressed the status of the South China Sea and its sea-lanes at a meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum in Hanoi. That line was given little credence or attention in the U.S. or in Asia over the first five decades of the PRCs history. Any such assertion must rest on an understanding that critical U.S. national interests, including both economic and security interests, are at stake and at risk. Importantly, the countries of maritime Southeast Asia are not aligning only with the United States, but with a grouping of external states concerned with the nature of Chinas rise. India has likewise pursued deeper defense ties with Vietnam, and Indian warships just made port calls at Cam Ranh Bay and Subic Bay while en route to trilateral naval exercises with the United States and Japan in the Western Pacific. Thus, it is said that the South China Sea could be the battleground of World War III. The United States can do more to leverage its alliances in Asia to raise the costs of Chinese efforts to undermine the regional order. Final Thoughts & Looking Towards the Future. Read more, One Woodrow Wilson Plaza1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NWWashington, DC 20004-3027, 2023 The Wilson Center. The United States calls this treaty the Law of the Sea Convention.. China has harassed U.S. Navy ships operating in the South China Sea, warned military flights to stay away from its artificial islands, and recently seized a U.S. drone operating in the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines. 2013 The Philippines challenges Chinas claims of historic rights and other actions in an arbitration case under the Law of the Sea Convention. If full democratization is her goal, there is no foreign partner more important than Washington for achieving it. The geopolitical message was unmistakable: Western expectations that China was transitioning toward political democracy were entirely illusory. China, too, considers control of these waters to be of high strategic importance. The global focus of economic power has traditionally been centred over the west with the UK and the USA as the key contributors; however in recent years, this has shifted east (see Figure 1), with the main reason for this being rapid urbanization in developing countries, in particular China. Shortly after the ARF concluded, an official spokesman for the Chinese Defense Ministry asserted Chinas indisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea. Most of China's contested land borders were remote areas with few people, natural resources or clear military utility. In a context of great power competition, the South China Sea (SCS) has emerged as an arena of U.S.-China strategic competition. Check out the linked article on the Belt and road initiative now. In 1989 troops from the Peoples Liberation Army entered Tiananmen Square and terminated the student-led democracy demonstrations and hundreds died. That should, of course, remain the goal, but Washington must recognize that Thailand is in the midst of a decade-long political crisis, which is unlikely to be resolved until after King Bhumibols passing and the royal succession is completed. It is highly likely that China will continue to upset regional stability in the SCS to expand its own sphere of influence. The Thai people are lurching towards a new political arrangement, a process that Thais have to see through for themselves. As the pivot of global economy continues to move east it is highly likely that 21st century geopolitics will continue to revolve around Asia and the SCS. The Obama administration has made modest gains in this regard, but it will be up for to the next president to seize that opportunity and ensure that Southeast Asias future is prosperous, peaceful and free. The SCS is passage of half of the world trade. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. 2014 The United States and the Philippines sign an enhanced defense pact, strengthening the U.S.-Filipino relationship. 2016 The Arbitration Tribunal rules in favor of the Philippines. As sovereignty over the SCS involves Chinas economic, energy and national security interests it is highly likely that the increased projection of maritime power will continue. Meanwhile, Japan is providing ten new multi-role vessels to the Philippine Coast Guard; Manila is also interested in procuring used P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft from Tokyo. - Interview with Mei Gechlik, Pelosi's visit to Taiwan Spiking Tensions Between the U.S. and China: an interview with Andrew K.P. 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These islands are large enough for military runways and well as SAM installations. 5 min. It threatens the sovereignty of many nations and endangers the prosperity of the world. China tries to control the waters by using fishing vessels that are part of the Chinese maritime militia, coast guard ships, and naval vessels to harass other countries boats and deny access to this key area. What is the Strategic Importance of the South China Sea? The strategic value of the alliance remains high, according to theCongressional Research Service: *** U.S. The strategic importance of the South China Sea is mainly due to its geographical location as the area is one of world's busiest and most strategic shipping lanes. The geopolitical message was unmistakable: Western expectations that China was transitioning toward political democracy were entirely illusory. More than half of the worlds fishing vessels are in the South China Sea, and millions of people depend on these waters for their food and livelihoods. Historically, Taiwan's pivotal location off the China coast and between Northeast and Southeast Asia has served a variety of strategic purposes for regional powers, both offensive and defensive. Thailand has little reason to jettison the alliance, but in the near term the United States may need to accept more distant ties and a closer Thai-Chinese relationship. Seventh Fleet patrolled the regions seaways, including the South China Sea, unchallenged including agreed access to ports throughout much of the region. It has deep ties with the military, which still dominates key parts of the government, and is a major player in the economy. India is training crews for Vietnams new Kilo-class submarines and will sell Vietnam BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles. The Obama administrations decision to lift the decades-old arms embargo on Vietnam is instrumental here. and Amy Searight. If Chinese coercion goes unchallenged by the United States, it will send a dangerous signal about the strength of the U.S. alliance system and lessen the appeal of the United States as a security partner. Successful capacity building efforts will allow Southeast Asian states to better help themselves, bolstering deterrence against low-level Chinese coercion and allowing the U.S. military to focus more on deterring high-level contingencies. Conservation values protection of marine habitat against wanton, unnecessary despoliation are also essential. It was the first time that had ever occurred. f) . The area includes several hundred small islands, rocks, and reefs, with the majority located in the Paracel and Spratly Island chains. If China succeeds, in displacing U.S. power in the Western Pacific and Chinese territorial expansion into the South China Sea becomes permanent and codified, global geopolitics will have entered a new and very different era. The United States has leverage over China in areas not directly related to South China Sea and may have to consider using or threatening to use these tools to stabilize the regional order. These factors combined give a strategic importance to the South China Sea that has led to numerous states Brunei, the People's Republic of China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam each pressing their own claims to . As . America has formal defense/security alliances with five Asian countries: Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, and Australia. Speaking to Anadolu Agency on Thursday, Bonji Ohara, a senior fellow at the Tokyo-based Sasakawa Peace Foundation, said the marginal sea is key to China's security. China, however, must now balance its continental concerns, which remain complex, against its new dependence on the maritime domain. This new strategic map of Southeast Asia actually began to take shape during the Bush administration, whichinitially launchedthe effort to move beyond Americas traditional hub-and-spokes alliance model in the Asia-Pacific. The United States needs to consider a wider variety of non-military responses to Chinas efforts to control the South China Sea, and more effectively build a local coalition to support these responses. Such pressure should focus on concrete, near-term objectives, such as putting a stop to reeducation of regime critics. The United States sent a carrier battle group there as well. Strategic. The geopolitical message was unmistakable: Western expectations that China was transitioning toward political democracy were entirely illusory. The South China Sea contains some of the world's most important shipping lanes. It is the geostrategic importance that is usually the main reason for the parties to strengthen their claim over the Spratlys and the Paracels. The increasing activity of Beijing in the South China Sea, Consequences of US-China rivalry in Indo-Pacific and beyond, Balancing the giants: Australia between China and US. China is working hard to bring under its control the water, islands, rocks and reefs that sit within its imaginary nine-dash line. Besides, more than half of the world's fishing vessels pass through the SCS. The USSJohn C. Stennistied up there for a few days in April. Southeast Asia will inevitably be rendered subordinate and compliant to Chinas will. In such a complex environment, it is important to have well-established, recognizable rules of international law. Beijing may not find it quite as easy to run roughshod over Hanoi in the coming years. The strategic landscape of the Western Pacific and Southeast Asia in the early 1990s was remarkably benign with optimism in full flower. China sought access to natural resources, to political influence and to a strategic maritime position in the Bay of Bengal. Report The strategic importance of the SCS is mainly due to its geographical location, as the area is one of the worlds busiest and most strategic shipping lanes. Yet, due to Turkey's strategic importance, the US cannot afford to affront Mr. Erdogan, who carries a peculiar . China is undertaking a persistent, long-term effort to establish control over the South China Sea. Despite all that, Beijing now faces a competition with Washington (and Delhi and Tokyo) for influence in Naypyidaw. February 27, 2023. The U.S. Center for Strategic and International Studies In addition, the United States has affirmed some responsibility for the defense of Taiwan and has close security ties with Singapore and New Zealand. 2023 Center for Strategic & International Studies. With a new Southeast Asian strategic alignment taking shape as described, geography makes Indonesia and Malaysiaespecially due to its Sabah and Sarawak states on Borneothe regions key swing states. The three core areas that must be defended and secured are the Malay Peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak. But the South China Sea has been dangerously overfished. Certainly, the ongoing reform process and the opening of relations with the United States amount to a strategic setback for Chinas position in the region. Select Accept to consent or Reject to decline non-essential cookies for this use. Abstract. the South China Sea that would be " - S " ["permitting a leaf to obscure one's view of the mountain"]. Thats why the United States has urged countries to resolve maritime claim disputes peacefully and in accordance with international law. U.S. military advantage is of limited utility in this area and Washington has struggled to convince local partners to join in freedom of navigation operations. By the end of the 1970s, communist insurgencies outside Indochina had been effectively suppressed. Chinas claims over the legal status and maritime rights of the 9 dash line remain ambiguous and outside of UN recognised EEZ claims. How that competition will evolve remains to be seen, but the very fact of the contest should be understood as a reversal of fortune for China. It is one in which China dominates the South China Sea from the north; the United States and its partners dominate the eastern and western edges of the sea; and the bulk of continental Southeast Asian states (Thailand, Cambodia and Laos) are either neutral or aligned more closely with China. But in order to achieve renewed stability in the regionto ensure that Southeast Asians are not susceptible to non-military Chinese coercionthe United States must strive to become more than just the security partner of choice. The refusal, likely prompted by Beijing, might seem to be just another way for China to put pressure on Taiwan, which it has long regarded as a renegade province. Improved governance will lead to stronger economies over the long term and dampen the influence of Chinese dirty money. . The power politics, military interests created the South China Sea more important. According to the U.S. State Department, it has been estimated that China is effectively blocking the development of $2.5 trillion worth of oil and gas resources in the South China Sea. This has continued in to the present day. In sum, the United States has built and maintained a dense network of security links and obligations throughout East and Southeast Asia all sustained by regular contact with the Seventh Fleet as it transits the region via the South China Sea. In my mind, this leads to 3 key questions to base any form of analysis from: In order to understand the contention of the South China Sea and its significance, it is firstly imperative to understand the geopolitical importance of Asia, which has given rise to Chinese pre-eminence; enabling its rise to contemporary major political power on the global stage. U.S. access to the military facilities on the South China Seas southern flank, however, would shift the regions balance of power in Americas favor. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Washington, DC 20036. Figure 3 highlights the influenced areas. Whomever is elected to be the next American president, that person would be wise to have in place a Plan B should the TPP fail to pass the Senate this year (such a Plan B is admittedly unlikely, given that both major candidates would bear responsibility for its failure in the first place). LinkedIn and 3rd parties use essential and non-essential cookies to provide, secure, analyze and improve our Services, and to show you relevant ads (including professional and job ads) on and off LinkedIn. It can receive large aircraft (including C-17s and C-130s); it is close to a deep seaport; and it has infrastructure capable of handling command and control systems. The "Implementing the Strategic Action Programme for the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand" (SCS SAP Project) completed its Inception Phase with the 1st Steering Committee Meeting held online on the 29 and 30 of June, 2021 with official representatives from Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam and the UNEP Task Manager for the project, with the support of . But the new maps contours truly began to crystallize earlier this year, when the Philippines Supreme Court ruled as constitutional a new defense agreement with the United States. The United States has been less successful in supporting local partners as they resist Chinese coercion. When Beijing froze banana imports from the Philippines in the midst of the Scarborough Shoal standoff in 2012, it sent a clear message to its Southeast Asian neighbors: economic ties would not be immune from diplomatic contretemps. To counter China's efforts to control the South China Sea, the United States needs a sustainable strategy to bolster its own capabilities, work more effectively with capable allies and partners, and strengthen the regional order. In 2012, then Chinese president Hu Jintao voiced his desire to make China a powerful maritime nation. Figure 4 shows the overlapping sovereignty claims in the SCS, with Chinas claims according to the 9 dash line doctrine in red. The 2022 Philippine Election: Trouble for Democracy and Foreign Relations Ahead? More than half of the world's fishing vessels are in the South China Sea, and millions of people depend on these waters for their food and livelihoods. Beijing has also been careful to avoid estranging Aung San Suu Kyi and adopted a largely pragmatic approach to the countrys transition away from authoritarian rule. That included nearly 40 percent of Chinas total trade and 90 percent of petroleum imports by China, Japan, and South Korea and nearly 6 percent of total U.S. trade. Rival countries have wrangled over territory in the South China Sea for centuries, but tension has steadily increased in recent years. Most of China's global trade is seaborne. in the northeast, the South China Sea is one of the most important trade routes in the world. "First, South China Sea is important for the strategic patrol of Chinese SSBN [nuclear ballistic missile submarine], which needs to enter west Pacific Ocean for its nuclear . The most important and least tangible stake in the South China Sea concerns the preservation (or not) of a regional rules-based order supported by U.S. power. Since 2014, China has stepped up the construction of artificial islands over the disputed Spratlys and Paracels in the SCS, causing an escalation of tensions, upsetting stability. American littoral combat ships are rotating through Singapore, at the South China Seas western extremis, and the city-state has also quietly built the only Asian port outside of Yokohama at which an American aircraft carrier can dock. The U.S.-Thai relationship has suffered since the 2006 coup that overthrew Thaksin Shinawatra and especially since the latest coup, which saw the military take control in 2014 and stubbornly cling to power. If this sounds overstated or overwrought it is not. To this end, the new administration should perform an early, top-down, and thorough strategic review to enable greater consistency and effectiveness in U.S. South China Sea policy. The result has been to heighten tensions and allow Chinese forces to more easily project military power across the region. Washington (United States of America), February 27 (ANI): A Chinese J-11 fighter jet armed with air-to-air missiles intercepted the US Navy reconnaissance jet over the South China Sea, the Wall Street Journal reported. Southeast Asians do not want to and should not have to choose between the two, but Chinese behavior is moving some states to pick sidesor at least to lean in one direction or another. More than 50% of world trade passes through the Strait of Malacca, the Sunda Strait and Lombok Strait over the islands and waters of the SCS amounting to around $5 trillion. With a maturing coast guard, navy and air force, Vietnam will become an increasingly prickly foe. In December, another joint China-Russia naval exercise was held in the East China Sea (China Military Online, December 21, 2022). Media Relations Manager, External Relations. The USA have a direct connection to the area through various allies, connections and trade, and this will naturally continue. Utapao has been suggested as a permanent Southeast Asian Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) hub. China is already providing indications of how it might act when it controls the South China Sea. The same cannot be said for China and a maritime Southeast Asia that aligns with the United States. In particular, Chinas growing assertiveness over sovereignty and maritime rights in the South China Sea could be assessed as a serious challenge to the status quo in the region. MANILA - Major powers are wading deeper into the South China Sea in a series of moves that promise to rile China while answering US calls for like-minded nations to counter jointly Beijing's rising assertiveness in the crucial and contested maritime area. She also observed that the sea-lanes through the South China Sea constituted a global commons not subject to sovereign claims by any nation. Under President Xi Jinping, Beijing has undertaken more assertive policies that have greatly improved Beijings position in the South China Sea. The 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea is an international treaty that sets out importantmaritime rules. The post-war regional order. In 2010, the US declared its freedom of navigation in the SCS to be a national interest in response to Chinas increasingly assertive posture. "American aircraft, this is the PLA air force. Persistent American military presence at the eastern, southern and western points of the compassespecially when combined with regional states advancing ISR capabilities, for which the United States is providing investmentwould enable the United States to respond rapidly to incidents in disputed island chains or to Chinese attacks on U.S. and allied naval and air assets or on commercial shipping.