What is the strategic importance of the South China Sea. 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 . Therefore, the SCS has geopolitical and geostrategic importance for the energy and economic security of China and East Asian countries; but also for the USA as $1.2 trillion of its trade moves through the waters. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. In sum, the South China Sea is the immediate arena where two alternative geopolitical paradigms are contesting for supremacy. The power politics, military interests created the South China Sea more important. 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. Besides, more than half of the world's fishing vessels pass through the SCS. Second, the United States should feel comfortable adopting a patient approach in pushing a return to full democracy in Thailand. There were, however, cautionary signs for those prepared to see them. China is already providing indications of how it might act when it controls the South China Sea. This order embodies certain foundational political principles respect for international law, preservation of the real sovereign independence of regional states, a refusal to legitimate unilateral territorial expansion, and the unconditional acceptance of the sea-lanes as a global commons. China's strategic reach into the South China Sea has obvious and profound implications for three sets of international actors: (1) the littoral Southeast Asian states (Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, and the Philippines); (2) major maritime countries heavily dependent on the sea lanes through the South China Sea (including Japan, Korea, and To counter Chinas 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. U.S. access to the South China Sea is coming under increasing threat as Chinese power increases, but can be preserved if the United States maintains a sufficient military advantage over China. . The lifting of the arms embargo also opens the door to other forms of U.S.-Vietnam security cooperation. Hanoi will move cautiously and such access may be limited to the purposes of logistical support for the time being. But if China continues to play its cards wrong and if the United States proves itself a dependable partner, American warships could one day regularly operate out of Cam Ranh Bay, the strategically located port-of-call, for the first time since the Vietnam War. access to Thailands military facilities, particularly the strategically located and well-equipped Utapao airbase, is considered invaluable. In other words, his primary concern is that the rivalry over the South China Sea could derail Beijing's strong strategic focus on the Taiwan issue.25 Academic perspectives on the South China Sea are important and may actually be quite influential. US and China is engaging in this sea to control all significance. Such pressure should focus on concrete, near-term objectives, such as putting a stop to reeducation of regime critics. 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. India is training crews for Vietnams new Kilo-class submarines and will sell Vietnam BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles. As a result of this shift, China now seeks to control sea lines of communication, ensure national prosperity and continue economic growth and national greatness; the South China Sea plays a massive part in this. This alignment will further U.S. goals: to continue to mount a forward defense, to keep the seas and skies free, and to promote prosperity and the spread of democracy. Moving forward, freedom of navigation and routine presence operations should be executed on a regular basis to demonstrate U.S. resolve to fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows. Should they be neutral, China may lord over the southern reaches of the South China Sea from military bases on its newly created and expanded islands in the Spratlys. The United States emerged from World War II as a resident great power in East Asia. Inconsistent messaging and policiesincluding on freedom of navigation and routine presence operationshave also led to confusion in the region. Chinas claims over the legal status and maritime rights of the 9 dash line remain ambiguous and outside of UN recognised EEZ claims. 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. The growing size and capability of the Chinese air force, navy, and coast guard allow Beijing to consistently monitor and exercise de facto control over most of the South China Sea. In a context of great power competition, the South China Sea (SCS) has emerged as an arena of U.S.-China strategic competition. Rival countries have wrangled over territory in the South China Sea for centuries, but tension has steadily increased in recent years. Last year, the construction projects covered 72 acres. In short, adopting a more robust deterrence approach need not prevent cooperation that is in the interests of both countries. director of the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative at Peking . US still mired in a 'Cold War' mindset, but the tide's turning, The West is misreading Chinas Party Congress at the peril of world stability, Can Foreign Investors still have Good Reasons to be Optimistic about China? The Obama administrations decision to lift the decades-old arms embargo on Vietnam is instrumental here. Islands in the South China Sea The islands of the South China Sea can be grouped into two island chains. The post-war regional order. This has continued in to the present day. The United States also faces a challenge in enforcing international law in the South China Sea. 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). The strategic value of the alliance remains high, according to theCongressional Research Service: *** U.S. China has become increasingly assertive in the region, and regional powers from Japan to Singapore have become alarmed at China's behavior. Yet, it was and is all of that. Leung, The Consequences of Conquest: Why Indo-Pacific Power Hinges on Taiwan, United States vs China: from Partnership to Antagonism - Interview with Alfredo Toro Hardy, How the Ukraine War changes Global Geopolitics, What The Economist omits to address in President Xi's vision of a global security order, Armenia: Trapped in Between Interview with Gayane Novikova, How Chinas COVID Policy Reversal Impacts Globally: an interview with Neeraj Singh Manha, Marcos-Xi Durian Diplomacy Climbs to Higher Gear, Is the EU Really Willing to Enlarge in the Western Balkans? There are certainly other situations involving other challenges, but this is the most plausible and dangerous. . Networking Social Entrepreneurship in Southeast Asia: Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) program, The High Price of Neglecting Taiwan in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, Hyundai Motor-Korea Foundation Center for Korean History and Public Policy, Environmental Change and Security Program, North Korea International Documentation Project, Nuclear Proliferation International History Project, Kissinger Institute on China and the United States, The Middle East and North Africa Workforce Development Initiative, Science and Technology Innovation Program, Wahba Institute for Strategic Competition. The United States sent a carrier battle group there as well. Preserving the U.S. military edge is key to maintaining the U.S. position in Asia. Figure 3 highlights the influenced areas. The sea is rich in resources and holds significant strategic and political importance. The most likely single scenario for a major military engagement against a great power adversary would be one against China centered on the South China Sea. What countries are claiming sovereignty, and to what extent is this disrupting regional stability? The United States calls this treaty the Law of the Sea Convention.. Countering Chinas efforts has become a key test of perceived U.S. commitment to many in the region. the South China Sea that would be " - S " ["permitting a leaf to obscure one's view of the mountain"]. Several countries in the area, including China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia, make overlapping sovereignty claims over the islands and maritime rights in the SCS. The Thai people are lurching towards a new political arrangement, a process that Thais have to see through for themselves. In such a complex environment, it is important to have well-established, recognizable rules of international law. Few in Washington were inclined to see the South China Sea as a strategic priority engaging vital U.S. national interests. This geo strategic significance is the main reason behind the fact that China and other territorial stakeholders are contesting to gain control of these maritime lane. African community leaders take home lessons from U.S. The risk to Chinese power projection lies predominantly with US interests. The result has been to heighten tensions and allow Chinese forces to more easily project military power across the region. The three core areas that must be defended and secured are the Malay Peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak. China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and. 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. "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 . Pexels India-China Indo-Pacific South China Sea Signalling is important international relations. In 1995, the Philippines discovered that China had occupied and militarized an atoll (Mischief Reef) well within the Philippines EEZ and within maritime territory claimed by Manila. 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. In 1974, Chinese gunboats attacked and defeated a small South Vietnamese military outpost in the Paracels an archipelago of reefs, atolls, and islets in the South China Sea. No other state in the region can match this increase in projection and rival China due to the economic differences. Cooperation on areas of shared interest is important not only to the United States, but also to China. Australia and Vietnam established a Comprehensive Partnership in 2009 and agreed to expand it in 2015. China has seized the initiative in the South China Sea, however, and the United States needs to revamp its strategy to reverse current trends and escape the trap of reactive and ineffectual policymaking. 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. The primary challenge to American regional predominance came from Maoist China first through the Korean War and then via communist insurgencies throughout Southeast Asia culminating in the Vietnam War (1963-75). When it comes to trade, investment and infrastructure development, China should not be the only game in town. China, too, considers control of these waters to be of high strategic importance. Chinas militarization and territorial expansion in the South China Sea is illegal and dangerous, Vice President Pence said at the East Asia Summit last year. The 2022 Philippine Election: Trouble for Democracy and Foreign Relations Ahead? Not only Vietnam is the strongest opponent of the Chinese nine-dash line claim in the region, Vietnam's sustained economic growth has pushed it to emerge as an important player in the South East Asia, which China perceives is not in its interests. The strategic landscape of the Western Pacific and Southeast Asia in the early 1990s was remarkably benign with optimism in full flower. Navy P-8s are now regularly deploying to Singapore and, although without regular access, they have conducted patrols from Malaysia as well. Since the mid-1990s, China has pursued a strategy . The U.S. military used Utapao for refueling efforts during operations in Iraq and Afghanistan in the 2000s, as well as for multinational relief efforts after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and April 2015 Nepal earthquake., The U.S.-Thai alliance has also served as a platform for important training exercises. China is undertaking a persistent, long-term effort to establish control over the South China Sea. - Interview with Mei Gechlik, Pelosi's visit to Taiwan Spiking Tensions Between the U.S. and China: an interview with Andrew K.P. February 27, 2023. Read more, One Woodrow Wilson Plaza1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NWWashington, DC 20004-3027, 2023 The Wilson Center. 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. 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. Less sexy but no less important is a forthcoming arrangement by which Vietnam will allow the United States military to preposition supplies and equipment in Da Nang on the central coast. It was the first time that had ever occurred. Michael Green, Senior Vice President for Asia and Japan Chair; Dr. Zack Cooper, Fellow, Japan Chair; Bonnie Glaser, Senior Adviser for Asia and Director, China Power Project; Andrew Shearer, Senior Adviser on Asia-Pacific Security; and Greg Poling, Director Asia Maritime Transparency Initiativeto provide the analytical context and some fundamental principles that should guide strategic thinking on South China Sea policy. As building of military facilities continued in 2015, the US explicitly announced its opposition to these constructions and tasked surveillance assets to conduct over flights in the SCS and significantly raised tensions. The South China Sea is basically China's export waterway to Africa and to Europe (among other markets), but in order for China's enemy (aspiring conqueror), America, to harm and weaken China maximally, and to use the United Nations assisting in that aggression, America and its allies have cast this vital trade-waterway as being instead basically just an area to be exploited for oil and gas . When China moved a massive oilrig, theHaiyang Shiyou 981, into Vietnams exclusive economic zone in 2014, Vietnam had limited options to respond, at either the low end or the high. Seventh Fleet patrolled the regions seaways, including the South China Sea, unchallenged including agreed access to ports throughout much of the region. But the South China Sea has been dangerously overfished. Washington, DC 20036. These islands are large enough for military runways and well as SAM installations. That grouping came under Chinese control an event that went almost entirely unnoticed in the wider world as the drama marking the end of the Vietnam War played out. She also observed that the sea-lanes through the South China Sea constituted a global commons not subject to sovereign claims by any nation. America has formal defense/security alliances with five Asian countries: Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, and Australia. The second will analyze the strategic landscape in and around the South China Sea. Australia, for its part, has vocally supported U.S. freedom of navigation exercises in the South China Sea and may have quietly conducted its own in recent months. Russian long-range aviation, despite performing frequent combat missions against Ukraine, is also conducting Pacific patrols, sometimes together with Chinese H-6K strategic bombers (Nikkei Asia, November 30). 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. 2014 The United States and the Philippines sign an enhanced defense pact, strengthening the U.S.-Filipino relationship. This segment will address American interests. Most of China's global trade is seaborne. Many of these countries suffer from corruption and lack for effective rule of law. The South China Sea is one such essential waterway, made more important by the value of the sea's fisheries and subsea resources such as natural gas. The credibility of U.S. security support for allies and partners will be shredded. For example, the Spratly Islands are claimed in entirety by China, Taiwan and Vietnam and in part by Brunei, the Philippines and Malaysia; each except Brunei occupies some of the islands. Firstly, the South China Sea is a prominent shipping passage with $5.3 trillion worth of . 2023 Center for Strategic & International Studies. China, Russia and the Munich Security Conference. The United States can stand firm on its principles and deter China from undermining the regional order while maintaining a productive relationship. With Burma internationally isolated for much of the past three decades, Beijing invested heavily in that countrys leadership. The islands are important, however, for strategic and political reasons. - Interview with Ana Krstinovska, Russia's Growing Influence in the Middle East: an interview with Alexander Hoffmann, Serbia's Uneasy Balance Between Moscow and the EU: an interview with Suzana Grubjesic, Gulf States' Economic Momentum: an interview with Omar Al-Ubaydli, Prospects for Turkey-EU Relations Amid Tensions, Need to Cooperate and Lack of Trust: an interview with Nilgn Arsan Eralp, Germany's Shifting Stance in the Greek-Turkish Dispute: an interview with Ioannis P. Sotiropoulos, Bulgaria's Economic Perspectives amid Political Uncertainty and Challenges, Saudi Arabia's Reforms, Relations with the United States, and Choice of New Allies: an interview with David H. Rundell, Putin's Visit to Tehran: Results and Prospects, The Afghan Taliban Regime Amid Conflicting International Interests, The Resurgent Terrorist Threat in Pakistan: an interview with Tariq Parvez, The Complicated Upswing in U.S.-Pakistan Relations: an interview with Husain Haqqani, Pakistan-CARs ties: The Geo-Economic Vision, Neo-Petrodollar Romance: Implications and Options for Pakistan, India's Strategic Autonomy - Interview with Ambassador Rtn. 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. Thats why the United States has urged countries to resolve maritime claim disputes peacefully and in accordance with international law. Guidelines for a South China Sea Strategy. 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. 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. The diplomatic tempest at the ARF came when U.S. security attention was preoccupied with ongoing military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as the global counterterrorism campaign with Osama bin Laden still at large. Media Relations Manager, External Relations. The two countries elevated bilateral ties to an extensive strategic partnership in 2013 and Japan is in the midst of donating to Vietnam six patrol vessels (for use by the coast guard and fisheries ministry). The United States has an interest in seeing that these partners maintain their strategic autonomy, but capacity building efforts to help them resist coercion are not keeping pace with Chinas growing capabilities. In 2012, then Chinese president Hu Jintao voiced his desire to make China a powerful maritime nation. Therefore, the US plays a key role in influencing the resolution of the SCS disputes. Preserving the U.S. military edge is key to maintaining the U.S. position in Asia. Indeed, when push came to shove, China would force its bilateral partners to choose between economic prosperity on the one hand and security and even sovereignty on the other. Generally, oil and minerals move north, and food and manufactured goods move south. In recent years, Chinas inventive engineering feats have allowed it to create more than 3,200 acres of new land in the South China Sea. Chinas military modernization has included structural reforms establishing a Joint Operations Command and five new theatre commands (Northern, Eastern, Southern, Western and Central). Most of China's contested land borders were remote areas with few people, natural resources or clear military utility. The USA have a direct connection to the area through various allies, connections and trade, and this will naturally continue. 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. Sign up to receive The Evening, a daily brief on the news, events, and people shaping the world of international affairs. More than 50% of world trade passes. The end of the Cold War found East Asia and the Western Pacific strategically quiescent. The strategic importance of the South China Sea cannot be overstated. Improved governance will lead to stronger economies over the long term and dampen the influence of Chinese dirty money. 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 South China Sea. This article examines Chinas behaviour in the South China Sea disputes through the lens of its strategy for managing its claims. Learn more in our Cookie Policy. China's plan for populating the South China Sea was launched in 2012 when "Sansha City", the administrative centre for all Chinese-claimed features in the South China Sea on Woody Island in the . As maritime security such as safety and freedom of . Since 2009, China has growingly asserted its influence over the SCS by enforcing an annual fishing ban, conducting regular maritime patrols, undertaking scientific surveys and conducting military exercises in the disputed islands and waters. In particular, shifting explanations for how the United States will manage Chinas rising power and influencealong with the military-heavy implementation of the rebalancehave exacerbated suspicions that Washington seeks to contain Beijings rise. To understand the statement we have to have a particular knowledge over the issue and have to look over the geopolitical and strategic importance of South China Sea. The United States can do more to leverage its alliances in Asia to raise the costs of Chinese efforts to undermine the regional order. 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. The outcome of that contest will profoundly influence, if not shape, the 21st century world. The United States and the West more broadly can live with such an outcome. Under President Xi Jinping, Beijing has undertaken more assertive policies that have greatly improved Beijings position in the South China Sea. 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. 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. It is unlikely that any states in the region possess the wealth and power to oppose this, although there is always a realistic possibility that they may receive backing from the USA if it is in their interests. South China Sea or even some part of its strategically significant zones will provide the sovereign nation state significant seat in global trade agreements. To that end, the region is . At the economic front, it is estimated that an annual global trade of $5.3 trillion passes through the SCS. 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. Check out the linked article on the Belt and road initiative now. Stay Connected! 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. The South China Sea (SCS) has great strategic and economic significance in the contemporary international politico-security environment. The geopolitical message was unmistakable: Western expectations that China was transitioning toward political democracy were entirely illusory. The United States should intensify capacity building efforts with allies and partners to improve their ability to resist Chinese coercion. Back in 2006, Japan became only the second country (after Russia) to establish a strategic partnership with Vietnam.
Emory Hospital Scrub Colors,
Abbott Binaxnow Lot Number Lookup,
Articles S