We will defend freedom of the seas and skies.. Instead, perceptions of weakness may encourage leaders in Beijing to embrace more assertive behavior. The South China Sea is the gateway to access to the world ocean, the nexus for navigation as well as a security fence for several littoral states. Total fish stocks have been depleted by 70 to 95 percent since the 1950s. 1616 Rhode Island Avenue, NW 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. Chinese Military Expansionism in the South China Sea This concept of regional order links tightly to a broader set of interests, values, and institutions embodied in the post-World War II international system a system that reflects U.S. values, U.S. leadership and is consonant with U.S. interests. The risk to Chinese power projection lies predominantly with US interests. This principled stand allows the United States to defend its interests without embroiling itself in the murky sovereignty claims at the heart of the South China Sea dispute. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. It has also been known to give its fishermen military training for years, but recently this has been reported as more assertive with fishermen helping to underwrite and enforce sovereignty claims by occupying territory at sea, carrying out surveillance and harassing other vessels under the guise of civilian fishing boats. The Thai people are lurching towards a new political arrangement, a process that Thais have to see through for themselves. The importance of the South China Sea | ShareAmerica Sun Tzu Explains China's Shaping Operations in the South China Sea. The United States has been less successful in supporting local partners as they resist Chinese coercion. The conflict and tension over competing sovereignty claims in the South China Sea has grown considerably in the past 5-10 years. Improved governance will lead to stronger economies over the long term and dampen the influence of Chinese dirty money. Giving ground on vital interests in Asia will not encourage greater cooperation on global issues. Thats why the United States has urged countries to resolve maritime claim disputes peacefully and in accordance with international law. Any temptation to alter U.S. policies in the South China Sea to preserve cooperation with China in other areas is unnecessary and potentially counterproductive. The Art of War helps expose the motivation behind past, current, and future Chinese actions. Thanks to the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), American power projection capabilities will be regularly present in the Philippines for the first time since the early 1990s. South China Sea is a strategic sea lane is significance for connectivity, navigation, trade and resources is a global hotspot as a potential flashpoint. First, the United States should feel more confident to pressure the junta on human rights concerns. 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. These same sea-lanes are a vital military artery as the U.S. The result has been to heighten tensions and allow Chinese forces to more easily project military power across the region. The South China Sea in Strategic Terms | Wilson Center Narendra Modis Act East policy has resulted in an acceleration of burgeoning India-ASEAN ties and Indias position on the South China Sea territorial disputes essentially mirrors that of the United States. through South China Sea Port is 1400 kms long. The South China Sea (SCS) consists of over 200 tiny islands, reefs, shoals, atolls and sandbanks grouped in to 3 archipelagos the Spratlys, the Paracels and the Pratas Macclesfield Bank and Scarborough Shoal. 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. Chinas island outposts will increase this advantage as Chinese aircraft, ships, and paramilitary vessels will be able to rest and resupply in the southern portion of the South China Sea. The neighboring South East Asian countries of the highly volatile and busiest waterways of the South China Sea (SCS) have overlapping claims of sovereignty. A South China Sea Strategy | American Enterprise Institute - AEI Pexels India-China Indo-Pacific South China Sea Signalling is important international relations. Most of China's global trade is seaborne. Therefore, the US plays a key role in influencing the resolution of the SCS disputes. In the contemporary era, Taiwan remains geographically at the intersection of most of East Asia's danger points. Most of China's contested land borders were remote areas with few people, natural resources or clear military utility. It is highly likely that China will continue to upset regional stability in the SCS to expand its own sphere of influence. From a strategic perspective, the geographical significance of the SCS is that whoever has dominance over it, dominates the future of East Asia. 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. 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. An Analysis of the South China Sea Dispute: Focusing on the Assessment Learn more in our Cookie Policy. Geo-Strategic Importance of the South China Sea 5 min. This segment will address American interests. In addition, it has proved oil and gas reserves, so the sovereignty of the disputed islands involves legal rights to exploit its resources. See Media Page for more interview, contact, and citation details. 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). This article aims to highlight security dynamics of the US-China competition in the Indo-Pacific associated with the Malacca Strait and the South China Sea through the prism of Balance of Threat Th. China is already providing indications of how it might act when it controls the South China Sea. The strategic importance of the South China Sea cannot be overstated. African community leaders take home lessons from U.S. This has continued in to the present day. NEW DELHI (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): Singapore's Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan urged China and the US to de-escalate tensions in the Taiwan Strait and the South . In such a complex environment, it is important to have well-established, recognizable rules of international law. The second will analyze the strategic landscape in and around the South China Sea. In addition to far flung island territories (formerly occupied by Japan) in the South Pacific, the United States had a substantial military garrison in Japan and close ties with South Korea and the Philippines a former colony. The U.S. China's actions in the SCSincluding extensive . 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. China's growing assertiveness in the South China Sea - Real Instituto 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. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Finally, the United States should prioritize governance issues in its relations with Southeast Asian states. China is undertaking a persistent, long-term effort to establish control over the South China Sea. Without the southern American presence, Chinese forces could more easily divide American forces east and west in the event of a crisis, more easily defend territorial claims or intimidate Malaysia and Indonesia, and more easily threaten maritime and air traffic crisscrossing the South China Sea. China sought access to natural resources, to political influence and to a strategic maritime position in the Bay of Bengal. the South China Sea in all scenarios short of war with the United States." Chinese control of the SCS-and, more generally, Chinese domination of China's near-seas region, meaning the SCS, the East China Sea (ECS), and the Yellow Sea-could substantially aect U.S. strategic, political, and economic interests in the Indo-Pacic region and . economic importance associated with the ocean is tremendous and manifold. 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. Rough Waters Ahead for Vietnam-China Relations (PDF) Strategic Importance of Gwadar Port - ResearchGate China has shown the most considerable increase in projection of power from all the states surrounding the SCS. in the northeast, the South China Sea is one of the most important trade routes in the world. . It has increased its military budget by over 8.5% in recent years and this is likely to continue for the near future. 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. Preserving the U.S. military edge is key to maintaining the U.S. position in Asia. The South China Sea is a core interest of both Vietnam and China. 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). India and Vietnam, while acknowledging the strategic importance of the SCS and their volatile position when it comes to China's rising power, are edging closer toward each other. Firstly, the South China Sea is a prominent shipping passage with $5.3 trillion worth of . These women are creating climate solutions, One year later: Democracy stands in Ukraine. China and the South China Sea | Wilson Center The end of the Cold War found East Asia and the Western Pacific strategically quiescent. There were, however, cautionary signs for those prepared to see them. The United States and the West more broadly can live with such an outcome. With Burma internationally isolated for much of the past three decades, Beijing invested heavily in that countrys leadership. The geopolitical and strategic landscape of South China Sea director of the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative at Peking . 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). Rival countries have wrangled over territory in the South China Sea for centuries, but tension has steadily increased in recent years. 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. Check out the linked article on the Belt and road initiative now. When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current selection. Figure 3 highlights the influenced areas. - Interview with Mei Gechlik, Pelosi's visit to Taiwan Spiking Tensions Between the U.S. and China: an interview with Andrew K.P. Seventh Fleet transits regularly between the Pacific and Indian Oceans (including the Bay of Bengal). 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. Japan and South Korea will face a perilous new reality with China in control of the seaborne lifeline of both countries. 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 Asia Program promotes policy debate and intellectual discussions on U.S. interests in the Asia-Pacific as well as political, economic, security, and social issues relating to the worlds most populous and economically dynamic region. Thailand, of course, has been an important security partner for the United States. PDF Countries South China Sea Overview - Energy Information Administration Strategic Landscape of the South China Sea: While geopolitics indicates geographical relations with politics, there is another importance which is strategic. South China Sea, Dispute, Map, Countries, Strategic Importance 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. 2014 The United States and the Philippines sign an enhanced defense pact, strengthening the U.S.-Filipino relationship. 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. Anti-China alliance coalescing in South China Sea - Asia Times It will always have an eye on the need to protect itself against attack from the sea, but there's much more to China's vulnerability than potential invasion or bombardment. 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. 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. Cross-Strait relations: The strategic importance of Taiwan 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. Russia-Ukraine War Compels Japan to Reassess China Challenge, Shift Recent satellite analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies shows that Chinese fishing fleets are engaged in paramilitary work on behalf of the state rather than the commercial enterprise of fishing, the organization reported. 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. As . The reaction of the Chinese Foreign Minister was incendiary and revealing. 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". 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. There were, however, cautionary signs for those prepared to see them. You are approaching Chinese airspace. China has become increasingly assertive in the region, and regional powers from Japan to Singapore have become alarmed at China's behavior. . 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. Australia and Vietnam established a Comprehensive Partnership in 2009 and agreed to expand it in 2015. All countries want positive economic and security ties with both China and the United States. (PDF) China's Strategy in the South China Sea - ResearchGate Over the longer term, American defense contractors may have their sights set on sales of fighter aircraft and attack helicopters. But the South China Sea has been dangerously overfished. China, too, considers control of these waters to be of high strategic importance. The United States also faces a challenge in enforcing international law in the South China Sea. All Rights Reserved. China is working hard to bring under its control the water, islands, rocks and reefs that sit within its imaginary nine-dash line. 1. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Even then, the countrys division between royalists and red-shirts will likely endure. What evidence is there of increased projection of Maritime Power? Report Security, Strategy, and Military Dynamics in South China Sea: Cross-National Perspectives on JSTOR. With a maturing coast guard, navy and air force, Vietnam will become an increasingly prickly foe. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the South China Sea dispute and to analyze why the dispute has yet to escalate, as well as the strategic importance of the South China Sea dispute to international trade. All these aspects highlight the strategic indispensability of the South China Sea for global trade routes. China's strategic perspective on the South China Sea The Strategic Importance of the South China Sea 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. China's New Pressure on Taiwan in the South China Sea It remains entirely plausible that any Chinese strategy could have a long term goal of possessing the power to deny US or western warships access to the SCS, with China largely laying claim to most of the area as it's own waters. Diplomatic, informational, legal, and economic responses are currently underrepresented in U.S. China policy, and their incorporation into the policy toolkit will be important for successfully dissuading China over the long-term. Hanoi and Canberra have launched a number of security dialogues and are expanding personnel exchanges, ship visits and officer training. As the new administration sets out to revamp U.S. strategy in the South China Sea, it should keep the following guidelines in mind: Although Chinese cooperation is necessary to address some regional and global issuessuch as North Koreas belligerent behavior and climate changethe United States should not be held hostage by concerns that a more robust deterrence strategy will thwart bilateral cooperation. China has shown it is willing to accept substantial risk to achieve its ends, and has engaged in outright coercion against weaker neighbors like the Philippines and Vietnam.