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. In this article, let us look at the strategic importance of the South China Sea, History of the South China Sea Dispute, countries involved, causes, impacts, India's stand on the dispute and the way forward for the UPSC IAS Examination. But as it does so, it acts as midwife to a very real strategic realignment in Southeast Asia, one which promises to benefit the United States and its partners. The region also is the subject of more than a dozen overlapping and interconnected disputes over who is in charge of the various islands, rocks, shoals and reefs scattered throughout the South China Sea waters. Generally, oil and minerals move north, and food and manufactured goods move south. 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. Sun Tzu Explains China's Shaping Operations in the South China Sea. From the report. In short, adopting a more robust deterrence approach need not prevent cooperation that is in the interests of both countries. 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 Strategic Importance of the South China Sea. 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). Australia and Vietnam established a Comprehensive Partnership in 2009 and agreed to expand it in 2015. The message will be clear; the era of American international leadership and predominance is over and a new preeminent power has taken its place. Chinas rising military power and political influence is generating anxiety and suspicion among some of its neighbours and western powers. Chinas military modernization has included structural reforms establishing a Joint Operations Command and five new theatre commands (Northern, Eastern, Southern, Western and Central). Malaysia's Diplomacy in the South China Sea: Between the Devil and the February 27, 2023. All Rights Reserved. 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. European access to Asia will be through Beijing. Despite all that, Beijing now faces a competition with Washington (and Delhi and Tokyo) for influence in Naypyidaw. The Malacca Strait, the South China Sea and the Sino-American There are certainly other situations involving other challenges, but this is the most plausible and dangerous. Final Thoughts & Looking Towards the Future. Report "American aircraft, this is the PLA air force. 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. Chinese warplane intercepts US Navy plane over South China Sea 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. Importantly, the Air Forces presence on Luzon, perhaps to be followed by regular naval rotations in Subic Bay, will put the United States in a better position to quickly seal up the Luzon Strait, which links the South China Sea to the Philippine Sea and the wider Pacific Ocean. A critical and early Chinese test of U.S. resolve is likely to come in the South China Sea, where Washington has struggled to respond effectively to assertive Chinese behavior. Utapao has been suggested as a permanent Southeast Asian Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) hub. 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 been largely successful at preserving its own freedom of action and deterring outright Chinese aggression in the South China Sea through routine presence operations. The United States now has the opportunity to secure for another generation the peace that has held in Asia for nearly four decades now. What is more important from a strategic viewpoint, however, is that global energy projections that the EIA issues in the International Energy Outlook, issued in October 2021, make it clear that China and Asia will have a sharply growing dependence on MENA and Gulf petroleum exports that may well extend through 2050. Figure 3 highlights the influenced areas. That redundancy will grant the United States flexibility in a couple of ways. The area marked with a blue line is based on the UNCLOS 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) relating to each countrys claims and the islands marked in green are the ones over which sovereignty is disputed. The strategic importance of the South China Sea cannot be overstated. Currently, President Xi Jinping makes frequent references to Chinas possession of the South China Sea since ancient times an assertion that lacks any validity historically or legally. Finally, the United States should prioritize governance issues in its relations with Southeast Asian states. The Strategic Importance of the South China Sea - academia.edu 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 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. 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 . 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. Vietnam and the Philippines have also attempted to form a strategic alliance with Japan in their struggle with China in the SCS. The United States can do more to leverage its alliances in Asia to raise the costs of Chinese efforts to undermine the regional order. 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The Strategic Importance of the South China Sea | Geollect 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. Security, Strategy, and Military Dynamics in South China Sea: Cross PDF Beyond Territorial Disputes In The South China Sea Legal Frameworks For The annual Cobra Gold exercise is Asias largest multilateral military exercise. The U.S. militarys enhanced ability to loiter in and over the South China Sea, moreover, will facilitate more effective efforts to track Chinese submarines sailing from the PLANs underground naval base on Hainan island. The South China Sea - Some Fundamental Strategic Principles 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. The credibility of U.S. security support for allies and partners will be shredded. Cooperation on areas of shared interest is important not only to the United States, but also to China. It is growing more difficult to discuss Southeast Asia without discussing Japan, India and Australia, whose ties to the region and to each other are maturing and whose militarieswhether represented by personnel, aircraft, or warshipsare increasingly present in the region. President Musharraf requested China to invest in this important strategic chokepoint in the Indian Ocean., to which China agreed. The geopolitical message was unmistakable: Western expectations that China was transitioning toward political democracy were entirely illusory. In the past two weeks, Filipino . 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. It is highly likely that China will continue to upset regional stability in the SCS to expand its own sphere of influence. The United States, moreover, should work with its other Pacific alliesAustralia, South Korea and especially Japanto consider ways that they can lead efforts to expand infrastructure investment in Southeast Asia, perhaps by reforming and enlarging the Asian Development Bank or by launching a joint infrastructure investment fund. The Tribunal rejects Chinas maritime claims that go beyond the entitlements set out in the Law of the Sea Convention. 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. (PDF) China's Strategy in the South China Sea - ResearchGate The message will be clear; the era of American international leadership and predominance is over and a new preeminent power has taken its place. Tackling these issues will be tricky for the United States, as many of the elites that benefit from corruption will be those with whom Washington must work to deepen ties, but this is a long-term effort worth pursuing. China, too, considers control of these waters to be of high strategic importance. 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. In October 2020, Hong Kong's air traffic control denied a Taiwanese flight access to Pratas Island, a Taiwan-occupied feature in the South China Sea. Allied efforts to support U.S. force posture in the region will remain vital, but the United States should also expect allies to make greater contributions in responding to Chinese coercion. By contrast, China views. A South China Sea Strategy | American Enterprise Institute - AEI South China Sea has geo-strategic, geo-politic and geo-economic importance due to half of the world trade passage and presence of precious resources of oil and gas. 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. Center for Strategic and International Studies The Thai people are lurching towards a new political arrangement, a process that Thais have to see through for themselves. 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. 2009 China issues two diplomatic notes that appear to claim a majority of the South China Sea. These straws-in-the-wind gained strategic context because the PRC had long published official maps showing a boundary encompassing almost the entire South China Sea the nine-dash line.. Dispersed American forces would act as countermeasure and would complicate defense planning for the Chinese military and political calculations for Beijing, while ensuring U.S. forces are positioned to support each other in the event of a crisis. The Art of War helps expose the motivation behind past, current, and future Chinese actions. During the George W. Bush administration, U.S. forces in the Philippines were focused primarily on aiding the Philippine military in its counterterror fight. The Strategic Importance of the South China Sea 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. 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. Navy P-8s are now regularly deploying to Singapore and, although without regular access, they have conducted patrols from Malaysia as well. China remains uncompromising on sovereignty, has increased its capability to enforce its de facto control in disputed areas, and has sought to advance its claims while staying below the threshold for direct military conflict with the United States. South China Sea and possible options. "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 deterrence against the US," he explained. U.S. policy in the South China Sea has been overly reliant on military options, which may not always be the most effective response. 5 min. In a context of great power competition, the South China Sea (SCS) has emerged as an arena of U.S.-China strategic competition. - Interview with Mei Gechlik, Pelosi's visit to Taiwan Spiking Tensions Between the U.S. and China: an interview with Andrew K.P. Coral reefs, which are vital to marine habitats, have been declining by 16 percent per decade, according to a report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies. 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. Situation in the South China Sea - ASEAN Main Portal Thus, it is said that the South China Sea could be the battleground of World War III. It is little surprise, then, that Southeast Asian states are drawing closer to the United Statesboth seeking aid in developing their own defense capabilities and hoping that stronger ties act as a deterrent to Chinese assertiveness. South China Sea, Dispute, Map, Countries, Strategic Importance 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. From busiest . 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. Walter Lohman hasdescribedCobra Gold as an achievement that has proved useful for military missions, such as joint patrols of vital sea lanes, and noncombat missions, such as disaster relief following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the 2008 Cyclone Nargis in Burma.. 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. South China Sea is also strategically important due to the rising competition between China, Vietnam, Philippine and the US for military supremacy in the Asia-Pacific region. U.S. leaders should not be afraid of tension in the U.S.-China relationship. The islands are important, however, for strategic and political reasons. The sea-lanes that pass through the South China Sea are the busiest, most important, maritime waterways in the world. Media Relations Manager, External Relations. Therefore, the US plays a key role in influencing the resolution of the SCS disputes. multifaceted fiscal and strategic benefits, acting as a magnet for the regional as well as . 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. Sign up to receive ShareAmerica updates. South China Sea has strategic significance for world: US, Vietnam Total fish stocks have been depleted by 70 to 95 percent since the 1950s. 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. The strategic value of the alliance remains high, according to theCongressional Research Service: *** U.S. China is undertaking a persistent, long-term effort to establish control over the South China Sea. Anil Trigunayat, 5th Generation Warfare: A Real Global Warming (Alarming) and its Implications for Pakistan, The Geopolitics of Indo-Pacific: the Rise of India and the Possible Challenges for Pakistan, 75 Years of Pakistan's Independence: Audit of Achievements and Failures, Bacterial Attack on Azerbaijani Oil a fictitious scenario, Pakistan, from the Shackles of Oligarchy to the Emergence of Democracy, Impact of Climate Change on Flood-Stricken People in Balochistan, Dimensions of Religion: Use, Misuse and Beyond, Breaking Free from Fossil Fuels: Why Nuclear Energy is Significant for Pakistan, Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education and Scientific Research: an interview with Fatima Roumate, Dalits, the Bottom of Indias Caste Ladder.

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