China sea of roses full#

In 2016 the Permanent Court of Arbitration (an international body tasked with mediating territorial claims) ruled in favor of The Philippines against China’s claim to a section of the sea. These moves haven’t been met with silence. Beyond the so-called ‘militarization’ of reefs, China has also mentioned establishing an “air identification zone” above the region, effectively forcing any aircraft seeking to pass over the area to ask its permission for doing so first.

China sea of roses full#

These moves have obviously worried many of China’s neighbors, who view increasingly assertive Beijing as fully determined in taking full control of the sea, including its resources and trade routes. Nevertheless, technology and assertive aspirations have combined, with China undertaking reclamation work that has expanded reefs and sandbars into man-made islands that can serve as naval bases throughout the area. There are more than 250 landmasses in the South China Sea, from small, sparsely populated islands to submerged reefs or small slivers of sand. What is new however, is the impact any military action will have on global trade. The move significantly ratcheted up tension between the two historic adversaries, and China has since constructed a battery of rocket launchers on a disputed reef in the area to deter any Vietnamese naval maneuvers.Īs we have written before, conflict in this area is nothing new. In 2014, China stationed an oil rig in the contested Paracel Islands, which they have claimed since a short battle with Vietnam in 1974. These overlapping claims of sovereignty have led to a long list of incidents in which the countries involved each try to assert their control over parts of the region they view as their own, creating a highly tense situation that could easily boil over to armed confrontation. However, being the regional superpower it is, the Chinese government makes a historical claim over 90% of the region, which it has defined with a “Nine Dash Line.” Since a central section of water in the sea is more than 200 miles from any surrounding nation, it is considered international and not under the exclusive jurisdiction of anyone. The situation is so sensitive that some don’t even call it the ‘South China Sea’ as that might imply it all belongs to China.Īccording to international law, nations can claim territory up to 200 nautical miles from their coastline.

The Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Vietnam and China all lay claims on parts of the South China Sea that often overlap with each other.