The South China Sea contains some of the world’s most important shipping lanes. The main route to and from Pacific and Indian ocean ports is through the Strait of Malacca and the South China Sea. Generally, oil and minerals move north, and food and manufactured goods move south.

The main purpose of China’s artificial islands is not to help fight a war against the United States. Beijing’s primary strategy in the South China Sea is to use civilian and paramilitary pressure to coerce its Southeast Asian neighbors into abandoning their rights.

2012

Since the two-day clash of arms between China and the former Republic of Vietnam (South) in January 1974, the Paracels have been firmly in Chinese control, while the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam are each holding a part of the Spratlies.

China’s claim to the sea is based both on the Law of the Sea Convention and its so-called “nine-dash” line. This line extends for 2,000 kilometers from the Chinese mainland, encompassing over half of the sea. This concept is important: it means that by definition, the South China Sea is a shared maritime space.

China’s 9 dash line is an invalid territorial claim because: It is illegal. It endangers the sovereignty of multiple states with exclusive economic zones in the south china sea.

The People’s Republic of China (PRC) claims all of the Spratly Islands as part of China based on history and not UNCLOS. The PRC is a party to the UNCLOS, signing the agreement on 29 July 1994.

Scholars like Brendan Taylor have identified four flash points for a possible conflict with China, including Korea, the East China Sea, the South China Sea and Taiwan, but conventional war is not likely at this stage.

The maps show the South China Sea, an arm of the western Pacific Ocean in Southeast Asia, south of China, east and south of Vietnam, west of the Philippines and north of the island of Borneo. The body of water is bounded by the east coast of the Malay Peninsula and the southern part of the Gulf of Thailand.

To construct its artificial islands, China builds atop already existing, islands, rocks, and even coral reefs. Once the islands are large and stable enough, China can then lay down cement and build structures on them. The extent of the changes can be striking.

Another, called Spratly Island or Storm Island, measures 900 by 1,500 feet (275 by 450 metres). Turtles and seabirds are the only wildlife. There is no permanent human habitation.

Taiping Island

Answer: the Spratly Islands, located off the coast of the Philippines and Malaysia. This region has been claimed by both of these nations as well as China, Vietnam, Brunei and Taiwan. This is due to the islands’ rich marine ecosystem, gas and oil deposits, and ideal location for military strategies.

China has been transforming the reefs and atolls it occupies on the disputed Spratly Islands since 2015, turning them into artificial islands. “Take the example of the Fiery Cross Reef.

45 of them are claimed and occupied by one of these parties. Even Brunei has gotten in on it, claiming exclusive economic rights encompassing one of the islands….

The Philippines claims the northeastern section of the Spratly Islands as the Kalayaan Island Group, in addition to the Scarborough Shoal, which it calls the Bajo de Masinloc. Malaysia claims part of the Kalayaan Island, while China and Taiwan claim the entirety of the island group.

According to reports, Philippines has the strongest claim of Spratly since it is geographically part of the Philippine archipelago and it’s just 100 kilometers away from Palawan Island. Spratly Islands could be the source of billion tons of oil reserves and natural gas.

Scarborough Shoal (not part of the Spratlys) was named by Western mapmakers after a British East India Company ship that ran aground in 1748.

Scarborough’s proximity to the Philippine mainland and the fact that it lies within the Philippines’ exclusive eco- nomic zone increases the feature’s importance. Scarborough Shoal is a barometer of U.S. willingness to come to the aid of the Philippines and push back against unilateral Chinese territorial expansion.

China reaffirmed its claim of sovereignty over the Zhongsha Islands in its 1992 Law on the territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone. China claims all the islands, reefs, and shoals within a U-shaped line in the South China Sea drawn in 1947 as its territory. Scarborough shoal lies within this area.

A

Scarborough Shoal is a rock in the South China Sea, approximately 120 nautical miles west of the Philippine island of Luzon. There are no structures built on Scarborough Shoal, but the feature is effectively controlled by China, which has maintained a constant coast guard presence at the feature since 2012.

West Philippine Sea is the official designation by the Philippine government of eastern parts of the South China Sea which are included in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. The term is also sometimes incorrectly used to refer to the South China Sea as a whole.

18,238′

As a crossroads linking the Pacific and Indian oceans, the South China Sea has trade routes worth over $3 trillion a year. It carries a third of all global shipping. Plus it’s estimated to have large reserves of oil and gas and a lot of fish, which means it’s worth fighting for.

A look at China’s relationship with its 14 neighbor countries: Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Myanmar, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Vietnam.

China together with Russia has the largest number of land borders with neighboring countries (14). They are (running anti-clockwise from the East) : Korea (North), Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam.