Perilous Scramble for the South China Sea The South China Sea is one of the most important bodies of water on the planet. A vital economic power, it is home to many sea lanes and fishing grounds. It also has a high population and a wide variety of cultural influences and historical ties. The region, through its history, has changed hands, hands and governments many times. In fact, Chinese historical records even describe an island in the region that does not exist. As the only land route to Asia from the Arabian Peninsula, the Indian subcontinent, and parts of southeast Asia, the South China Sea has played a key role in history. It has also been the subject of countless political and territorial conflicts and a host of disputes over rights to its waters, fishing, and resource exploration. Today, with China a growing power in the region, the future of the South China Sea is far from certain. In recent years, Beijing has made a concerted effort to put its stamp on the entire region. In 2009, it became the first country to declare an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea, declaring a “12 nautical mile zone” (roughly 22.5 km), a territorial sea of roughly 12 miles, and an exclusive fishing zone of 200 miles. This gave China the right to regulate any activity within the zones, making the territory that much more difficult to access, at least by non-Chinese entities. This effort by Beijing marked the first time that any of the 10 coastal states of the South China Sea had unilaterally declared areas of the area to be under their exclusive economic and/or fishing zones. Over the last few years, some of these states have joined China in asserting claims over part of the South China Sea and surrounding seas and islands. The recent actions of Beijing have sparked conflict in the region. Vietnam, Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, and Indonesia all have disputes with China over islands and waters in the South China Sea. While they have had to deal with these on a bilateral basis, China has been trying to assert its authority over all 10 of the coastal countries, often using its claim to an ancient map that shows a similar land mass. China has even said that it is entitled to unilaterally regulate shipping and drilling in the region. In some cases, this situation has led to actual conflicts. China has used these claims to build up its military forces in the region, particularly on reclaimed islands. China has also been increasingly aggressive in asserting its claims, especially when it comes to Vietnam. That country has already had clashes with China over Chinese-built islands in the Paracel Islands and Vietnam has been at the forefront of protests over China’s building of the Sansha city on the Paracels. The Chinese government has said that it wants to resolve disputes through peaceful negotiations. However, when the islands that were once at the center of the islands and waters were put under Chinese sovereignty in the 1970s, China declared the area an integral part of its national territory. Beijing, which already has control over its smaller, surrounding islands and has built large military bases there, has not made any real moves to encourage negotiations on the maritime boundary line. While China has made a concerted effort to control the South China Sea, its attempts have not gone as smoothly as it might have hoped. The Philippines claims that its exclusive economic zone extends beyond 12 nautical miles and that China’s claim to the same is not just an assertion, but based on a Chinese map. The Chinese government has maintained that it, not Vietnam, is the rightful owner of the Paracel Islands. Vietnam has also made its position clear; it rejects China’s efforts at asserting its claim on all the islands and waters in the area, as well as making a claim to the waters themselves. The South China Sea The waters of the South China Sea are one of the most important maritime trade routes in the world. The sea links the Pacific with the Indian Ocean, and China’s economic influence in Southeast Asia is centered around access to it. The most important routes are between Guangzhou, in southeastern China, and Hong Kong. This connection is often referred to as the “golden silk road” or “maritime silk road.” The South China Sea also links the Pacific and Indian oceans with the Mediterranean, which it accesses by passing through the Strait of Malacca, a narrow waterway that separates mainland Southeast Asia from Borneo. Even though the Strait is just 100 miles wide, it is not deep and is home to rich fishing grounds and potential oil fields. The South China Sea also allows for access to the Indian Ocean, the most important route for trade in the region before the development of the Suez Canal. The sea has been at the center of territorial disputes between China and the neighboring states. These disputes have escalated in recent years, but have been primarily on a bilateral basis between China and each of its neighboring states. In the region as a whole, China has tried to assert some sort of governance over the entire area, including the entire South China Sea, even though there are many islands and waters that fall outside of its own exclusive economic zones. The disputes have been around for a long time, but now are coming to a head in recent years. The area that has been the focus of these arguments has been around for over 2,000 years. It was first established in ancient times as a land bridge between different land masses, as Southeast Asia was once connected to Australia. With that connection severed, this large land mass, often referred to as the Paracels, came to be referred to as the “nine-dashed line.” The line was first brought up by early Chinese maps in the 13th century. Early Chinese maps from the 1280s showed the land mass, which they named Liuchiu Island. There was also a Ming map showing land mass, which China still claims. The island was named after Ming general Li Zicheng, who had seized the area in the 16th century. The earliest recorded sighting of the island is from a 16th century Spanish map. It was not until 1820 that the first official name, Desanjian Chiu, was created. This was followed by an 1850 map with a different name. The first official Chinese map of the area was made in 1874. It showed Liuchiu Island as Paracel. The island was a point of conflict during World War II, with China and Japan fighting for control of it. Chinese occupied it again after Japan took control of it in 1941 and kept it until the end of the war. The occupation led to a territorial dispute with Taiwan, which had been occupied by Japan for 17 years. The Paracels have long been a source of contention between China and Taiwan. That Taiwan has occupied the islands for 17 years makes the dispute even more bitter. As a result of this, tensions have been running high, particularly after China decided to create an administrative province to govern them in 2000. Even though the islands were not entirely under Chinese control, this was a symbol of Beijing’s position. That this administration was in China’s hands led to conflict with Vietnam. Hanoi filed an official request to Beijing to take it back. While China said it was willing to negotiate, it was not willing to give up the territory and, as a result, China and Vietnam clashed over the territory in 2002 and were at odds over the island until 2010. The dispute was only resolved when a compromise was reached that, in essence, left everyone with the territory they wanted, while still giving China some sense of self-confidence and having Hanoi stop making attempts to take control. Although both sides claimed victory, this agreement did not solve the issue. It simply allowed each of them to maintain their territorial claims with a kind of “pat on the head” rather than a real change. The conflict came to an end on the July 16, 2014, when Vietnamese officials announced that they were ready to begin talks over the administration of the islands. As a result, all territorial and resource claims in the area were put on hold. China has never officially made this official, but has never officially denied this either. The South China Sea is vital to China. The trade routes it links to the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean are critical for its national economy, and the oil and gas fields in the area are a crucial resource for its growth. China, in recent years, has created a kind of “Great Wall” of naval resources to secure its access to the sea from the Pacific. Along with new and expanded facilities on various islands and reefs, China has created “military installations” there. These military installations include extensive radar and communications capabilities, as well as fuel and military equipment storage facilities. While the U.S. has focused its attention on China’s expansion into the South China Sea with military forces of its own in the region, China has continued to push ahead with the construction of military bases and its ability to defend them. While China is not the only country that has created bases on the islands and reefs in the South China Sea, it is the only one that has done so with a clear purpose of providing it control over the entire area. The Chinese government has been very critical of other states that have declared an EEZ or exclusive fishing zones around the islands in the region, saying that it denies access to fishermen from the area. The Chinese government has also had problems with Vietnam in the waters of the Paracels. Some commentators believe that China sees the South China Sea as an “internal lake” that China controls.