Second, the United States should feel comfortable adopting a patient approach in pushing a return to full democracy in Thailand. The security assurances provided by the U.S. military presence coupled with the advent of regional institutions, notably ASEAN and the Asian Development Bank, nurtured that growth. Last year, the construction projects covered 72 acres. Miguel . 2013 The Philippines challenges Chinas claims of historic rights and other actions in an arbitration case under the Law of the Sea Convention. Beijing may not find it quite as easy to run roughshod over Hanoi in the coming years. It is the geostrategic importance that is usually the main reason for the parties to strengthen their claim over the Spratlys and the Paracels. Improved governance will lead to stronger economies over the long term and dampen the influence of Chinese dirty money. 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.. As maritime security such as safety and freedom of . 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 new administration should issue clear and consistent strategic messages, since inconsistent articulation of the objectives of the rebalance strategy has caused confusion in China and amongst U.S. allies and partners. Besides, more than half of the world's fishing vessels pass through the SCS. in the northeast, the South China Sea is one of the most important trade routes in the world. Most of China's global trade is seaborne. The South China Sea is one of the most important economic and environmental regions in the world. The geopolitical message was unmistakable: Western expectations that China was transitioning toward political democracy were entirely illusory. In . Current developments in the South China Sea must be understood against the backdrop of recent history. 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. African community leaders take home lessons from U.S. A South China Sea Strategy By Dan Blumenthal, Michael Auslin, and Michael Mazza I. Beware China: America Fights Back In recent years, China's inventive engineering feats have allowed it to. The South China Sea is basically China's export waterway to Africa and to Europe (among other markets), but in order for China's enemy (aspiring conqueror), America, to harm and weaken China maximally, and to use the United Nations assisting in that aggression, America and its allies have cast this vital trade-waterway as being instead basically just an area to be exploited for oil and gas . If China succeeds, in displacing U.S. power in the Western Pacific and Chinese territorial expansion into the South China Sea becomes permanent and codified, global geopolitics will have entered a new and very different era. The diplomatic tempest at the ARF came when U.S. security attention was preoccupied with ongoing military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as the global counterterrorism campaign with Osama bin Laden still at large. The longstanding U.S. position that it takes no position on sovereignty disputes over land features in the South China Sea, while insisting that these disputes be resolved in a peaceful fashion and in accordance with international law, is sound and should be maintained. Follow the Asia Program on Twitter @AsiaProgram. Enduring U.S. interestsfreedom of navigation and overflight, support for the rules-based international order, and the peaceful resolution of disputesare at risk in the region. Pexels India-China Indo-Pacific South China Sea Signalling is important international relations. Finally, the United States should prioritize governance issues in its relations with Southeast Asian states. In each of these arenas, a successful Chinese effort to seize control of the South China Sea will have a profound impact and each is worth elaboration. Preserving the U.S. military edge is key to maintaining the U.S. position in Asia. Over the longer term, American defense contractors may have their sights set on sales of fighter aircraft and attack helicopters. The strategic landscape of the Western Pacific and Southeast Asia in the early 1990s was remarkably benign with optimism in full flower. Geopolitical platform, analysis of political, military, security, economic, social events with international and geopolitics relevance. Three years ago an arbitration tribunal issued a decision finding that Chinas maritime claims in the South China Sea are inconsistent with the Law of the Sea Convention. U.S. interests in the South China Sea fall into three broad categories including: (1) Economic interests tied to the sea-lanes; (2) Defense ties with allies and other security partners; and (3) Implications for the global balance of power and influence. When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current selection. Successful capacity building efforts will allow Southeast Asian states to better help themselves, bolstering deterrence against low-level Chinese coercion and allowing the U.S. military to focus more on deterring high-level contingencies. 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 sea-lanes that pass through the South China Sea are the busiest, most important, maritime waterways in the world. That redundancy will grant the United States flexibility in a couple of ways. Cooperation on areas of shared interest is important not only to the United States, but also to China. Close allies such as Australia and Japan have a great deal to offer in terms of capability and capacity, and should be encouraged to do more. by Geoffrey Hartman In addition, it has proved oil and gas reserves, so the sovereignty of the disputed islands involves legal rights to exploit its resources. From busiest . What evidence is there of increased projection of Maritime Power? 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. Such access would complement the renewed U.S. presence in the Philippines; facilitate a regular American presence in the western part of the South China Sea; enable the United States to more easily defendor seal upthe Malacca Strait; and, it should be noted, put American forces within striking distance of major Chinese bases on Hainan, including port facilities that host Chinas ballistic missile submarines. The power politics, military interests created the South China Sea more important. 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. Seventh Fleet transits regularly between the Pacific and Indian Oceans (including the Bay of Bengal). The area is globally important for a few reasons. The South China Sea is not only economically important for Malaysia as a maritime nation, but it is also as important from the perspective of national security. The 2022 Philippine Election: Trouble for Democracy and Foreign Relations Ahead? Few in Washington were inclined to see the South China Sea as a strategic priority engaging vital U.S. national interests. These actions suggest that China might undermine freedom of navigation and overflight, principles of fundamental importance to the United States. 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. Since the mid-1990s, China has pursued a strategy . 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 Chinese recently built an island in the South China Sea, apparently as a potential airbase. In 2016, they carried fully one-third of global shipping with an estimated value of $3.4 trillion. The result has been to heighten tensions and allow Chinese forces to more easily project military power across the region. In addition, the United States has affirmed some responsibility for the defense of Taiwan and has close security ties with Singapore and New Zealand. Washingtons relationship with Hanoi will make that more palatable. The Strategic Importance of the South China Sea. These factors combined give a strategic importance to the South China Sea that has led to numerous states Brunei, the People's Republic of China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam each pressing their own claims to . 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. 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. In December, another joint China-Russia naval exercise was held in the East China Sea (China Military Online, December 21, 2022). That claim remained shrouded in a calculated fog of ambiguity until 2010 when Secretary of State Clinton addressed the status of the South China Sea and its sea-lanes at a meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum in Hanoi. Abstract. 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. But the South China Sea has been dangerously overfished. With a new Southeast Asian strategic alignment taking shape as described, geography makes Indonesia and Malaysiaespecially due to its Sabah and Sarawak states on Borneothe regions key swing states. By contrast, China views. 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. In the past two weeks, Filipino . The United States has an interest in seeing that these partners maintain their strategic autonomy, but capacity building efforts to help them resist coercion are not keeping pace with Chinas growing capabilities. Notably, the paper identified Malaysia's maritime claims in the South China Sea as its top security concern. Shortly after the ARF concluded, an official spokesman for the Chinese Defense Ministry asserted Chinas indisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea. 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. Nevertheless, Beijing had taken its first overt step to control the South China Sea. . Does US-hegemonic decline translate into a fight between democracy and autocracy in maintaining a benign world order? The United States will continue to stand with our allies and partners to uphold the order that we helped build, Pencesaid. All these aspects highlight the strategic indispensability of the South China Sea for global trade routes. Thus, it is said that the South China Sea could be the battleground of World War III. Since 2009, China has growingly asserted its influence over the SCS by enforcing an annual fishing ban, conducting regular maritime patrols, undertaking scientific surveys and conducting military exercises in the disputed islands and waters. The strategic importance of the SCS is mainly due to its geographical location, as the area is one of the world's busiest and most strategic shipping lanes. China is already providing indications of how it might act when it controls the South China Sea. The three core areas that must be defended and secured are the Malay Peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak. Given these advantages, Washington can afford to focus on the long game in Asia, confident that Chinese adventurism is likely to push many states to turn to the United States for support. In 1995, the Philippines discovered that China had occupied and militarized an atoll (Mischief Reef) well within the Philippines EEZ and within maritime territory claimed by Manila. In 2010, the US declared its freedom of navigation in the SCS to be a national interest in response to Chinas increasingly assertive posture. 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). 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. f) . The Thai people are lurching towards a new political arrangement, a process that Thais have to see through for themselves. What is the Strategic Importance of the South China Sea? 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. access to Thailands military facilities, particularly the strategically located and well-equipped Utapao airbase, is considered invaluable. April 26, 2016 There is widespread interest in the rising tensions over the waters east of China. In a meeting attended by the foreign ministers of 26 nations from the broader region, Clinton simply asserted that the South China Sea was subject to multiple territorial claims and a multinational mechanism should be established to find a peaceful diplomatic solution. Beijing has also been careful to avoid estranging Aung San Suu Kyi and adopted a largely pragmatic approach to the countrys transition away from authoritarian rule. Learn more in our Cookie Policy. Chinas military modernization has included structural reforms establishing a Joint Operations Command and five new theatre commands (Northern, Eastern, Southern, Western and Central). 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. In other words, his primary concern is that the rivalry over the South China Sea could derail Beijing's strong strategic focus on the Taiwan issue.25 Academic perspectives on the South China Sea are important and may actually be quite influential. South China Sea and possible options. 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. To this end, the new administration should perform an early, top-down, and thorough strategic review to enable greater consistency and effectiveness in U.S. South China Sea policy. The message will be clear; the era of American international leadership and predominance is over and a new preeminent power has taken its place. The third will assess the policies/strategies currently employed by the United States in this arena as well as other plausible options. Hanoi and Canberra have launched a number of security dialogues and are expanding personnel exchanges, ship visits and officer training. The South China Sea has become important to the US because of China's challenge to the liberal rules-based order that America has promoted since the Pacific war. The United States sent a carrier battle group there as well. - Interview with Mei Gechlik, Pelosi's visit to Taiwan Spiking Tensions Between the U.S. and China: an interview with Andrew K.P. Check out the linked article on the Belt and road initiative now. 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. This puts more pressure on Washington to intervene and U.S. allies and partners in Asia are watching carefully and drawing conclusions about U.S. commitment and staying power in the region. Marcos Jr. had previously said his country would pursue oil and gas exploration in the South China Sea even without a deal with China, which claims almost all of the 1.3 million square mile South . Sign up to receive The Evening, a daily brief on the news, events, and people shaping the world of international affairs. Networking Social Entrepreneurship in Southeast Asia: Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) program, The High Price of Neglecting Taiwan in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, Hyundai Motor-Korea Foundation Center for Korean History and Public Policy, Environmental Change and Security Program, North Korea International Documentation Project, Nuclear Proliferation International History Project, Kissinger Institute on China and the United States, The Middle East and North Africa Workforce Development Initiative, Science and Technology Innovation Program, Wahba Institute for Strategic Competition. The SCS is passage of half of the world trade. First, the United States should feel more confident to pressure the junta on human rights concerns. "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 . You are approaching Chinese airspace. The end of the Cold War found East Asia and the Western Pacific strategically quiescent. The South China Sea is a core interest of both Vietnam and China. director of the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative at Peking . The United States should intensify capacity building efforts with allies and partners to improve their ability to resist Chinese coercion. Today's world is the US-led where China is a rising giant economically and politically. The 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea is an international treaty that sets out importantmaritime rules. Final Thoughts & Looking Towards the Future. 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. Utapao has been suggested as a permanent Southeast Asian Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) hub. The South China Sea contains some of the world's most important shipping lanes. Generally, oil and minerals move north, and food and manufactured goods move south. Journals and books. WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc said the disputed South China Sea has a strategic significance for the international community and any "unlawful" restriction on the freedom of the seas will destabilise peace in the Asia-Pacific region. Southeast Asians do not want to and should not have to choose between the two, but Chinese behavior is moving some states to pick sidesor at least to lean in one direction or another. Although ultimately unsuccessful in Vietnam, America emerged in a surprisingly advantageous strategic position in Southeast Asia with alliances intact with Thailand and the Philippines and friendly ties with Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Unfortunately, the allies now lack a shared strategic outlook, thus reducing the impetus to overcome recent bilateral political hurdles. China has tried to effectively annex the whole South China Sea region as its territorial waters, according to Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI). The U.S. . As sovereignty over the SCS involves Chinas economic, energy and national security interests it is highly likely that the increased projection of maritime power will continue. Because of its location, this sea is extremely strategic because it connects the Indian and Pacific Oceans (Strait of Malacca). As . The sea is rich in resources and holds significant strategic and political importance. Beijings moves have prompted Washington to counter Chinese assertiveness by forging a new strategic alignment in the regionone in which China dominates the South China Sea from the north, the United States and its partners do so from the east and west, and the states of continental Southeast Asia remain neutral or lean toward Beijing in the intensifying U.S.-China strategic competition. 1) Islands are much more strategically valuable. The South China Sea is considered a "near sea" and its geographic proximity to the mainland is central to the China's strategic imagination and threat perception. The USSJohn C. Stennistied up there for a few days in April. Burma, however, is a potential bright spot for the U.S. position in continental Southeast Asia. U.S. military advantage is of limited utility in this area and Washington has struggled to convince local partners to join in freedom of navigation operations. China, of course, has important strengths in Burma. Navy P-8s are now regularly deploying to Singapore and, although without regular access, they have conducted patrols from Malaysia as well. Select Accept to consent or Reject to decline non-essential cookies for this use. The global focus of economic power has traditionally been centred over the west with the UK and the USA as the key contributors; however in recent years, this has shifted east (see Figure 1), with the main reason for this being rapid urbanization in developing countries, in particular China. China has shown the most considerable increase in projection of power from all the states surrounding the SCS. World. 2016 The Arbitration Tribunal rules in favor of the Philippines. Figure 4 shows the overlapping sovereignty claims in the SCS, with Chinas claims according to the 9 dash line doctrine in red. It has deep ties with the military, which still dominates key parts of the government, and is a major player in the economy. U.S. policy in the South China Sea has been overly reliant on military options, which may not always be the most effective response. 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. 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. In addition to fishing grounds, the South China Sea contains an abundance of energy resources, . . More than 50% of world trade passes. South China Sea or even some part of its strategically significant zones will provide the sovereign nation state significant seat in global trade agreements. 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. The Korean War produced formal defense treaties with each of these countries plus a new, permanent military presence in South Korea. 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. The Balloon Incident and Evolution of Espionage. or join us on Facebook. The United States has been less successful in supporting local partners as they resist Chinese coercion. 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. India has proactively engaged in the South China Sea (SCS), notably via boosting its naval presence and forging ties with Vietnam despite China's aggression. More and more, we see a particularly aggressive maritime stance from China towards NATO warships when exercising freedom of navigation through the SCS. This button displays the currently selected search type. 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. China, however, must now balance its continental concerns, which remain complex, against its new dependence on the maritime domain. Inconsistent messaging and policiesincluding on freedom of navigation and routine presence operationshave also led to confusion in the region. 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". Yet, due to Turkey's strategic importance, the US cannot afford to affront Mr. Erdogan, who carries a peculiar . 2023 Center for Strategic & International Studies. China is working hard to bring under its control the water, islands, rocks and reefs that sit within its imaginary nine-dash line. 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. The strategic signal of an Indian presence in the South China Sea Harsh V. Pant India has wider stakes in South China Sea as nearly 55% of India's trade with the Indo-Pacific region passes through these waters. The strategically important South China Sea is an increasingly prominent stage for the spiraling tensions . China is undertaking a persistent, long-term effort to establish control over the South China Sea. When it comes to trade, investment and infrastructure development, China should not be the only game in town. Aung San Suu Kyi has no interest in antagonizing Chinawhich shares a border with Burma and is a major source of foreign investmentbut nor can she afford to alienate the United States or India. Australia will be isolated with an uncertain future. Ownership claims to them are used to bolster claims to the surrounding sea and its resources. This is the first of three short essays examining the South China Sea as a first order strategic problem for the United States. Almost all the East Asian countries are dependent on this sea. To counter China's efforts to control the South China Sea, the United States needs a sustainable strategy to bolster its own capabilities, work more effectively with capable allies and partners, and strengthen the regional order. The strategic landscape of the Western Pacific and Southeast Asia in the early 1990s was remarkably benign with optimism in full flower. 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.. Importance of South China Sea The South China Sea is a busy international waterway, one of the main arteries of global trade worth more than $5 trillion and is growing year on year. Therefore, the US plays a key role in influencing the resolution of the SCS disputes.