What is behind the escalation of Sino-Philippine tensions in the South China Sea? | South China Sea News

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has called for greater urgency in negotiations over a code of conduct for the disputed South China Sea, accusing China of “harassment and intimidation” in the waterway.

Marcos Jr told Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders and Chinese Premier Li Qiang that substantial progress on the code was needed and that all parties must “be seriously open serious management of disputes” and to reduce tensions.

“There should be more urgency in the pace of negotiations on the ASEAN-China Code of Conduct,” Marcos said Thursday, according to a statement from his office.

The idea of ​​a maritime code was first agreed between China and ASEAN in 2002, but substantive negotiations on its content only began in 2017.

“It is regrettable that the overall situation in the South China Sea remains tense and unchanged. We continue to be victims of harassment and intimidation,” the statement added.

The feud between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea has become increasingly violent in recent months, with both sides trading allegations of intentional boat crashes, and Manila accusing Chinese coast guard personnel of using water cannons against his troops and engaging in fist fights with spears and knives.

In August alone, the two countries reported six air and sea clashes over the disputed waterway.

Five of them took place at or near the Scarborough and Sabina Reefs in the Spratly Islands, an area within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile (about 370-kilometer) exclusive economic zone (EEZ) but where China claims sovereignty.

The clashes came despite renewed efforts by Beijing and Manila to better manage their maritime dispute following a violent fight in June in which a Filipino sailor lost a finger.

China claims the Philippines is responsible for the clashes, accusing Filipino troops of “illegally” intruding into its territory. In September, he said its relations with the Philippines were “at a crossroads” and urged Manila to “seriously consider the future” of their relationship.

The escalating tensions threaten to draw in the United States, which has a mutual defense treaty with the Philippines and promised to come to Manila’s aid in the event of a third-party armed attack on Philippine troops. These include coast guard personnel, aircraft or state-owned vessels “anywhere” in the South China Sea.

Here’s what you need to know about tensions on the strategic waterway:

Who claims what?

China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, via a vague U-shaped nine-dash line that straddles the EEZs of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. EEZs are ocean areas extending up to 200 nautical miles beyond a country’s coast, where that state has the right to explore and exploit resources.

In the northern parts of the South China Sea, China, Taiwan and Vietnam claim sovereignty over the Paracel Islands, although Beijing has controlled them since 1974. In the southern areas, China, Taiwan and Vietnam each claim full ownership. of the approximately 200 Spratly Islands. , while Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines claim some.

In 2016, a United Nations court, following a lawsuit brought by the Philippines, ruled that China’s nine-dash line had no legal basis. But Beijing ignored the ruling and continued to reclaim and militarize submerged reefs and shoals in the waterway to assert its vast claims.

According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a US-based think tank, China has 20 outposts in the Paracel Islands and seven in the Spratlys.

Vietnam, meanwhile, has 51 outposts spread across 27 entities, while the Philippines occupies a total of nine entities in the Spratly Islands. Thitu Island, the largest, is home to the only Philippine airstrip in the Spratlys.

China’s military buildup in the South China Sea

Although countries in the South China Sea have carried out reclamation of the sites they occupy, the scale of China’s artificial island building and militarization has far exceeded that of other contenders. Since 2013, China has created 3,200 acres (1,290 hectares) of new land in the Spratlys, according to CSIS, and built ports, lighthouses and runways on the newly constructed islands.

China now has four major outposts with 3,050-meter (10,000-foot) airstrips in the South China Sea. These are Woody Island in the Paracels and Fiery Cross Reef, Mischief Reef and Subi Reef in the Spratlys.

According to the CSIS, China has deployed significant military assets on these islands, including anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles, detection and communications facilities, as well as hangars capable of housing military transport, patrol and aircraft. fight.

Why is the South China Sea so important?

The sea is one of the most economically important waterways in the world, with goods worth an estimated $3.4 trillion shipped there every year.

The waters also contain rich fishing grounds that support the livelihoods of millions of people throughout the region.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the South China Sea also contains about 11 billion barrels of oil considered proven or probable reserves and 190 trillion cubic feet (about 5.38 trillion cubic meters) of natural gas. . These untapped hydrocarbons could be worth $2.5 trillion.

Chinese vessels have clashed or engaged in clashes with survey vessels from other countries, including Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia, disrupting their attempts to exploit these resources.

In September, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim pledged that his country would not bow to Chinese demands to stop its oil and gas exploration in waters it claims sovereignty off Malaysia’s Sarawak state. In 2020, Diplomat magazine reported that Vietnam canceled contracts with two Spanish and Emirati oil companies under pressure from China and agreed to pay $1 billion in damages. And in 2012, Vietnam warned China to halt its efforts to develop areas it had already allocated to companies such as Exxon Mobil Corp and OAO Gazprom.

Overall, for China, control of the South China Sea would allow it to dominate a major trade route and improve its energy security. This could also allow it to refuse access to foreign military forces, particularly American ones.

Increasing clashes

In recent decades, tensions have been highest between China, Vietnam and the Philippines.

In 1974 the Chinese captured the Paracels in Vietnam, killing more than 70 Vietnamese soldiers, and in 1988 the two sides clashed in the Spratlys, with Hanoi again losing around 60 sailors. The most contentious disputes between the Philippines and China have focused on Scarborough Shoal, Second Thomas Shoal and, more recently, Sabina Shoal.

In 2012, China seized Scarborough Shoal from the Philippines after a two-month standoff, and in recent years, Chinese coast guard and maritime militia ships have attempted to block boats supplying food and water to troops garrisoned on a Philippine ship deliberately stranded on Second Thomas Shoal. in 1999. The Chinese side used tactics such as boat shelling, military-grade lasers and water cannons, according to the Philippines.

Here is a timeline of major incidents: