Sea Disputes Between The East And South China

For hundreds of years, China has endured many hardships. They have had territorial issues within their country as well as wars and disputes with other countries. Some of these issues persist today. In recent years, the East and the South China Sea disputes have come about as major problems for China that are potentially detrimental to the country’s future. It is important to know what these disputes are and why these disputes are going on. It is even more important to know how these disputes have the potential to spark an even bigger problem.

The South China Sea dispute has become a rising issue in recent years. This dispute is between six countries: China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, and Taiwan. These six countries have territorial claims in the South China Sea, but some of these claims overlap with each other. For example, the Spratly Islands are one spot where all six countries are involved and claim parts of these islands. China is said to own 80% of the territory, while Vietnam also claims some; the Philippines has ownership of the Spratly archipelago; Brunei and Malaysia claim southern parts of the sea and some of the Spratly Islands as well. China also has what is called the “nine-dash line,” a geographical marker used to assert their claim. It stretches as far as 2,000 kilometers from the Chinese mainland, reaching waters close to Indonesia and Malaysia. There are many reasons why the South China Sea and the Spratly Islands are so desirable. For example, it is a thoroughfare connecting Asia with Europe and Africa; one-third of all global shipping passes through the sea. It also has an abundance of natural resources, including major natural gas and oil reserves. Lastly, the sea accounts for 10% of the world’s fisheries (a huge source of food for hundreds of millions of people). With that said, the Spratly Islands are not the only hotspot for territorial disputes.

The East China Sea has also sparked a dispute in recent years. There are only two countries involved in this dispute - China and Japan. “Both China and Japan lay claim to a set of islands in the East China Sea that cover around 81,000 square miles” (Chandran). These islands, called “Senkaku” in Japan and “Diaoyu” in China, have different names because both countries claim them as their own. The islands are rich in energy reserves and have important shipping routes. The dispute is happening because although Japan technically owns these islands, China is also trying to claim them as their own.

The East China Sea dispute stems from Japan’s defeat in WWII. This increased tension between China and Japan in the East China Sea and made the claims each country made on the islands more complicated. Another contributing factor in the growing dispute was globalization. This increased military presence in the sea and brought the US into the dispute with their desire for a “free and open Indo-Pacific”. On the other hand, the South China Sea dispute, which is a newer issue, does not have evidence of stemming from major events in history. Instead, this dispute started because the six countries started to claim territory (the Spratly Islands) that overlapped.

Recently, in the East China Sea, Chinese Coast Guard ships entered the waters near a chain of disputed Japanese islands. This angered Japan because these are islands that they “de facto” own, yet China also is claiming them. The Japanese Coast Guard said that the Chinese vessels spent approximately two hours in the Japanese territorial waters. China then “extended the ADIZ (air defense identification zone) into the East China Sea in a way that threatens Japan's control of the territories and they've also done it at sea by extending visits by naval vessels”. By the time this event took place in February 2017, it was already the fourth time in 2017 that Chinese ships entered Japan's territory. Not only that, but there were 36 similar invasions in 2016. There was some action in the South China Sea as well because, according to Filipino officials, there were 275 Chinese ships seen near an island that is occupied by the Philippines. Also in the South China Sea, there have been some increasing tensions. Some of the countries involved in the dispute have recently been increasing their military spending. The countries include Japan increasing its military spending by 7%, the Philippines by 45%, Vietnam by 94%, and China by 131%. This shows that each of them is becoming increasingly more concerned about the safety of their countries and prioritizing building their defense systems.

The United States has also recently found itself involved in these disputes because it is an ally to multiple countries involved (e.g. Japan, the Philippines, and Taiwan). The US has relationships with these countries so that if one of them goes to war, then the US would join forces with them. The US Secretary of Defense has already pledged to defend Japan and its disputed islands. “‘I made clear that our long-standing policy on the Senkaku Islands stands the US will continue to recognise Japanese administration of the islands and as such Article Five of the US-Japan Security Treaty applies,’ the US Secretary of Defense said” (Osborne). Shortly after that statement, China accused the US of compromising the stability of the region. In conclusion, the United States could find itself in very dangerous situations as a result of its allegiance to the countries involved in the disputes.

The futures of both the East and South China Seas disputes are unclear. There is a real potential for a war to break out because of either of these disputes. In the East China Sea, there have been repeated close encounters with Chinese and Japanese vessels. The thinking is that since there have been so many close calls, one of them could turn into a real collision. A collision could turn into a blame game between the countries (fighting over “who collided with who?”) and then into war. China has been acting extremely passive aggressively towards Japan in the East China Sea as if they want to create a war. 'The Chinese are testing the envelope in terms of their ability to challenge Japan's de facto control” (Osborne). The East China Sea dispute has already created the short term effect of a strained relationship between China and Japan. But, there is a much greater risk for a war to break out (because China really enjoys “testing the envelope”) which would cause the long term effects of war. It would directly impact China and Japan, but those country’s allies, including the United States, would also be greatly affected as they would also be forced into the war. This dispute has many people gravely concerned about its significant potential to create World War III. If something like that did break out, then the countries involved would take years to fully recover, hence being a long term effect.

The South China Sea, on the other hand, also has the short term effects of strained relationships and the loss of territory for some countries. Similar to the East China Sea dispute, there is potential to start a war. China, in both situations, is taking action to forcefully mess with the other countries. However, China is definitely being more forward with Japan and the East China Sea’s territory. That is why there is less chance the South China Sea dispute would start a war as big as World War III.

The East and the South China Sea disputes have become major issues for China and the countries involved and they are potentially extremely dangerous. It is important to analyze how these disputes could cause great harm to China and other countries. It is also necessary to know what actions are being taken in the disputed areas to increasingly make things much worse. The East and South China Sea disputes are such a significant concern that they are at the top of the world’s list of potential causes of the next world war.