Navigating the volatile South China Sea.pdf

Navigating the volatile South China Sea Jian Yang explains the dispute over the a hundred to over 400. Only twenty of the islets are capable Spratly Islands and calls for more meaningful of sustaining human life. In some cases claimants have built structures on features that are completely submerged at high negotiations between the interested parties. tide. he areas of the islands group vary from 200,000 to 800,000 square kilometres. he South China Sea dispute centred on the Spratly Islands China historically claimed sovereignty over the South China has long been regarded as a lashpoint in the Asia–Paciic Sea. No other current claimant seriously challenged the Chinese region. he Spratly dispute is the core security issue between (ROC and PRC) claim over the Spratly Islands between 1946 China and South-east Asia and has been ‘the most volatile, and 1971.2 In 1971, the Philippines occupied three islands. he dangerous, and intractable issue in ocean afairs today’.1 Philippines’ challenge was emulated by Malaysia beginning in However, it had been rather quiet for ifteen years until July 1979 with a formal claim to a smaller part of the Spratly group, 2010, when Washington openly supported South-east Asian followed in 1982 and 1983 by Malaysia’s occupation of several nations against China on the issue. he tension then increased features claimed by all of China, Vietnam and the Philippines. dramatically in the middle of 2011. What is at stake? To what In 1974, China drove out the South Vietnamese from the extent is a military conlict possible? his article attempts to western Paracels. South Vietnam (the Republic of Vietnam) answer these and other questi