What is causing the China-Philippines tensions in the South China Sea? | South China Sea News

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has called for more urgency in talks on a code of conduct in the disputed South China Sea, as he accuses China of “harassment and intimidation” in the waters.

Marcos Jr told the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang, Marcos that major progress in the code is needed and all parties must be “sincerely open to managing disagreements” and reducing tensions.

“There must be greater urgency in the ASEAN-China code of conduct negotiations,” 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 serious discussions on its content did not begin until 2017.

“It is sad that the overall situation in the South China Sea is still tense and has not changed. We continue to be harassed and threatened,” added the statement.

The dispute between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea has turned violent in recent months, with the two sides trading accusations of deliberate hijackings, and Manila accusing Chinese coast guard personnel of using water cannons against their troops and fist fights. spears and knives.

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

Five of them occurred on or near Scarborough Shoal in the Spratly Islands, an area within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile (about 370 kilometers) Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) but over which China claims sovereignty.

The confrontation comes despite renewed efforts by Beijing and Manila to better control their maritime dispute following a violent battle in June in which a Filipino sailor lost a finger.

China says the Philippines is behind the standoff, accusing the Philippines military of “illegally” entering its territory. In September, it said its relationship with the Philippines was “at a crossroads” and urged Manila to “carefully consider the future” of their relationship.

The heightened tensions threaten to draw in the United States, which has a mutual defense agreement with the Philippines and has pledged to help Manila in the event of any third-party armed attack against the Philippine military. This includes coast guard personnel, aircraft or public vessels “anywhere” in the South China Sea.

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

Who claimed what?

China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, along a vague, U-shaped nine-dash line that runs through the EEZs of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. EEZs are marine areas, extending 200 nautical miles beyond a nation’s coast, where that nation has the right to explore and use 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. To the south, China, Taiwan, and Vietnam claim all of the Spratly’s nearly 200 islands. , while Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines are some of them.

In 2016, the United Nations Court, following a case filed by the Philippines, ruled that China’s nine cables have no legal basis. But Beijing has ignored the ruling and continued to re-claim military reefs and dredging to bolster its 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, on the other hand, has 51 territories spread across 27 islands, while the Philippines occupies nine islands in the Spratly Islands. Thitu Island, the largest, is home to the only Philippine airfield in the Spratlys.

China’s military buildup in the South China Sea

Although countries in the South China Sea have undertaken territorial reclamation, China’s level of island-building and military construction far exceeds that of other claimants. Since 2013, China has created 3,200 hectares (1,290 acres) of new land in the Spratlys, according to CSIS, and is building ports, lighthouses and runways on the newly built islands.

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

According to CSIS, China has sent a large amount of military equipment to the islands, including anti-air and anti-ship missiles, communications and communications facilities, and hangars capable of accommodating military transport, surveillance and fighter jets.

Why is the South China Sea so important?

The ocean is one of the world’s most economically important waterways, carrying an estimated $3.4 trillion worth of cargo every year.

The waters also contain rich fisheries that provide livelihoods for millions of people across the region.

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

Chinese vessels have collided with research vessels from other countries, including Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia, disrupting their efforts to use those resources.

In September, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim promised his country would not bow to China’s demands to stop its oil and gas exploration in waters it claims has jurisdiction over the Malaysian state of Sarawak. In 2020, Diplomat magazine reported that Vietnam canceled contracts with two Spanish and Emirati oil companies amid pressure from China and agreed to pay $1bn in damages. And in 2012, Vietnam warned China to halt efforts to develop areas it had already awarded to companies including Exxon Mobil Corp and OAO Gazprom.

Overall, for China, controlling the South China Sea will allow it to control a major trade route and improve its energy security. It could also allow it to deny access to foreign forces, particularly from the US.

Increasing conflict

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

In 1974, the Chinese took the Paracels from Vietnam, killing more than 70 Vietnamese soldiers, and in 1988, the two sides clashed in the Spratlys, and Hanoi again lost about 60 sailors. Disputes between the Philippines and China have centered on Scarborough Shoal, Second Thomas Shoal, and more recently, Sabina Shoal.

In 2012, China seized the Philippines’ Scarborough Shoal following a two-month standoff, and in recent years, China’s coast guard and navy have tried to intercept boats supplying food and water to soldiers guarding a Philippine ship deliberately anchored on Second Thomas Shoal. in 1999. The Chinese side used tactics including boats, military-grade lasers and water cannons, according to the Philippines.

Here is a timeline of major events: