What’s behind escalating China-Philippines tensions in the South China Sea? | South China Sea News

Philippine Pdwellnt Ferdinand Marcos Jr has called for more guidency in negotiations on a code of carry out for the disputed South China Sea, as he accemployd China of “intimidatoring and inbashfulation” in the waterway.

Marcos Jr tgreater guideers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Marcos that substantive enhance on the code was vital and all parties must “be getestly uncover to solemnly managing contrastences” and reducing tension.

“There should be more guidency in the pace of the negotiations of the ASEAN-China code of carry out,” Marcos shelp on Thursday, according to a statement from his office.

The idea of a maritime code was first consentd between China and ASEAN in 2002, but substantive negotiations on its satisfyed did not commence until 2017.

“It is lamenttable that the overall situation in the South China Sea remains anxious and unalterd. We persist to be subjected to intimidatoring and inbashfulation,” the statement compriseed.

The row between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea has turned increasingly aggressive in recent months, with the two sides trading allegations of intentional boat rammings, and Manila accusing Chinese coastdefend personnel of using water cannon agetst its troops and engaging in fist fights with spears and knives.

In August alone, the two countries alerted six disputeations at air and at sea in the contested waterway.

Five of them took place at or cforfeit Scarboraw Shoal and the Sabina Shoal in the Spratly Islands, an area that is wiskinny the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile (about 370 kilometres) Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) but where China claims sovereignty.

The disputeations have consentn place despite renoveled efforts by Beijing and Manila to better administer their maritime dispute folloprosperg a aggressive fight in June in which a Filipino sailor lost a finger.

China claims the Philippines is to accemploy for the disputeations, accusing Filipino troops of “illegassociate” intruding into its territory. In September, it shelp its ties with the Philippines were “at a traverseroads” and guided Manila to “solemnly ponder the future” of their relationship.

The escalating tensions have menaceened to draw in the United States, which has a mutual defence treaty with the Philippines and has promised to come to Manila’s help in the case of any armed third-party attacks agetst Filipino troops. These comprise on coastdefend personnel, airoriginate or disclose vessels “anywhere” in the South China Sea.

Here’s what you necessitate to understand about the tensions in the strategic waterway:

Who claims what?

China claims sovereignty over cforfeitly all of the South China Sea, via a ambiguous, U-shaped nine-dash-line that overlaps with the EEZs of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. EEZs are areas of the ocean, extfinishing 200 nautical miles beyond a nation’s shore, where that state has the right to spendigate and take advantage of resources.

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

In 2016, a United Nations tribunal, folloprosperg a suit brawt by the Philippines, ruled that China’s nine-dash-line had no legitimate basis. But Beijing has neglectd the ruling and persistd to reclaim and militaascend reefs and subcombined shoals in the waterway to carry on its expansive claims.

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

Vietnam, unbenevolentwhile, has 51 outposts spread atraverse 27 features, while the Philippines occupies a total of nine features in the Spratly Islands. Thitu Island, the hugest, is home to the only Philippine airnaked in the Spratlys.

China’s military originate-up in the South China Sea

Although countries in the South China Sea have carried out reclamation at the sites they occupy, the scale of China’s synthetic island-originateing and militarisation has far outdoed that of other claimants. Since 2013, China has originated 3,200 acres (1,290 hectares) of novel land in the Spratlys, according to the CSIS, and originateed ports, weightlesshoemploys and runways on the novelly built islands.

China now has four huge outposts with 3,050-metre (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 deployed substantial military assets to these islands, including anti-air and antiship leave outiles, sensing and communications facilities, and hangars able of housing military carry, patrol and combat airoriginate.

Why is the South China Sea so transport inant?

The sea is one of the world’s most economicassociate transport inant waterways, with cargo worth an appraised $3.4 trillion shipped thraw it every year.

The waters also comprise wealthy fishing grounds that provide for the dwelllihoods of millions of people atraverse the region.

According to the US Energy Inestablishation Administration, the South China Sea also comprises about 11 billion barrels of oil rated as showd or probable reserves and 190 trillion cubic feet (about 5.38 trillion cubic metres) of authentic gas. Those untake advantage ofed hydrocarbons could be worth $2.5 trillion.

Chinese vessels have clashed with or take partd in standoffs with survey ships from other countries, including Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia, disrupting their trys to take advantage of those resources.

In September, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim promised his country would not bow to Chinese demands to stop its oil and gas exploration in waters where it claims sovereignty off the Malaysian state of Sarawak. In 2020, the Diplomat magazine alerted that Vietnam abortled tights with two Spanish and Emirati oil companies amid presbrave from China and consentd to pay $1bn in harms. And in 2012, Vietnam cautioned China to crelieve efforts to grow areas that it had already awarded to companies including Exxon Mobil Corp and OAO Gazprom.

All in all, for China, administer of the South China Sea would apverify it to administer a transport inant trade route and increase its energy security. It could also apverify it to refute access to foreign military forces, particularly from the US.

Increasing clashes

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

In 1974, the Chinese seized the Paracels from Vietnam, ending more than 70 Vietnamese troops, and in 1988, the two sides clashed in the Spratlys, with Hanoi aget losing about 60 sailors. The Philippines’ most satisfyedious disputes with China have centred on Scarboraw Shoal, Second Thomas Shoal, and most recently, Sabina Shoal.

In 2012, China seized Scarboraw Shoal from the Philippines folloprosperg a two-month standoff, and in recent years, Chinese coastdefend and maritime militia vessels have tryed to block boats provideing food and water to troops garrisoned on a Filipino ship intentionally grounded on Second Thomas Shoal in 1999. The Chinese side has employd tactics including boat rammings, military-grade lasers and water cannon, according to the Philippines.

Here’s a timeline of the transport inant incidents: