The South China Sea and its Islands

The South China Sea is a western Pacific Ocean marginal sea. It is bordered on the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), on the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, on the east by Taiwanese islands and the northwestern Philippines (mainly Luzon, Mindoro, and Palawan), and on the south by Borneo, eastern Sumatra, and the Bangka Belitung Islands, with a total area of around 3,500,000 km2.

The South China Sea is the most common English term for the sea, and most European languages use the same name. Early European interest in the sea as a route from Europe and South Asia to China’s trading opportunities gave rise to this name. The China Sea (Mare da China) was named by Portuguese sailors in the sixteenth century, and it was later renamed the South China Sea to distinguish it from nearby bodies of water. The sea is known as the “South China Sea” by the International Hydrographic Organization.

Several countries claim sovereignty over the South China Sea Islands, which consist of several archipelago clusters of mostly small uninhabited islands, islets (cays and shoals), reefs/atolls, and seamounts numbering in the hundreds. The variety of names given to the islands and the sea reflects these claims.

Geography of the South China Sea

At its narrowest, it is 19 miles (31 km) wide and about 100 feet (30 meters) deep. The South China Sea is the largest marginal sea in the western Pacific. Some 1 million to 60 million years ago, it rifted and then collapsed as a result of seafloor spreading.

The South China Sea southern boundary was shifted northward, from north of the Bangka Belitung Islands to north and northeast of Natuna Islands, according to International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) Limits of Oceans and Seas, 3rd edition (1953).

The People’s Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan), the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, and Vietnam are among the states and territories with sea borders (clockwise from north).

Geographically, the South China Sea plays an important role in Indo-Pacific geopolitics. Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam all border the South China Sea. The South China Sea also has rich, though unregulated and over-exploited fishing grounds, as well as undiscovered oil and gas reserves, which adds to the aggravation of maritime and territorial disputes. The Spratly Islands, Paracel Islands, Pratas, Natuna Islands, and Scarborough Shoal are the major island and reef formations in the South China Sea.

The Pearl, Min, Jiulong, Red, Mekong, Menam, Rajang, Baram, Kapuas, Batang Hari, Musi, Kampar, Indragiri, Pahang, Agno, Pampanga, and Pasig Rivers all flow into the South China Sea.

South China Sea countries

• The vast majority of international legal experts have concluded that China’s legal and historical claims are unfounded.
• Mainland China and Taiwan, on the other hand, have stated that they do not recognize the tribunal and that the matter should be resolved through bilateral negotiations with other claimants.
• France, Germany, and the United Kingdom issued a joint note verbale on September 17, 2020, recognizing the PCA ruling and challenging Chinese claims.
• There is “no legal basis” to draw the nine-dash line around the Four archipelagos, Paracel and Spratly Islands, or low-tide maritime zones, and Australia rejects any claims to internal waters, territorial sea, exclusive economic zone, and continental shelf based on such baselines.
• In ASEAN meetings, Cambodia has backed China in the dispute, preventing a consensus action. Anti-Vietnamese feelings against ethnic Cambodians have resulted from Vietnam’s conquest of previously Cambodian lands, giving the Vietnamese a privileged status and encouraging Vietnamese settlers in Cambodia during French colonial rule, and the occupation of Cambodia after the ousting of the Khmer Rouge.
• Japan has made use of “To assert its presence in the region by promoting the “rule of law at sea,” the US provided strategic foreign aid to certain claimants in the dispute, such as the Philippines and Vietnam.
• According to India, the South China Sea was “part of the global commons, and India has a long-term interest in regional peace and stability… We strongly support the freedom of navigation and overflight, as well as unrestricted lawful commerce in these areas.
• Singapore has reiterated that it is not a claimant state in the South China Sea dispute and has offered to serve as a neutral facilitator for dialogue between the claimant states.
• Thailand, as one of ASEAN’s members, coordinated efforts to help China and other ASEAN members involved in the dispute reach a peaceful resolution. Despite domestic political unrest, Thailand’s government relied on the expertise of its Ministry of Foreign Affairs in international disputes.

South China Sea Islands

The South China Sea Islands are made up of more than 250 islands, atolls,

cays, shoals, reefs, and seamounts. The islands are mostly low and small, with few people living on them. The countries bordering the South China Sea have overlapping territorial claims to the islands and surrounding seas.

The South China Sea Islands are divided into two ecoregions: a tropical moist broadleaf forest terrestrial ecoregion and a marine ecoregion called the South China Sea Oceanic Islands.

Conclusion

The South China Sea is an important economic and strategic sub-region of the Indo-Pacific because it serves as a vital commercial gateway for a large portion of the world’s merchant shipping. It’s also home to a number of complicated territorial disputes that have sparked conflict and tension in the region and across the Indo-Pacific. The United States may put increasing pressure on Australia to make its presence felt in the South China Sea beyond diplomatic support for freedom of navigation.