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    South China Sea Study Guide

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    The document discusses tensions over territorial disputes in the South China Sea between China and several Southeast Asian countries. Key points of contention include claims over islands and waters rich in natural resources. China asserts broad claims of sovereignty over much of the region based on the vague "nine-dash line," which other countries reject. The disputes risk escalating into open conflict if not properly managed, with countries increasing military presence in recent years. Resolving competing economic and strategic interests in a manner that satisfies all parties will likely require complex negotiations and compromise.

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    South China Sea Study Guide

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    250 views8 pages
    The document discusses tensions over territorial disputes in the South China Sea between China and several Southeast Asian countries. Key points of contention include claims over islands and waters rich in natural resources. China asserts broad claims of sovereignty over much of the region based on the vague "nine-dash line," which other countries reject. The disputes risk escalating into open conflict if not properly managed, with countries increasing military presence in recent years. Resolving competing economic and strategic interests in a manner that satisfies all parties will likely require complex negotiations and compromise.

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    The document discusses tensions over territorial disputes in the South China Sea between China and several Southeast Asian countries. Key points of contention include claims over islands and waters rich in natural resources. China asserts broad claims of sovereignty over much of the region based on the vague "nine-dash line," which other countries reject. The disputes risk escalating into open conflict if not properly managed, with countries increasing military presence in recent years. Resolving competing economic and strategic interests in a manner that satisfies all parties will likely require complex negotiations and compromise.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    250 views8 pages

    South China Sea Study Guide

    Uploaded by

    api-297586186
    The document discusses tensions over territorial disputes in the South China Sea between China and several Southeast Asian countries. Key points of contention include claims over islands and waters rich in natural resources. China asserts broad claims of sovereignty over much of the region based on the vague "nine-dash line," which other countries reject. The disputes risk escalating into open conflict if not properly managed, with countries increasing military presence in recent years. Resolving competing economic and strategic interests in a manner that satisfies all parties will likely require complex negotiations and compromise.

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    SECURITY COUNCIL

    Question of: De-escalating


    Tensions in the South China Sea
    Chair: Martina Vasconcelos
    Vice-Chair: Mateus Brando
    PEMUN 2015

    Background Information
    The South China Sea is a body of water stretching from the
    Malacca Straits to Taiwan, neighboring the coasts of eight sovereign
    states: the People's Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan),
    the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore, and Vietnam. Six
    countries lay overlapping claims to the East and South China Seas, an
    area that is rich in hydrocarbons and natural gas and through which
    trillions of dollars of global trade flow. As it seeks to expand its maritime
    presence, China has been met by growing assertiveness from regional
    claimants like Japan, Vietnam, and the Philippines. The increasingly
    frequent standoffs from the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands, on China's eastern
    flank, to the long stretch of archipelagos in the South China Sea that
    comprise of hundreds of islets. The U.S. pivot to Asia, involving renewed
    diplomatic activity and military redeployment, could signal Washington's
    heightened role in the disputes, which, if not managed wisely, could turn
    part of Asia's maritime regions from thriving trade channels into arenas
    of conflict.

    What is at stake?
    Resources: The immediate source of conflict are resources. There
    are about 500 million people there who live within 100 miles of the
    South China Sea coastline, and the volume of shipping through the
    waters has skyrocketed since China and ASEAN nations have increased
    trade and oil imports. The need for resources, especially fisheries and
    hydrocarbon, also has influenced economic competition. According to
    World Bank, the sea holds proven reserves of at least seven billion
    barrels of oil and about 900 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, which offer
    great opportunities for smaller nations and energy for China's large and
    growing economy.
    Military: Due to China's burgeoning power, the region has
    increased militarization. Vietnam and Malaysia have led regional military
    buildups and increased arms trade with countries like Russia and India,
    while the Philippines doubled its military budget in 2011 and pledged
    five-year joint military exercises with the US. It has also started a
    program costing roughly USD 1 billion that will rely heavily on US sales
    of cutters and potentially fighting jets.

    What are the countries' positions?


    China's maritime disputes span centuries. The tug-of-war over
    sovereignty of the Diaoyu/Senkakus archipelagos in the East China Sea
    can be traces to the Sino-Japanese War of 1894, while Japan's defeat in
    World War II and Cold War geopolitics added complexity to claims over
    the islands. The fight over overlapping exclusive economic zones in the
    South China Sea has an equally complex chronology of events steeped
    in the turmoil of Southeast Asian history. Globalization - including
    extensive free trade pacts between claimants - and recent developments
    like the U.S. "pivot" to Asia have further connected the two disputes. As
    China's economic ascent facilitates growing military capabilities and
    assertiveness in both seas, other regional players are also experiencing
    their own rise in nationalism and military capability. and have exhibited
    greater willingness to stake territorial claims.
    Like the Chinese, the Vietnamese claim can be traces back to
    ancient imperial times, when the Vietnamese emperors sent expeditions
    to the Parcel Islands. Since it was the French that incorporated the
    Spratly Island in their colonial empire, and a neighbor, the Vietnamese
    see themselves as the rightful inheritors of the French colonial claim.
    After the reunification of Vietnam in 1975, the Vietnamese claimed both
    the Paracel and the Spratly islands since both are located in their
    territorial waters. Currently, they occupy a large part of the Spratly
    islands, and have reinforced their military presence in the area to stress
    their claim.
    The Philippines' claim is based on the United Nations Convention
    of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which includes an Exclusive Economic
    Zone (EEZ) which extends for 200 nautical miles and, naturally, the
    territorial waters which extend for 12 nautical miles from the coast's
    baseline. The waters are extremely valuable to the Philippines, who see
    in them a presence of oil and gas reserves, rich fishing grounds, and an
    important trade hub. Recently they have ratified treaties granting the
    United States renewed access to the Philippine territory, for the
    establishment and fortification of military bases.
    Malaysia and Brunei also lay claims to some of the disputed
    territory, relying mostly on their rights to and Exclusive Economic Zone
    (EEZ) that was agreed upon in the United Nations Convention on the Law
    of the Sea. This gives them the 200 miles of their shores which reaches

    into several of the disputed areas.

    Timeline
    June 21, 1945: Diaoyu/Senkaku islands come under US control
    September 8, 1951: Treaty of San Francisco. Japan renounces all claims
    in the region, and becomes a military protectorate of the United States.
    1969: UN reports finds a high probability of oil in East China Sea.
    January 19, 1974: China claims Paracel Islands
    March 11, 1976: Philippines discover oil field
    February, 1979 - March 1979: Sino-Vietnamese War
    March 14, 1988: China sinks Vietnamese ships over Spratly Archipelago
    after decade of calm

    January 1996: Mischief Reef Incident


    Three Chinese naval vessels
    fight a ninety-minute battle with a Philippine navy gunboat near Capones
    Island in the Mischief Reef
    January 1998: China-US military agreement
    November 2002: ASEAN and China code of conduct
    July 2010: China becomes world's biggest energy consumer
    November 17, 2011: Obama cited US strategic rebalancing to AsiaPacific ("This is the future we seek in the Asia-Pacific - security,
    prosperity, and dignity for all ... let there be no doubt: in the Asia-Pacific
    in the twenty-first century, the United States of America is all in." -

    President Barack Obama)


    2012: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe proposes "democratic security
    diamond", comprising of Japan, the US, India, and Australia
    April 8, 2012: Scarborough Shoal Incident (Philippines dispatches
    warships to confront Chinese fishing boats)
    April 25, 2012: Philippines and US conduct joint military drills
    June 2012: Vietnam passes maritime law
    September 10, 2012: Japan buys Diaoyu/Senkaku islands
    September 25, 2012: China launches first aircraft carrier
    January 2013: Japan increases defense budget
    April 28, 2014: US and Philippines sign new defense pact
    May 2014: The introduction by China of a drilling rig into waters near the
    Paracel Islands led to multiple collisions between Vietnamese and
    Chinese ships.
    April 2015: Satellite images showed China building an airstrip on
    reclaimed land in the Spratlys.

    Key Terms
    ASEAN - a political and economic organization of ten countries located
    in Southeast Asia which aims include accelerating economic growth,
    social progress, sociocultural evolution among its members, protection
    of regional peace and stability, and opportunities for member countries
    to discuss differences peacefully. Does not include China. Combined GDP
    is USD 2.6 trillion making it a force to be reckoned with.
    Scarborough Shoal - a shoal located between the Macclesfield Bank
    and Luzon island in the Philippines in the South China Sea. It is a
    disputed territory claimed by the People's Republic of China, Republic of
    China (Taiwan), and the Philippines.
    Spratly Archipelago/Islands - a disputed group of more than 750
    reefs, islets, atolls, cays, and islands in the South China Sea. No native
    islanders inhabit the islands which offer rich fishing ground and may
    contain significant oil and natural gas reserves. Currently occupied by a
    number of military forces, including the People's Republic of China, the
    Republic of China (Taiwan), Vietnam, the Philippines, and Malaysia.
    Additionally, Brunei has claimed (but does not occupy) and exclusive
    economic zone in the southeastern part of the Spratlys.
    Paracel Islands - a group of islands, reefs, banks, and other maritime
    features in the South China Sea. It is controlled (and occupied) by the
    People's Republic of China, and also claimed by Taiwan (Republic of
    China) and Vietnam.
    United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea - International
    agreement that defines the rights and responsibilities of nations with

    respect to their use of the world's oceans, establishing guidelines for


    business, the environment, and the management of marine natural
    resources.
    Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) - a sea zone prescribed by the United
    Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea over which state has special
    rights over the exploration and use of marine resources, including
    energy production from water and wind. It stretches from the baseline
    out to 200 nautical miles from its coast.
    9-Dash line - a controversial demarcation line used by China for its
    claim to territories and waters in the South China Sea, most notably over
    the Scarborough Shoal and the Paracel and Spratly Islandsthe two
    most important disputed island groups. The line, which is contested by
    the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam, encompasses
    virtually the entire South China Sea region and caused immediate
    controversy when China submitted a map to the UN in 2009 that
    included the demarcation.

    Guiding Questions
    What economic variables need to be sorted out to scale
    down the conflict?
    What possible military solutions might insure peace?
    How might China's policy and your resolution clash?
    How do you maneuver a superpower?
    Do you have American approval/support?
    How might the United States react to your resolution?
    How far is your country willing to go?
    How can you determine which territorial claims are valid

    and others not? Should there be new treaties to establish


    such guidelines?

    Further Research
    News reports
    http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/10/02/in-south-china-sea-a-tougher-u-sstance/

    Greater in-depth analysis


    http://www.cfr.org/world/armed-clash-south-china-sea/p27883
    http://www.cfr.org/asia-and-pacific/chinas-maritime-disputes/p31345#!/
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-13748349

    Timeline
    http://www.cnas.org/flashpoints/timeline

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