Final Performance Task

PHILOSOPHY

Aljean Enriquez

Grade & Section: 12- Our Lady of Perpetual Help

Background of the problem

There's major of flash point in asia which has been brewing for decades , its about
claiming and sometimes even forming new land about the redrawing the borders of
nation. All of this is happening at the south china sea. The east of the sea lies the mighty
pacific and to the south is the vital indian ocean. South china sea a water body that could
be the catalyst for future wars.

The south china sea most of them say its inhabited. because of the location of the South
China Sea it has emormous trade and military value and nations vying for control of the
sea ,which/it's says a nation territorial waters extend up to 200 nautical miles from the
coast . They say it is automatically gives them exclusive rights over it and nations want
more EE's under their control so that they can claim more oil and natural gas. Almost
everynation in the South china sea are follows the U.N charter to mark their eez except
for one China. China says it has historical claims to the south china sea claims that date
back to 15th century and china marks this territory with an imprecise imaginary marking
the nine- dash line. China has always disregarded the U.N charter of eez and claims the
entire South China Sea under the nine dash line.

South China Sea

The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is
bounded in the north by South China, in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the
east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Philippines (mainly Luzon, Mindoro and
Palawan), and in the south by the Indonesian islands of Borneo, eastern Sumatra and the
Bangka Belitung Islands, encompassing an area of around 3,500,000 km2 (1,400,000 sq
mi). I. Oil and natural gas reserves have been found in the area. The Western Central
Pacific accounted for 14% of world's commercial fishing in 2010.The South China Sea
Islands, collectively comprising several archipelago clusters of mostly small uninhabited
islands, islets (cays and shoals), reefs/atolls and seamounts numbering in the hundreds,
are subject to competing claims of sovereignty by several countries. These claims are also
reflected in the variety of names used for the islands and the sea.

The spartly islands are claimed by china, the Philippines Malaysia and Vietnam these
island are located almost at the center of the South China Sea. China has added sand to
spartly island and the reclaimed land has been turned into military bases.

Exclusive Economic Zone

The concept of an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) was adopted through the 1982
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Under international law, within its
defined EEZ, a coastal nation has, Sovereign rights for the purpose of exploring,
exploiting, conserving, and managing natural resources of the seabed,subsoil, and waters
above it.

Finally we come to the scarborough show a territory that's located in the eastern part of
the south china sea. Both china and the Philippines lay claim it. the Scarborough shoal is
located inside the eez of the Philippines yet china claim itas it territory under the nine-
dash line. Thats is why this is the created friction between the two nation which is china
and Philippines.The most recent when Chinese ship fired a water Cannon at the
Philippines ship relations, the two nation has been bitter over the Scarborough shoal. this
incidents are pushing china and the Philippines closer to war , not just in land but also
china tries to enforce an air border. Some Chinese ships have even tried to collide with
American ships in the South China Sea , china says that they sees the U.S presence as a
threat , while the U.S says its just adhering to U.N laws of the open seas.

The South China Sea Island, disputed spartly Island Nansha.

The South China Sea Islands ecoregion consists of over 250 islands, atolls, and
shoals scattered throughout the South China Sea, and grouped into three archipelagos:
namely Pratas (or Dungsha, as recognized by China), Paracel Islands or Xisha, and the
highly disputed Spratly Islands, or Nansha. The Spratly Islands, being the southernmost
of the three archipelagos, have a tropical climate. The average annual temperature is
around 27ºC. A seven-month dry season alternates with a five-month rainy season that
brings about 1,800 to 2,200 mm of rainfall. The climate of the Pratas, or Dungsa islands,
further north, is only slightly less tropical, with an average annual temperature of 25ºC,
but receives less rainfall at about 1,350 mm annually.

Nations that are being bullied by china are joining hands with the u.s. the biggest
example is the Philippines it routinely holds military exercises with america. Manila also
gave american troops access to four more bases u.s soldiers are now spread across nine
bases in the Philippines, five of them are in the North closer to Scarborough shoal. China
enjoys an advantage due to its proximity, beijing is calculated with its military bullying,
steps by steps they're claiming islands and pushing out other nations as the u.s gets
involved further the situation in the South China sea is going to get more complex for
better or worse. China is militarizing the islands, it's clearly has no intention of cooling
down tensions in the south china sea

China has fully militarized three island in the South China Sea us admiral says.

China has fully militarized at least three of several islands it built in the disputed
South China Sea, arming them with anti-ship and anti-aircraft missile systems, laser and
jamming equipment and fighter jets in an increasingly aggressive move that threatens all
nations operating nearby, a top US military commander said Sunday. China sought to
shore up its vast territorial claims over virtually the entire South China Sea by building
island bases on coral atolls nearly a decade ago. The US responded by sending its
warships through the region in what it calls freedom of operation missions. The US has
no claims itself but has deployed navy ships and aircraft for decades to patrol and
promote free navigation in international waterway and airspace. China routinely objects
to any action by the US military in the region. The other parties – the Philippines,
Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei – claim all or part of the sea, through which
approximately $5tn in goods are shipped every year.
United Nations convention on the oceans and their resources

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea was adopted in 1982. It
lays down a comprehensive regime of law and order in the world's oceans and seas
establishing rules governing all uses of the oceans and their resources. It embodies in one
instrument traditional rules for the uses of the oceans and at the same time introduces
new legal concepts and regimes and addresses new concerns. The Convention also
provides the framework for further development of specific areas of the law of the sea.

Theory

The English philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) is best known for his
political thought, and deservedly so. His vision of the world is strikingly original and still
relevant to contemporary politics. His main concern is the problem of social and political
order: how human beings can live together in peace and avoid the danger and fear of civil
conflict. He poses stark alternatives: we should give our obedience to an unaccountable
sovereign (a person or group empowered to decide every social and political issue).
Otherwise what awaits us is a state of nature that closely resembles civil war – a situation
of universal insecurity, where all have reason to fear violent death and where rewarding
human cooperation is all but impossible. Several passages support such a reading, leading
some to think that his political conclusions can be avoided if we adopt a more realistic
picture of human nature. According to Hobbes, in a state of nature, there are no laws or
rules to govern human behavior, leading to a constant struggle for power and survival. In
this state, individuals are driven by their self-interest and are prone to conflict, creating a
chaotic and insecure environment. Hobbes posits that to escape the state of nature,
individuals must relinquish some of their freedoms and form a social contract,
surrendering their natural rights to a sovereign authority in exchange for protection and
security. The sovereign, in Hobbes's theory, is responsible for maintaining order and
preventing the chaos of the state of nature.

According to Hobbes, individuals are unlikely to relinquish their freedoms and

Objection

The territorial disputes between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea
have been an ongoing issue for many years. The main objections from the Philippines
regarding these disputes are based on historical claims, legal rights, and the potential
threat to their national security. One of the main objections of the Philippines to China’s
territorial claims in the South China Sea is based on historical evidence. The Philippines
argues that they have historical and legal rights to the territories in the South China Sea,
dating back to the time when the islands were first discovered and inhabited by the
Filipino people. The Philippines argues that China’s aggressive expansion in the South
China Sea poses a direct threat to their national security and sovereignty. The presence of
Chinese military installations and the construction of artificial islands in the disputed
territories have raised concerns among the Philippines government and the international
community. Furthermore, the Philippines also objects to China’s fishing and resource
extraction activities in the disputed territories. The Philippines argues that these activities
have a negative impact on their marine environment and natural resources, which are
vital to their economy and livelihoods of the Filipino people. China’s extensive fishing
and resource extraction activities in the South China Sea have led to overfishing and
environmental degradation, which the Philippines views as a violation of their rights
under international law.

Conclusion

The territorial dispute between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea
has been a contentious issue that has strained diplomatic relations between the two
nations. South China Sea's islands, reefs, banks, and other features—such as the Paracel
Islands, Scarborough Shoal, Spratly Islands, and different Gulf of Tonkin boundaries—
are at issue in these disputes. In the South China Sea, a number of sovereign entities,
including the People's Republic of China , Taiwan Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, and
Vietnam, have competing island and maritime claims. China's behavior in the South
China Sea is its unilaterally expanding territorial claims. China has laid claim to almost
the entire South China Sea, including areas that are internationally recognized as
belonging to other countries , especially the Philippines . By applying Thomas Hobbes,
theory of social contract, we can analyze the underlying drivers of the conflict and
identify the need for peaceful negotiations and adherence to international law as the best
way forward. Only by recognizing the mutual interests at stake and working towards a
common agreement can both countries achieve true security and prosperity in the South
China Sea. It is essential for the Philippines and China to engage in productive dialogue
and seek peaceful resolutions to these disputes in order to maintain stability and security
in the South China Sea.
References

Wikipedia contributors. (2023, December 2). South China Sea. Wikipedia.

Reporter, S., & Reporter, S. (2020, August 20). Why are tensions running high in the
South China Sea dispute? South China Morning Post.
https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/article/2186449/explained-south-china-sea-
dispute

What is the “EEZ”?: Exploration Facts: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and
Research. (n.d.). https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/facts/useez.html

One Earth. (n.d.). South China Sea Islands | One Earth.

Reporter, G. S. (2022, March 21). China has fully militarized three islands in South
China Sea, US admiral says. The Guardian.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/21/china- has-fully-militarized-
three-islands-in-south-china-sea-us-admiral-says

Hobbes, Thomas: Moral and Political Philosophy | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (