Across the globe, it has always been about Gold, Water, Land, and Oil. and this is precisely the case in the PRC and the countries bordered by the South China Sea.
The countries it is surrounded by have made the South China Sea the most disputable territory. Brunei, Taiwan, The Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam have claimed over this essential sea in Asia. China is the supremo.
The neighboring sovereign countries of the People’s Republic of China have always given tough competition in claiming the South China Sea by building islands. They have disputes over the authority of the river banks and other coastal areas.
How is China acquiring the South China Sea?
According to UNCLOS, the territorial authority by a country is only 12 nautical miles from its coast. But China is growing its territory by building artificial islands alongside the shores, disregarding international laws.
Report by the United States
The US’s report titled Limits in the Seas, targeting Beijing, states “China has unlawfully claimed sovereignty. Some form of exclusive jurisdiction over most of the South China Sea. For this reason, the US and numerous other states have rejected these claims. So in favor of the rules-based international maritime order within the South China Sea and worldwide.”
China asserted historic rights for claiming the South China Sea (SCS), though the report denied such historical assertions.
What makes the South China Sea so controversial?
The South China Sea is the road of communion for trades; it has a rich aquatic wealth. The reefs and river banks are a source of income for fishermen from different countries.
But the most important fight that the nations are eyeing is the crude oil and the natural gas embedded under the sea.
Not only China but Vietnam and the Philippines captivated the islands as well. Vietnam does not get blamed much as the process it followed was slow and in continuance for a long time.
Not the first time China has been on the UN’s radar. It was challenged before by the UNCLOS when the Republic of the Philippines alleged China of having maritime claims.
Beijing’s claims on the South China Sea
Many countries have accused Beijing of claiming the South China Sea. China’s Maritime Safety Administration has made its maritime laws that foreign vessels such as nuclear vessels.
Their ships carry hazardous substances like liquified gas and chemicals. They need to go under the supervision of the Chinese authorities under “Chinese Territorial Waters.”
China’s maritime laws are problematic as nearly one-third of the shipping trade happens through the lanes of the South China Sea. And the country has already claimed 1.3 million square miles of the sea, making its Sovereign territory.
China is deliberately taking over the world by intelligent sea and land acquisition, defying the international laws.
China’s maritime laws and India
South China Sea is a critical trading route for India with ASEAN countries like Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea, and others. The historic and ongoing military and trade relations with China signal that the government will face problems.
In the future trade wherein China can ask for negotiations from India under its new trade laws.
The US is constantly inspecting the South China Sea. Beijing’s activities of unlawful acquisition as the SCS lanes are the most crucial route on the globe.
China’s acquisition of the South China Sea would mean China’s hegemony on the most vital piece of land by indirectly ruling over the resources and trades the sea provides.
Published By: Khushboo Mehta
Edited By: Subbuthai Padma
