Presented by:JEZEL F. SUCIAS

The South China Sea

Disputes

The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around 3,500,000 square kilometres (1,400,000 sq mi). The area's importance largely results from one-third of the world's shipping transiting through its waters, and that it is believed to hold huge oil and gas reserves beneath its seabed.

It is located: * South of mainland China, including the island of Taiwan, in the east;* east of Vietnam and Cambodia;* west of the Philippines;• east of the Malay peninsula and Sumatra, up to the Strait of Malaccain the west;* north of the Bangka–Belitung Islands and Borneo* minute South China Sea Islands, collectively an archipelago, number in the hundreds. The sea and its mostly uninhabited islands 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.

It is an extremely significant body of water in a geopolitical sense. It is the second most used sea lane in the world, while in terms of world annual merchant fleet tonnage, over 50% passes through the Strait of Malacca, the Sunda Strait, and the Lombok Strait. Over 1.6 million m³ (10 million barrels) of crude oil a day are shipped through the Strait of Malacca, where there are regular reports of piracy, but much less frequently than before the mid-20th century.

The region has proven oil reserves of around 1.2 km³ (7.7 billion barrels), with an estimate of 4.5 km³ (28 billion barrels) in total. Natural gas reserves are estimated to total around 7,500 km³ (266 trillion cubic feet). A 2013 report by the U.S. Energy Information Administration raised the total estimated oil reserves to 11 billion barrels. In 2014 China began to drill for oil in waters disputed with Vietnam.

According to studies made by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Philippines, this body of water holds one third of the entire world's marine biodiversity, thereby making it a very important area for the ecosystem. However the fish stocks in the area are depleted, and countries are using fishing bans as a means of asserting their sovereignty claims.

Background on South China Sea Islands• Two island groups, Paracels and Spratlys.• Paracels firmly in Chinese hands since

January 1974, when China seized islands from South Vietnamese government.

• Little land, huge area of water, nations cannot easily station troops.

• Need for blue water navy, aircraft that refuel in the air.

• Resources: natural gas, oil, fishing.• Important shipping lanes with 15% of

world’s trade passing through these sea lanes.

• End of Cold War created a power vacuum in the region.

Competing Claims• Six governments—Philippines, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia

and Brunei have claims, very overlapping.• China, Taiwan, and Vietnam claim all the islands—Malaysia,

Brunei, and Philippines claim some of them.

• China’s claim based on history, artifacts, Zeng Ho voyages.• Goes back to 1930s, but bolstered by March 1992 NPC territorial

law affirming China’s claim to the Spratly Islands and authoring the PLAN to use force to protect its sovereignty.

Who claims what? China claims by far the largest portion of territory - an area defined by the "nine-dash line" which stretches hundreds of miles south and east from its most southerly province of Hainan.Beijing says its right to the area goes back centuries to when the Paracel and Spratly island chains were regarded as integral parts of the Chinese nation, and in 1947. It issued a map detailing its claims. It showed the two island groups falling entirely within its territory. Those claims are mirrored by Taiwan. Vietnam hotly disputes China's historical account, saying China had never claimed sovereignty over the islands before the 1940s. Vietnam says it has actively ruled over both the Paracels and the Spratlys since the 17th Century - and has the documents to prove it.

The other major claimant in the area is the Philippines, which invokes its geographical proximity to the Spratly Islands as the main basis of its claim for part of the grouping. Both the Philippines and China lay claim to the Scarborough Shoal (known as Huangyan Island in China) - a little more than 100 miles (160km) from the Philippines and 500 miles from China. Malaysia and Brunei also lay claim to territory in the South China Sea that they say falls within their economic exclusion zones, as defined by UNCLOS - the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Brunei does not claim any of the disputed islands, but Malaysia claims a small number of islands in the Spratlys.

The interests of different nations include acquiring fishing areas around the two archipelagos; the potential exploitation of suspected crude oil and natural gas under the waters of various parts of the South China Sea; and the strategic control of important shipping lanes.

The disputes involve both maritime boundaries and islands. There are several disputes, each of which involved a different

collection of countries:• Maritime boundary along the Vietnamese coast between Vietnam,

China, and Taiwan.• Maritime boundary in the waters north of the Natuna

Islands between Indonesia, China, and Taiwan.• Maritime boundary north of Borneo between Vietnam, China,

Taiwan, Malaysia, Philippines, and Brunei.• Islands in the southern reaches of the South China Sea, including

the Spratly Islands between Vietnam, Malaysia, The Philippines, Brunei, Taiwan, and China.

• Maritime boundary off the coast of Palawan and Luzon between the Philippines, China, and Taiwan

• Islands in the northern reaches of the South China Sea, including the Paracel Islands between Vietnam, China, and Taiwan

• Maritime boundary in the Luzon Strait between the Philippines and Taiwan, including islands

• Land in eastern part of Sabah (formerly North Borneo) between Malaysia and the Philippines

• The nine-dash line area claimed by China which covers most of the South China sea and overlaps Exclusive Economic Zone claims of Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam

Area of dispute Brunei China Indonesia Malaysia Philippines Taiwan Vietnam

The nine-dash line area✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Maritime boundary along Vietnamese coast ✔ ✔ ✔

Maritime boundary north of Natuna Islands ✔ ✔ ✔

Maritime boundary north of Borneo ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Maritime boundary off Palawan and Luzon ✔ ✔ ✔

Maritime boundary & islands in Luzon Strait ✔ ✔

Islands in southern South China Sea ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Islands in northern South China Sea ✔ ✔ ✔

Land in eastern Sabah ✔ ✔

Area of dispute Brunei China Indonesia Malaysia Philippines Taiwan Vietnam

The nine-dash line area ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Maritime boundary along Vietnamese coast

✔ ✔ ✔

Maritime boundary north of Natuna Islands

✔ ✔ ✔

Maritime boundary north of Borneo

✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Maritime boundary off Palawan and Luzon

✔ ✔ ✔

Maritime boundary & islands in Luzon Strait

✔ ✔

Islands in southern South China Sea

✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Islands in northern South China Sea

✔ ✔ ✔

Land in eastern Sabah ✔ ✔

Recent flashpointsThe most serious trouble in recent decades has flared between

Vietnam and China, and there have also been stand-offs between the Philippines and China:In 1974 the Chinese seized the Paracels from Vietnam, killing more than 70 Vietnamese troops.In 1988 the two sides clashed in the Spratlys, with Vietnam again coming off worse, losing about 60 sailors.In early 2012, China and the Philippines engaged in a lengthy maritime stand-off, accusing each other of intrusions in the Scarborough Shoal.

In July 2012 China angered Vietnam and the Philippines when it formally created Sansha city, an administrative body with its headquarters in the Paracels which it says oversees Chinese territory in the South China Sea.Unverified claims that the Chinese navy sabotaged two Vietnamese exploration operations in late 2012 led to large anti-China protests on Vietnam's streets.In January 2013, Manila said it was taking China to a UN tribunal under the auspices of the UN Convention on the Laws of the Sea, to challenge its claims.In 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.In April 2015, satellite images showed China building an airstrip on reclaimed land in the Spratlys.

What does the rest of the world say? Although China has tended to favour bilateral negotiations behind closed doors, other countries want international mediation. But even if the Philippines is successful in its attempts to pursue China at a UN tribunal, China would not be obliged to abide by the ruling. Recent attempts by regional grouping Asean to discuss new ideas for resolving the dispute appear to have left the bloc severely divided. The US has warned China not to "elbow aside" the countries it is in conflict with over the islands.

Satellite imagery shows China building an airstrip in the Spratlys

Vietnamese protesters mark China's seizure of the Paracels in 1974

The Philippines has a rusting vessel beached on the Second Thomas Shoal, which China also claims

THANK YOU!