Recent Trends in the South China Sea Disputes

The South China Sea has been a focal point of regional activity in Southeast Asia for the past few years. It has made headlines for multiple reasons, from the construction of artificial islands to provocative military exercises and encroachment. In the summer of 2016 the International Court of Justice at the Hague ruled against Chinese claims in the South China Sea, stating they had no legal founding, in the proceedings the Philippines had first filed against China in 2013.

What, then, is the South China Sea? In short, it is 1.4 million square miles of ocean and islands (with a cumulative land area of about six square miles) caught between the coasts of Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, Taiwan, and the southernmost Chinese province of Hainan. The two largest island chains, known as the Spratlys and the Paracels, are largely uninhabited and carry no real importance in either size or resources. The real treasure is found below, where the waters of the South China Sea can run as deep as 4000 meters, giving enough room for nuclear submarines to maneuver freely and, more importantly, stealthily, while preliminary tests indicate that the area may be rich in unproved oils and hydrocarbons…