As China, the Philippines and Vietnam argue over the South China Sea the waters are being over fished and polluted. And conflict could be around the corner.
Many citizens of China, the Philippines and Vietnam won’t have heard of the tiny scraps of land in the South China Sea that their governments compete with one another to claim. Certainly, almost none will ever set eyes on them.
So are places like Scarborough Shoal, the scene of Beijing and Manila’s latest maritime spat this month, really worth all the aggravation? And whose fault is it that these confrontations, which have the potential to start wars – and at the very least to kill fishermen and sailors – keep on happening?
Tiny, uninhabitable islets like Scarborough Shoal have little value per se, but the resources that surround them have plenty. The islets serve as pins in a map, around which governments can draw dotted lines and claim ownership over everything that lies within.
It’s these resources – the food even more, perhaps, than the oil or gas – that make stability in the South China Sea matter.
“The urgency is that these areas are being overfished and polluted, and that’s threatening the food supply of millions of people,” says Carlyle Thayer, an Emeritus Professor at the Australian Defence Force Academy who closely follows disputes in the South China Sea. “That’s something these countries have to start taking seriously.”
Fishing grounds can, of course, be shared, just as undersea energy reserves can be co-developed. But as Thayer points out, marine environments must be managed, as well as shared. If there’s a perception that fishermen from other countries are abusing resources in disputed waters and endangering livelihoods and food supplies, then that will inevitably trigger an angry response from the other claimants.
So putting an end to the South China Sea disputes is important from a security perspective. But it’s also important from a food security perspective. As things stand, the South China risks a textbook “tragedy of the commons,” the destruction of common resources over which no single authority has control.
In addition, Thayer points out that oil licenses will be granted in the near future, potentially causing further upset. And all this comes as most of the interested parties are investing in their navies and, in China’s case, in paramilitary maritime agencies. “The South China Sea bathtub is being filled up more and more by Chinese control vessels, and by other countries’ patrol vessels and submarines,” he says.
This approaching spike in contestation makes it all the more important that a solution be found now, and the diplomatic activity of the past year suggests that one is attainable. ASEAN has been China’s main interlocutor on South China Sea issues, and Beijing made an important goodwill gesture last November when it put up $475 million to create a China-ASEAN Maritime Co-operation Fund. Several ASEAN-China expert working groups are also now in place.
The key process of 2012 is the drafting of a Code of Conduct (COC) governing behavior in the South China Sea – and envisaged as being more far-reaching than the existing Declaration of Conduct (DOC). Crucially, ASEAN is writing the new code. The association is due to present China with its proposals in July, and Beijing will be under political pressure to accept the ASEAN formula, rather than appear domineering by rejecting the plan. The existing process also excludes the United States, which is to China’s liking. Furthermore, “China has Cambodia in the box seat at the moment [as ASEAN chair],” adds Thayer.
Photo Credit: U.S. Navy
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JohnX
http://www.globaltimes.cn/NEWS/tabid/99/ID/706651/Manila-needs-to-learn-rules-in-South-China-Sea.aspx
http://www.globaltimes.cn/NEWS/tabid/99/ID/706651/Manila-needs-to-learn-rules-in-South-China-Sea.aspx
If the links remain, they offer two sides of the argument that currently exists in the West Philippine/ South China Sea.
Now, obviously I support the underdog so long as they act with integrity. I understand that each determines who that is. For me, its the Philippines.
Interested to find out where each regular commentator stands on here.
(I will give John Chan ‘the doubt’ as someone has been misusing his post name.) Thus, maybe John Chan can identify his personal comments vs his interlopers.
JohnX
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/7319/why-china-will-not-bring-the-spratlys-issue-to-the-united-nations
My bad.
falkiarch
LOL! TRUE YOUR HONOR!!!
10-01435
I haven’t read or seen a sentence or a paragraph or a a book that states that China owns Spratly’s or Scarborough Shoal or whatever.
Zackkie
Well actually there are quite some if you look into it..
Especially before 1933 the French intrusion.
Many of the islands have been the southernmost sovereignty of China around that era.
There were both oppositions from PR China and R. China (Taiwan) when some guy called Thomas Cloma claimed these islands in the early 50s.
Vietnam’s claims are merely jokes, North Vietnam’s claim on the islands were unsettled at the time
a_canadian_observer
@Zackkie: If you are so confident about your china’s case, why don’t you convince your government to bring it to UN court?
Hengsui
In summary, China wants to be the world’s superpower, but it only spends time to steal resources around the world, it produces low quality products, even poisonous ones to its people. More inportantly, now all around the world know the term” made in china” mean.
Pat
I guess America should declare the Pacific Ocean as ours.We have Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa,Baker Island,Kingman Reef,Johnston Atoll,Jarvis Island,Howland Island,Midway Atoll,
TrueBlueSea
Not too long ago when Admiral Dewey’s naval fleet came to Philippine to rescue Philippine from tyranny of Spain, Philippine became the U.S. colony.
During battle of Philippine, hundreds thousands of filippinos were killed by U.S..
It took many years for Philippine to push out it’s colonial master.
Now Philippine is begging it’s former master to come back so Philippine can steal natural resources from China.
U.S. had been used Vietnam as weapon testing ground.
U.S. had field tested M16 rifles, F4 Phantom Jets, F111 fighters, different kinds of bombs, biological weapons, chemical weapons and many other weapons in Vietnam.
Now Vietnam is also begging it’s former weapon testers to come back to Vietnam so Vietnam can steal natural resources from China.
kabberman
China is the one who is bullying philippines and vietnam. And the one who’s STEALING its natural resources moron.
myview
Communist Red China’s “claim” to the West Philippine Sea (sometimes known as the South China Sea) is preposterous, arrogant, and ultimately dangerous. Communist China is acting as a bully in a school yard. Very low and shameful. I shall do what I can to avoid buying products made in Communist Red China.
10-01435
What’s the difference is all of the countries in asia tasted colonialism except Japan. But why is it that a country like China a once colonialized country is bullying other southeast asian nation who also tasted the same way they did. And what do you mean? US dont give fund and help these countries who are being bullied?
Observer
Begging? LOL.
You mean how china begging Russia to give back the land in Amur river area? You mean how china would not dare to declare “historic evidences” to get even with Russia (the same one that slaughtered chinese).
Funny how US never took one inch of land from Vietnam but it was the only and only bully china that tried and tried countless time to swallow little Vietnam but still fail in the end.
TrueBlueSea
Cuba is about 95 miles from the tip of Florida.
Mexico is right next to Gulf of Mexico which bears it’s name.
Canada is right next to Gulf of Alaska.
Cuba and Mexico are not drilling oil and gas in Gulf of Mexico.
Canada is not drilling oil and gas in Gulf of Alaska.
Only U.S. is drilling oil and gas in Gulf of Mexico and Gulf of Alaska.
U.S. had claimed Guam it’s own and Guam is more than 200 miles from U.S. mainland and so is Hawaii.
The international 200 miles zone does not applied to U.S..
Philippine is crying to U.S. about international 200 miles zone rule which U.S. had totally ignored as stated above.
Isn’t that a joke by itself?
Mike Kragar
Mexico has been drilling and producing oil in the Gulf of Mexico for many decades. Cuba is engaged in deepwater drilling in the Gulf in conjunction with Russian partners. Canadian maritime rights do not extend to the oil-bearing areas in the Gulf of Alaska.
China is trying to assert sovereign claims on islands it never occupied and has no legitimate claims to. China is trying to bully its way into stealing areas that are not legitimately Chinese, and the Pacific nations will not allow this. China had better learn to cooperate with it’s neighbors or it will wind up like North Korea – sanctioned, stigmatized, and outside the diplomatic order of nations.
Hack
Men guam and Hawaii is different from spratly they are different because guam and hawaii are occupied by the US and there was no objection on the US occupaying the Land as to spratly China did not or do not have proof that they had occupied the islets around spratly neither the claim was illigitimate. The US are out of the topic on this matter. The point is China should respect other countries and boundaries.
Broncazonk
Cuba is about 95 miles from the tip of Florida. (So far so good.)
Mexico is right next to Gulf of Mexico which bears it’s name. (Correct.)
Canada is right next to Gulf of Alaska. (Nope. The Peninsula of Alaska is next to the Gulf of Alaska.)
Cuba and Mexico are not drilling oil and gas in Gulf of Mexico. (Wrong on both counts. Mexico has been drilling in the Gulf for 40-years plus and Cuba is also drilling.)
Canada is not drilling oil and gas in Gulf of Alaska. (There is no oil in the Gulf of Alaska to drill for. It’s all on the North Slope. And, they don’t own the Gulf of Alaska anyway.)
Only U.S. is drilling oil and gas in Gulf of Mexico and Gulf of Alaska. (See above.)
U.S. had claimed Guam it’s own and Guam is more than 200 miles from U.S. mainland and so is Hawaii. (Australia is a long way away from Great Britain, New Caledonia a looong way from France. Greenland is a long way from Denmark. Do you see the point here??)
Bronc
bart
Mr. President,
China is a socialist country, and a developing country as well. China belongs to the Third World. Consistently following Chairman Mao’s teachings, the Chinese Government and people firmly support all oppressed peoples and oppressed nations in their struggle to win or defend national independence, develop the national economy and oppose colonialism, imperialism and hegemonism. This is our bounden internationalist duty. China is not a superpower, nor will she ever seek to be one. What is a superpower? A superpower is an imperialist country which everywhere subjects other countries to its aggression, interference, control, subversion or plunder and strives for world hegemony. If capitalism is restored in a big socialist country, it will inevitably become a superpower. The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, which has been carried out in China in recent years, and the campaign of criticizing Lin Piao and Confucius now under way throughout China, are both aimed at preventing capitalist restoration and ensuring that socialist China will never change her colour and will always stand by the oppressed peoples and oppressed nations. If one day China should change her colour and turn into a superpower, if she too should play the tyrant in the world, and everywhere subject others to her bullying, aggression and exploitation, the people of the world should identify her as social-imperialism, expose it, oppose it and work together with the Chinese people to overthrow it.
-Speech By Chairman of the Delegation of the People’s Republic of China, Deng Xiaoping, At the Special Session of the U.N. General Assembly (April, 10, 1974)
Imfromjapan
@john chan
you are totally out of your mind.. you dont even know the real situation in scarborough shoal..
pacific observer
Those countries that are effected by China overlapped claimed territories and constantly get harrassed by Chinese navy the best solution for them is to united together and bring their case to plea with united nations court. Hopefully the whole world would support them and taking their side under UNICLOS.
Peter
The basic problem at the core of the South China Sea maritime dispute is the map/claim being made by China that it “owns” maritime territory hundreds of kilometers from its own coastline and very close to the coastlines of Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia. The famous map published by the China government which shows their wildly exaggerated claims in great detail has been a great dis-service to China’s otherwise mostly peaceful rise and good relations with its neighbors in SE Asia.
The solution is for China to retract its fraudulent claims and seek a more reasonable agreement. Unfortunately, there are chauvinist, nationalist, expansionist elements within the China government and the PLA who do not want to be reasonable and would rather take an aggressive posture and try to bully their smaller neighbors, despite this flawed strategy being very detrimental to the long term interest, economic and military, of China to have good relations with the South East Asian countries.
So far, the result has been to see almost all of the SE Asia countries make various moves to develop closer relations with the U.S. and be more open to the presence of the U.S. Navy in their territorial waters and ports. Surely, the more intelligent minds in Beijing can see what a counter-productive path they have set themselves on. But can they over-rule the less intelligent, more bellicose minds inside the PLA?