The South China Sea comprises a stretch of roughly 1.4 million square miles in the Pacific Ocean that encompasses an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan, spanning west of the Philippines, north of Indonesia, and east of Vietnam. This is a huge sum, and if true, would be the equivalent of about 80 percent of the oil reserves of Saudi Arabia. But it's not just a case of marking territory. It is south of China, east & south of Vietnam, west of the Philippines and north of the island of Borneo. It is unknown why they are so different, but it could be so that China . by Richard Haass Beijing's estimates for hydrocarbon resources under the sea are considerably higher but still modest in relation to China's overall demandthe country's oil . Introduction: This study is first to apply d iagnostic analysis of the forecast tendencies to evaluate the simulation of equilibrium features in the South China Sea and its surrounding areas using The Tropical Regional Atmosphere (TRAMS) model, and further identify the sources of simulation biases of the model.Methods: On the basis of the quasi equilibrium between dynamic and physical . Backgrounder Half of this amount continued on to Japan, with the rest of it going to South Korea, China, Taiwan, and other regional countries. How Much Aid Has the U.S. Incorporated into China's claim is the assertion that many of those subsequent events, including the French colonization of the habitable South China Sea in the Spratly and Paracel Islands, were illegitimate and do not negate China's historical claims (Catley, 1997). The row affected Vietnams stock markets, which plunged after the incident. The Luzon Strait, the main deep channel connecting the South China Sea with the Pacific Ocean, lies between Taiwan and the Philippines and has a depth of about 8,500 feet (2,600 metres). And the South China Sea has become the hub of that. However, many believe there to be a significant hydrocarbon prize in the region. Renewing America, Backgrounder The South China Sea is home to two sets of disputes. Last week, China and the US held naval exercises in the area at the same time - a rare phenomenon indicating rising tensions. Countries have ownership over the 12 nautical miles off the coast of 'real' islands, which is known as their Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The Philippine president says the Chinese coast guards use of military-grade laser against a Philippine patrol vessel in the disputed South China Sea was not enough for him to invoke a mutual defense treaty with the United States, The United States has renewed a warning that it will defend its treaty ally if Filipino forces come under attack in the disputed South China Sea, The Philippines has accused a Chinese coast guard ship of hitting a Philippine coast guard vessel with a military-grade laser and temporarily blinding some of its crew in the disputed South China Sea, The United States Navy and Marine Corps are holding drills in the South China Sea at a time of heightened tensions with Beijing over the shooting down of a suspected Chinese spy balloon, The United States and the Philippines have announced an agreement to expand American military presence in the Southeast Asian country, where U.S. forces and weaponry will be granted access to four more Philippine military camps under a 2014 defense pact. This year, satellite images have shown that China is building an airstrip in the Spratly Islands, as well as ports and a pair of lighthouses, which is contested by the neighbour countries. In 2013 the US Energy Information Administration estimated that the South China Sea contained resources equating to 11 billion barrels of oil and 190 trillion cubic feet of gas. The US Navy has talked of plans to conduct freedom of navigation operations into the 12-mile zone around the Spratly islands. with Ivan Kanapathy, Bonny Lin and Stephen S. Roach, In June 2011, Vietnam accused a Chinese fishing boat of, from an oil exploration vessel inside its EEZ. What's behind the South China Sea dispute? "No approaching any more or you will pay full responsibility," a voice from a Chinese air force ground station told a U.S. Navy P-8 flying outside of . We share the Philippines' concerns regarding the PRC's provocative actions interfering with Philippine sovereign rights within the Philippine exclusive economic zone near . China's claim encroaches on the high seas, and on the EEZs and ECSs of the . Along the northwest side of the basin toward the mainland is a broad, shallow shelf as wide as 150 miles (240 km). In a radio communication, the pilots were warned to leave the area "immediately" in order to "avoid any misunderstanding". Regional fisheries in the South China Sea are estimated to generate $100 billion annually, supporting the livelihoods of around 3.7 million people, which the report says will be at risk. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. What is known is most often contained in reports and workshop and conference documents that are not available to the wider scientific community. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. In this International Institutions and Global Governance program Working Paper, Joshua Kurlantzick analyzes the major obstacles facing ASEAN today and prescribes recommendations for the both the United States and ASEAN that will enable ASEAN to firmly establish itself as the essential regional organization in Asia. The varied estimates demonstrate that no consensus has been formed on the numbers. It is largely confined within the Tropic of Cancer and, therefore, experiences a monsoonal climate being influenced by the Southwest Monsoon in summer and the Northeast Monsoon in winter. In 2012, then Chinese president Hu Jintao voiced his desire to make China a powerful maritime nation. Image: Facebook. But why now? Chinas militarization and territorial expansion in the South China Sea is illegal and dangerous, Vice President Pence said at the East Asia Summit last year. Territorial disputes, historical animosities, powerful militaries, and nuclear weapons make for high-stakes geopolitics in the region. On the bottom of the shelf is a network of submerged river valleys that converge into the Sunda Depression and then into the China Sea Basin. He condemned Beijing's "campaign of bullying to control . Worse, China has refused to play any constructive role in solving . But it was China's land reclamation projects in the South China Sea that prompted the rest of the world to reassess Beijing's international ambitions. The U.S. pivot to the area, coupled with the regions myriad conflicts, raises concerns about the future of U.S. interests in Southeast Asia. The worst but least likely scenario is war. Yet another Chinese report estimates 225 billion barrels of oil equivalent in the Spratly Islands alone. Before now, the US had not taken sides on territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Bill Hayton is a journalist and author who has extensively researched the situation in the South China Sea. It is a territorial dispute over a busy waterway. According to its 2011 annual report, CNOOC produced an average of 193,000 barrels per day in the South China Sea for that year. by Jonathan Masters and Will Merrow It has also been more assertive in putting forward its claims in the South China Sea. Is Chinas Huawei a Threat to U.S. National Security? China, too, considers control of these waters to be of high strategic importance. disputes over fishing rights have emerged as a larger driver of conflict. And the stakes in the region are incredibly high. In the most recent clash, the Philippines naval forces intercepted eight Chinese fishing vessels in the Scarborough Shoal in April 2012, finding what they viewed as illegally fished marine life on board. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam contest China's claim to almost all of the South China Sea. The U.S. Geological Survey in 2012 estimated that there could be another 160 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 12 billion barrels of oil undiscovered in the South China Sea. ..Find out more, Innovating Out of the Climate Crisis: Carbon Emissions, As the private sector, federal regulators, and climate activists alike search for more tools to keep carbon out of the atmosphere, active carbon management approaches like carbon capture, utilization, and storage once seen as too costly, too risky, or both are gaining renewed attention. Six graphics illustrate the extraordinary level of support the United States has provided Ukraine this past year in its war against Russian invaders. China's military said it "drove away" a U.S. warship that illegally entered Chinese waters near the Paracel Islands Monday, the anniversary of an . REUTERS/Erik De Castro Reuters. Increasing popularity and high levels of market volatility have raised the stakes of the digital asset experiment. The United States has also ramped up security cooperation with Vietnam, while Malaysia and Singapore have also signaled desire for increased security cooperation. The US Energy Information Agency estimates there are some 11 billion barrels of oil and 190 trillion . On December 5, a Chinese warship nearly collided with the USS Cowpens, a guided-missile cruiser operating lawfully in the South China Sea (SCS). Innovating Out of the Climate Crisis: Agricultural Technology, By: China's . There are roughly half a billion people who live within 100 miles of the South China Sea coastline, and the volume of shipping through its waters has skyrocketed as China and ASEAN nations increase international trade and oil imports. The 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea is an international treaty that sets out importantmaritime rules. South China Sea - An Overview. January 31, 2022, How Tobacco Laws Could Help Close the Racial Gap on Cancer, Interactive by Lindsay Maizland The South China Sea is thought to have vast energy reserves and surrounding countries all want a piece for themselves. According to the World Bank, the South China Sea holds proven oil reserves of at least seven billion barrels and an estimated 900 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, which offer tremendous economic opportunity for smaller nations like Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, and energy security for Chinas large, growing economy. Get the AMTI Brief, our monthly feature on political, military, and environmental developments in the South and East China Seas and the claimants bordering them. In 2006, Chevron signed a deal with Malaysian oil company Petronas to carry out exploration of disputed waters in the South China Sea, in an area that both Vietnam and China thought they had sovereignty over. The South China Sea is a strategic marine area in terms of natural resource potential and international trade routes. While a range of academics, policy-experts, NGOs, and government agencies from around the world have offered an enormous amount of commentary on this issue, most have focused on the territorial and political disputes in the region without fully discussing what the conflict truly centers on: a concentration of energy resources. Natural resources are also abundant here. In less than two years, China has turned seven reefs . Goods worth $5.3 trillion pass through the South China Sea, which is also rich in marine life, contributing to 10 percent of the world's fish trade. In Hayton's book he describes how seismic surveys are looking for three things: 'source rock for hydrocarbons, a reservoir where they can accumulate, and a seal to make sure they don't disappear'. More recently, on December 4, 2012, Vietnam accused a Chinese fishing boat of cutting a seismic cable attached to a Vietnamese vessel exploring for oil and gas near the Gulf of Tonkin, an act seemingly designed to prevent Hanoi from pursuing energy deposits. The first phase comprised of expanding into the region by the creation of "artificial islands.". ..Find out more, Posted by American Security ProjectFeb 28, 2023 | Read More, Posted by Jessica Olcott YllemoFeb 24, 2023 | Read More, Posted by Jessica Olcott YllemoFeb 15, 2023 | Read More, Posted by Quinne DaoustFeb 06, 2023 | Read More, Posted by Jessica Olcott YllemoFeb 02, 2023 | Read More, Posted by American Security ProjectJan 31, 2023 | Read More, Posted by American Security ProjectJan 09, 2023 | Read More, Posted by Tucker HamiltonDec 20, 2022 | Read More, Posted by American Security ProjectDec 15, 2022 | Read More, Posted by Jessica Olcott YllemoDec 01, 2022 | Read More, Posted by American Security ProjectNov 23, 2022 | Read More, Posted by Jessica Olcott YllemoNov 14, 2022 | Read More, Posted by Keegan FarringtonFeb 23, 2023 | Read More, Posted by Angus SoderbergFeb 22, 2023 | Read More, Posted by Tucker HamiltonFeb 17, 2023 | Read More, Posted by Angus SoderbergFeb 09, 2023 | Read More, Posted by Keegan FarringtonFeb 09, 2023 | Read More, Posted by Keegan FarringtonFeb 02, 2023 | Read More, Posted by American Security ProjectNov 15, 2022 | Read More, Posted by Tucker HamiltonOct 12, 2022 | Read More, Posted by American Security ProjectOct 05, 2022 | Read More, Posted by American Security ProjectAug 23, 2022 | Read More, Posted by Vanessa Smith-BoyleJul 18, 2022 | Read More, Posted by Jessica Olcott YllemoJan 12, 2023 | Read More, Posted by American Security ProjectDec 13, 2022 | Read More, American Competitiveness & Economic Diplomacy, authorizing a revised map in its new passports, Vietnam accused a Chinese fishing boat of cutting a seismic cable attached to a Vietnamese vessel, ftp://ftp.fisheries.ubc.ca/l.teh/destructive%20fishing/South%20china%20sea.pdf. It is bounded on the northeast by the Taiwan Strait (by which it is connected to the East China Sea); on the east by Taiwan and the Philippines; on the southeast and south by Borneo, the southern limit of the Gulf of Thailand, and the east coast of the Malay Peninsula; and on the west and north by the Asian mainland. Parts of the Spratly Islands, a collection of reefs, rocks and other features, are claimed by China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Indonesia and Japan, but there are disputes about who owns what. Surrounding countries however have emerging energy markets, which could derive greater benefit from exploiting the Spratlys for oil and gas. About 6 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of liquefied natural gas, or more than half of global LNG trade, passed through the South China Sea in 2011. As the United States pivots to Asia, disputes over territories in the South China Sea have escalated tensions and threatened regional stability. A new contest has begun in the South China Sea, where fishing vessels and warships increasingly rely on electronics, satellites and wartime strategies to stake . The sea covers approximately 3,700,000 km (1,350,000 . In terms of natural resources, the South China Sea has 11 billion barrels of oil, around 190 trillion feet of natural gas, 40 percent of global liquified natural gas (LNG), and 12 percent of the . The South China Sea islands number in the hundreds, although the largest and most contentious territories include the Spratly Islands, Paracel Islands, Pratas Islands, Macclesfield Bank, and Scarborough Shoal, to which all of the six major Southeast Asian nations lay various claims. February 22, 2023 It embraces an area of about 1,423,000 square miles (3,685,000 square km), with a mean depth of 3,976 feet (1,212 metres). The major rivers draining into the South China Sea are the tributaries of the Pearl (Zhu) River Delta south of Guangzhou (Canton), China, including the Xi River; the Red River at Haiphong, Viet. To its rivals, China is interpreting 'disputed waters' as being 'up for grabs', proceeding to build islands on top of reefs and rocks over which they have no legal ownership, and then claiming rights to the surrounding sea. Beijing warned that it would firmly oppose any breach of sovereignty by the US Navy and that it would be a "grave mistake for the United States to use military means to challenge China". Jul 11, 2019. In December 2012, Chinas National Energy Administration named the disputed waters as the main offshore site for natural gas production, and a major Chinese energy company has already begun drilling in deep water off the southern coast. In spite of the focus on hydrocarbon reserves, some scholars suggest that disputes over fishing rights have emerged as a larger driver of conflict. -. The countries have wrangled over territory for decades but tension has steadily increased in recent years. The Indo-West Pacific biogeographic province, at the centre of which the South China Sea lies, is probably the world's most diverse shallow-water marine area. The South China Sea is poorly understood in terms of its marine biota, ecology and the human impacts upon it. The resource is highly fragile and can quickly melt into water and methane gas. China, which has been building military bases on artificial islands in the area for years, said the US "deliberately distorts facts and international law". 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