The South China Sea: Is there a compromise?
The South China Sea remains a focal point of strategic and territorial dispute, principally involving China and neighbouring ASEAN member countries like the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia. This region, crucial for international shipping and its wealth of natural resources, witnesses frequent disputes that have the potential to escalate into greater regional conflict.
China's assertive maritime strategy includes the fortification of several mega land reclamation island projects and deployment of military assets to enforce its self-ratified territorial claims, often clashing within the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of other nations, as defined by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Recent actions by China, such as setting baselines around the Scarborough Shoal and renaming geographical features within contested areas, reveal, at times, a juvenile playground style strategy and an almost surreal intent to solidify claims and enhance its naval operational scope over the entire South China Sea.
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Since the fortification of China's reclaimed Islands (which Xi promised he would not militarize) in the South China Sea, China now sits on the door steps of Vietnam's and the Philippine's Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) demanding its self-proclaimed sovereignty be respected. One must ask, how would China react if the roles were reversed?