In recent years, U.S. military planners have shifted their focus from counterterrorism, low intensity conflict to great power, high intensity threats. Aung San Suu Kyi has no interest in antagonizing Chinawhich shares a border with Burma and is a major source of foreign investmentbut nor can she afford to alienate the United States or India. 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To facilitate capacity building, Washington should preserve regional defense relationships while recognizing that the ability of the United States to partner with frontline states depends on their cooperation and adherence to good governance and human rights. Should they be neutral, China may lord over the southern reaches of the South China Sea from military bases on its newly created and expanded islands in the Spratlys. Learn more in our Cookie Policy. These same sea-lanes are a vital military artery as the U.S. The new administration should provide authoritative explanations of these operations and not alter their schedule in response to Chinese pressure. Figure 3 highlights the influenced areas. But if China continues to play its cards wrong and if the United States proves itself a dependable partner, American warships could one day regularly operate out of Cam Ranh Bay, the strategically located port-of-call, for the first time since the Vietnam War. Almost all the East Asian countries are dependent on this sea. The strategic importance of the South China Sea is mainly due to its geographical location as the area is one of world's busiest and most strategic shipping lanes. There are certainly other situations involving other challenges, but this is the most plausible and dangerous. European access to Asia will be through Beijing. Several countries in the area, including China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia, make overlapping sovereignty claims over the islands and maritime rights in the SCS. China remains uncompromising on sovereignty, has increased its capability to enforce its de facto control in disputed areas, and has sought to advance its claims while staying below the threshold for direct military conflict with the United States. The Obama administration has made modest gains in this regard, but it will be up for to the next president to seize that opportunity and ensure that Southeast Asias future is prosperous, peaceful and free. It will always have an eye on the need to protect itself against attack from the sea, but there's much more to China's vulnerability than potential invasion or bombardment. the South China Sea that would be " - S " ["permitting a leaf to obscure one's view of the mountain"]. These factors combined give a strategic importance to the South China Sea that has led to numerous states Brunei, the People's Republic of China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam each pressing their own claims to . The strategic importance of the SCS is mainly due to its geographical location, as the area is one of the world's busiest and most strategic shipping lanes. It is one in which China dominates the South China Sea from the north; the United States and its partners dominate the eastern and western edges of the sea; and the bulk of continental Southeast Asian states (Thailand, Cambodia and Laos) are either neutral or aligned more closely with China. U.S. policy in the South China Sea has been overly reliant on military options, which may not always be the most effective response. Therefore, the SCS has geopolitical and geostrategic importance for the energy and economic security of China and East Asian countries; but also for the USA as $1.2 trillion of its trade moves through the waters. 1. U.S. allies and partners in the region are drawing lessons from Chinese coercive behavior and the limited U.S. response to it, and some are beginning to doubt U.S. resolve and adjust their foreign policies in response. The South China Sea is not only economically important for Malaysia as a maritime nation, but it is also as important from the perspective of national security. Coral reefs, which are vital to marine habitats, have been declining by 16 percent per decade, according to a report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Meanwhile, Japan is providing ten new multi-role vessels to the Philippine Coast Guard; Manila is also interested in procuring used P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft from Tokyo. Giving ground on vital interests in Asia will not encourage greater cooperation on global issues. China is already providing indications of how it might act when it controls the South China Sea. Figure 4 shows the overlapping sovereignty claims in the SCS, with Chinas claims according to the 9 dash line doctrine in red. The Tribunal rejects Chinas maritime claims that go beyond the entitlements set out in the Law of the Sea Convention. Hanoi will move cautiously and such access may be limited to the purposes of logistical support for the time being. In 2012, then Chinese president Hu Jintao voiced his desire to make China a powerful maritime nation. Allied efforts to support U.S. force posture in the region will remain vital, but the United States should also expect allies to make greater contributions in responding to Chinese coercion. This segment will address American interests. US and China is engaging in this sea to control all significance. and Amy Searight. Certainly, the ongoing reform process and the opening of relations with the United States amount to a strategic setback for Chinas position in the region. South China Sea or even some part of its strategically significant zones will provide the sovereign nation state significant seat in global trade agreements. In 1995, the Philippines discovered that China had occupied and militarized an atoll (Mischief Reef) well within the Philippines EEZ and within maritime territory claimed by Manila. "First, South China Sea is important for the strategic patrol of Chinese SSBN [nuclear ballistic missile submarine], which needs to enter west Pacific Ocean for its nuclear deterrence against the US," he explained. Then again, China may see its efforts in the South China Sea blunted. U.S. access to the South China Sea is coming under increasing threat as Chinese power increases, but can be preserved if the United States maintains a sufficient military advantage over China. America has formal defense/security alliances with five Asian countries: Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, and Australia. The United States can do more to leverage its alliances in Asia to raise the costs of Chinese efforts to undermine the regional order. Hence, the importance of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. All these aspects highlight the strategic indispensability of the South China Sea for global trade routes. The U.S. militarys enhanced ability to loiter in and over the South China Sea, moreover, will facilitate more effective efforts to track Chinese submarines sailing from the PLANs underground naval base on Hainan island. These actions suggest that China might undermine freedom of navigation and overflight, principles of fundamental importance to the United States. The China - Solomon Islands security agreement and the competition in the South China Sea. Walter Lohman hasdescribedCobra Gold as an achievement that has proved useful for military missions, such as joint patrols of vital sea lanes, and noncombat missions, such as disaster relief following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the 2008 Cyclone Nargis in Burma.. Finally, the United States should prioritize governance issues in its relations with Southeast Asian states. This alignment will further U.S. goals: to continue to mount a forward defense, to keep the seas and skies free, and to promote prosperity and the spread of democracy. As one of the busiest trade routes in the world and home to a wealth of marine and mineral resources, the South China Sea holds great economic and geostrategic importance. Miguel . China, too, considers control of these waters to be of high strategic importance. Pexels India-China Indo-Pacific South China Sea Signalling is important international relations. Now, the two militaries will increasingly exercise and train across a broad spectrum of military operations, from the low end to the high. South China Sea and possible options. Networking Social Entrepreneurship in Southeast Asia: Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) program, The High Price of Neglecting Taiwan in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, Hyundai Motor-Korea Foundation Center for Korean History and Public Policy, Environmental Change and Security Program, North Korea International Documentation Project, Nuclear Proliferation International History Project, Kissinger Institute on China and the United States, The Middle East and North Africa Workforce Development Initiative, Science and Technology Innovation Program, Wahba Institute for Strategic Competition. The third will assess the policies/strategies currently employed by the United States in this arena as well as other plausible options. The area marked with a blue line is based on the UNCLOS 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) relating to each countrys claims and the islands marked in green are the ones over which sovereignty is disputed. China is working hard to bring under its control the water, islands, rocks and reefs that sit within its imaginary nine-dash line. The 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea is an international treaty that sets out importantmaritime rules. Brunei's statement seems to present a unified front with the Philippines and Vietnam, in preparation for its ASEAN chairmanship in 2021, where ASEAN and China hope to finalise the formulation of the code of conduct to reduce tensions in the South China Sea. While consistency in U.S. messaging and policy execution is important, it should be balanced by carefully calculated unpredictability in operations and tactics to prevent Beijing from becoming overly confident in its ability to anticipate U.S. reactions. With a new Southeast Asian strategic alignment taking shape as described, geography makes Indonesia and Malaysiaespecially due to its Sabah and Sarawak states on Borneothe regions key swing states. April 26, 2016 There is widespread interest in the rising tensions over the waters east of China. The credibility of U.S. security support for allies and partners will be shredded. Accordingly, Malaysia's note verbale serves as the strongest stance of Malaysia on the SCS in recent times and aligns itself with the top priority of its DWP. Utapao has been suggested as a permanent Southeast Asian Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) hub. Stay Connected! 5 min. The South China Sea (SCS) has great strategic and economic significance in the contemporary international politico-security environment. In addition to far flung island territories (formerly occupied by Japan) in the South Pacific, the United States had a substantial military garrison in Japan and close ties with South Korea and the Philippines a former colony. China's strategic reach into the South China Sea has obvious and profound implications for three sets of international actors: (1) the littoral Southeast Asian states (Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, and the Philippines); (2) major maritime countries heavily dependent on the sea lanes through the South China Sea (including Japan, Korea, and All this will occur in a region that is increasingly the vibrant center of the world economy. China has adopted an increasingly assertive posture towards its own claims by elevating it to a core interest, strengthening its fishery law enforcement and building civilian and military facilities in the disputed islands and waters. The South China Sea contains some of the world's most important shipping lanes. Michael Green, Senior Vice President for Asia and Japan Chair; Dr. Zack Cooper, Fellow, Japan Chair; Bonnie Glaser, Senior Adviser for Asia and Director, China Power Project; Andrew Shearer, Senior Adviser on Asia-Pacific Security; and Greg Poling, Director Asia Maritime Transparency Initiativeto provide the analytical context and some fundamental principles that should guide strategic thinking on South China Sea policy. In particular, Chinas growing assertiveness over sovereignty and maritime rights in the South China Sea could be assessed as a serious challenge to the status quo in the region. The United States has formally objected to Chinas South China Sea maritime claims. These women are creating climate solutions, One year later: Democracy stands in Ukraine. As . LinkedIn and 3rd parties use essential and non-essential cookies to provide, secure, analyze and improve our Services, and to show you relevant ads (including professional and job ads) on and off LinkedIn. The sea is rich in resources and holds significant strategic and political importance. Preserving the U.S. military edge is key to maintaining the U.S. position in Asia. Should those ties continue to expand, moreover, the United States may find that it has greater flexibility in dealing with a vexing regional ally: Thailand. To that end, the region is . In practice, Thailand may be neutral in the regions great power fissures into the next decade. Other claimant states welcome U.S. involvement precisely because Washington does not favor one claimants territorial ambitions over those of the others. Russian long-range aviation, despite performing frequent combat missions against Ukraine, is also conducting Pacific patrols, sometimes together with Chinese H-6K strategic bombers (Nikkei Asia, November 30). It is growing more difficult to discuss Southeast Asia without discussing Japan, India and Australia, whose ties to the region and to each other are maturing and whose militarieswhether represented by personnel, aircraft, or warshipsare increasingly present in the region. The lifting of the arms embargo also opens the door to other forms of U.S.-Vietnam security cooperation. Southeast Asia will inevitably be rendered subordinate and compliant to Chinas will. Thailand, of course, has been an important security partner for the United States. Close allies such as Australia and Japan have a great deal to offer in terms of capability and capacity, and should be encouraged to do more. The U.S. military used Utapao for refueling efforts during operations in Iraq and Afghanistan in the 2000s, as well as for multinational relief efforts after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and April 2015 Nepal earthquake., The U.S.-Thai alliance has also served as a platform for important training exercises. The global focus of economic power has traditionally been centred over the west with the UK and the USA as the key contributors; however in recent years, this has shifted east (see Figure 1), with the main reason for this being rapid urbanization in developing countries, in particular China. Total fish stocks have been depleted by 70 to 95 percent since the 1950s. Chinas claims over the legal status and maritime rights of the 9 dash line remain ambiguous and outside of UN recognised EEZ claims. Although ultimately unsuccessful in Vietnam, America emerged in a surprisingly advantageous strategic position in Southeast Asia with alliances intact with Thailand and the Philippines and friendly ties with Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The United States sent a carrier battle group there as well. Most of China's contested land borders were remote areas with few people, natural resources or clear military utility. More than 50% of world trade passes through the Strait of Malacca, the Sunda Strait and Lombok Strait over the islands and waters of the SCS amounting to around $5 trillion. This principled stand allows the United States to defend its interests without embroiling itself in the murky sovereignty claims at the heart of the South China Sea dispute. Preserving the U.S. military edge is key to maintaining the U.S. position in Asia. The diplomatic tempest at the ARF came when U.S. security attention was preoccupied with ongoing military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as the global counterterrorism campaign with Osama bin Laden still at large. That should, of course, remain the goal, but Washington must recognize that Thailand is in the midst of a decade-long political crisis, which is unlikely to be resolved until after King Bhumibols passing and the royal succession is completed. This is the first of three short essays examining the South China Sea as a first order strategic problem for the United States. 1994 The Convention on the Law of the Sea goes into effect. The Korean War produced formal defense treaties with each of these countries plus a new, permanent military presence in South Korea. Sun Tzu Explains China's Shaping Operations in the South China Sea. Since the mid-1990s, China has pursued a strategy . What is the Strategic Importance of the South China Sea? If Chinese coercion goes unchallenged by the United States, it will send a dangerous signal about the strength of the U.S. alliance system and lessen the appeal of the United States as a security partner. Current developments in the South China Sea must be understood against the backdrop of recent history. The 2022 Philippine Election: Trouble for Democracy and Foreign Relations Ahead? For example, targeted sanctions on Chinese companies involved in destabilizing activities could be considered. U.S. Navy/Handout[/caption]. All Rights Reserved, Japans Emerging Role as the Worlds Consensus Builder, Balancing Acts in U.S. Southeast Asia Policy, Pakistans Foreign Policy Priorities: A Conversation with Foreign Minister by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Indias Economic Ambitions in the Pharmaceutical Industry, Paving the Path to Soft Power: Crucial Moments in South Koreas Cultural Policies, Afghanistan: The United States Must Stay Engaged. Moving forward, freedom of navigation and routine presence operations should be executed on a regular basis to demonstrate U.S. resolve to fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows. Leung, The Consequences of Conquest: Why Indo-Pacific Power Hinges on Taiwan, United States vs China: from Partnership to Antagonism - Interview with Alfredo Toro Hardy, How the Ukraine War changes Global Geopolitics, What The Economist omits to address in President Xi's vision of a global security order, Armenia: Trapped in Between Interview with Gayane Novikova, How Chinas COVID Policy Reversal Impacts Globally: an interview with Neeraj Singh Manha, Marcos-Xi Durian Diplomacy Climbs to Higher Gear, Is the EU Really Willing to Enlarge in the Western Balkans? Thats why the United States has urged countries to resolve maritime claim disputes peacefully and in accordance with international law. The Balloon Incident and Evolution of Espionage. Chinas significant increase in spending and capability of its maritime forces is of note. Strategic. Read more, One Woodrow Wilson Plaza1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NWWashington, DC 20004-3027, 2023 The Wilson Center. The area is globally important for a few reasons. That included nearly 40 percent of Chinas total trade and 90 percent of petroleum imports by China, Japan, and South Korea and nearly 6 percent of total U.S. trade. That grouping came under Chinese control an event that went almost entirely unnoticed in the wider world as the drama marking the end of the Vietnam War played out. Instead, perceptions of weakness may encourage leaders in Beijing to embrace more assertive behavior. The Thai people are lurching towards a new political arrangement, a process that Thais have to see through for themselves. China has become increasingly assertive in the region, and regional powers from Japan to Singapore have become alarmed at China's behavior. The United States has an interest in seeing that these partners maintain their strategic autonomy, but capacity building efforts to help them resist coercion are not keeping pace with Chinas growing capabilities. In the contemporary era, Taiwan remains geographically at the intersection of most of East Asia's danger points. In short, adopting a more robust deterrence approach need not prevent cooperation that is in the interests of both countries. In May, Australia and Singapore agreed to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. In the defense realm, the CSP paves the way for more bilateral military exercises, greater Singaporean access to Australian training facilities, enhanced intelligence-sharing arrangements and expanded people-to-people exchanges. "American aircraft, this is the PLA air force. There were, however, cautionary signs for those prepared to see them. It is a rich source of hydrocarbons and natural resources. From a strategic perspective, the geographical significance of the SCS is that whoever has dominance over it, dominates the future of East Asia. A U.S. Navy crewman aboard a P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft views a computer screen purportedly showing Chinese construction on the reclaimed land of Fiery Cross Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea in this still image from video provided by the United States Navy May 21, 2015.
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