From busiest . Yet, it was and is all of that. 1982 More than 160 nations conclude the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, an international treaty setting out the framework governing the oceans and their uses. That redundancy will grant the United States flexibility in a couple of ways. This puts more pressure on Washington to intervene and U.S. allies and partners in Asia are watching carefully and drawing conclusions about U.S. commitment and staying power in the region. Enduring U.S. interestsfreedom of navigation and overflight, support for the rules-based international order, and the peaceful resolution of disputesare at risk in the region. 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. The lifting of the arms embargo also opens the door to other forms of U.S.-Vietnam security cooperation. In sum, the South China Sea is the immediate arena where two alternative geopolitical paradigms are contesting for supremacy. This geo strategic significance is the main reason behind the fact that China and other territorial stakeholders are contesting to gain control of these maritime lane. Talks are focused on articles that are relevant to disaster relief, but the agreements eventual parameters could expand as the U.S.-Vietnam security relationship matures. Final Thoughts & Looking Towards the Future. The neighboring South East Asian countries of the highly volatile and busiest waterways of the South China Sea (SCS) have overlapping claims of sovereignty. South China Sea and possible options. To counter China's efforts to control the South China Sea, the United States needs a sustainable strategy to bolster its own capabilities, work more effectively with capable allies and partners, and strengthen the regional order. China, however, must now balance its continental concerns, which remain complex, against its new dependence on the maritime domain. The USA have a direct connection to the area through various allies, connections and trade, and this will naturally continue. Burma, however, is a potential bright spot for the U.S. position in continental Southeast Asia. through South China Sea Port is 1400 kms long. The South China Sea is basically China's export waterway to Africa and to Europe (among other markets), but in order for China's enemy (aspiring conqueror), America, to harm and weaken China maximally, and to use the United Nations assisting in that aggression, America and its allies have cast this vital trade-waterway as being instead basically just an area to be exploited for oil and gas . Hanoi and Canberra have launched a number of security dialogues and are expanding personnel exchanges, ship visits and officer training. In my mind, this leads to 3 key questions to base any form of analysis from: In order to understand the contention of the South China Sea and its significance, it is firstly imperative to understand the geopolitical importance of Asia, which has given rise to Chinese pre-eminence; enabling its rise to contemporary major political power on the global stage. The United States has formally objected to Chinas South China Sea maritime claims. 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). The United States has been less successful in supporting local partners as they resist Chinese coercion. Inconsistent messaging and policiesincluding on freedom of navigation and routine presence operationshave also led to confusion in the region. 2023 Center for Strategic & International Studies. At the economic front, it is estimated that an annual global trade of $5.3 trillion passes through the SCS. 2014 The United States and the Philippines sign an enhanced defense pact, strengthening the U.S.-Filipino relationship. Most of China's global trade is seaborne. The South China Sea is one of the most important economic and environmental regions in the world. Follow the Asia Program on Twitter @AsiaProgram. European access to Asia will be through Beijing. Notably, the paper identified Malaysia's maritime claims in the South China Sea as its top security concern. The United States, moreover, should work with its other Pacific alliesAustralia, South Korea and especially Japanto consider ways that they can lead efforts to expand infrastructure investment in Southeast Asia, perhaps by reforming and enlarging the Asian Development Bank or by launching a joint infrastructure investment fund. Its strategic economic importance and its geographic location at the confluence of several spheres of influence have rendered it one of the "world's hotspots". Southeast Asia will inevitably be rendered subordinate and compliant to Chinas will. 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.. China, too, considers control of these waters to be of high strategic importance. Pressing Challenges to U.S. Army Acquisition: A Conversation with Hon. 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. Not taking a position on sovereignty allows the United States to flexibly intervene in the South China Sea to defend its interests and international rules and norms, while undercutting Chinese attempts to paint U.S. actions as a threat to Beijings sovereignty. Select Accept to consent or Reject to decline non-essential cookies for this use. Check out the linked article on the Belt and road initiative now. The South China Sea (SCS) has great strategic and economic significance in the contemporary international politico-security environment. The Chinese recently built an island in the South China Sea, apparently as a potential airbase. The U.S.-Thai relationship has suffered since the 2006 coup that overthrew Thaksin Shinawatra and especially since the latest coup, which saw the military take control in 2014 and stubbornly cling to power. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the South China Sea dispute and to analyze why the dispute has yet to escalate, as well as the strategic importance of the South China Sea dispute to international trade. The "Implementing the Strategic Action Programme for the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand" (SCS SAP Project) completed its Inception Phase with the 1st Steering Committee Meeting held online on the 29 and 30 of June, 2021 with official representatives from Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam and the UNEP Task Manager for the project, with the support of . U.S. access to the military facilities on the South China Seas southern flank, however, would shift the regions balance of power in Americas favor. Beijing may not find it quite as easy to run roughshod over Hanoi in the coming years. The region also is the subject of more than a dozen overlapping and interconnected disputes over who is in charge of the various islands, rocks, shoals and reefs scattered throughout the South China Sea waters. The United States needs to maintain a difficult balancing act, supporting the democratic aspirations of the Thai people while remaining a security and economic partner of choice for the elites and armed forces. As sovereignty over the SCS involves Chinas economic, energy and national security interests it is highly likely that the increased projection of maritime power will continue. Improved governance will lead to stronger economies over the long term and dampen the influence of Chinese dirty money. - Interview with Mei Gechlik, Pelosi's visit to Taiwan Spiking Tensions Between the U.S. and China: an interview with Andrew K.P. When Beijing froze banana imports from the Philippines in the midst of the Scarborough Shoal standoff in 2012, it sent a clear message to its Southeast Asian neighbors: economic ties would not be immune from diplomatic contretemps. In addition, tensions have been raised with the Philippines after assertive Chinese naval patrols which they described as aggressive action. Peace Corps celebrates spirit of volunteerism, A distinctive sign language thrives among Black Americans, U.S. rescuers stand ready to find earthquake survivors, People across U.S. rush to aid Trkiye, Syria, Blinken pledges continued U.S. support for Trkiye, Syria, Meet the U.S. search teams who helped save lives in Trkiye, Fighting tropical diseases in the Pacific Islands, U.S. partners assist the Syrian people after earthquake, U.S. welcomes Indian students in record numbers, Indian American CEOs exemplify countries shared ambitions, The latest medical gadgets at U.S. tech show, Helping women in Vietnam become academic leaders, Ukraine: Before and after February 24, 2022, Russias re-education camps hold thousands of Ukraines children, report says. Access to all three is now in doubt. In addition, the United States has affirmed some responsibility for the defense of Taiwan and has close security ties with Singapore and New Zealand. The new administration should issue clear and consistent strategic messages, since inconsistent articulation of the objectives of the rebalance strategy has caused confusion in China and amongst U.S. allies and partners. Figure 4 shows the overlapping sovereignty claims in the SCS, with Chinas claims according to the 9 dash line doctrine in red. The three core areas that must be defended and secured are the Malay Peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak. In a first, a Modi-Obamajoint statementlast year explicitly raised concerns over the South China Sea and called on all parties to avoid the threat or use of force and pursue resolution of territorial and maritime disputes through all peaceful means.. In April, Australian Defence Force personnel joined the U.S.-Philippines Balikatan maneuvers, which included an amphibious landing exercise. 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. 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. The South China Sea is one of the most important trade pathways in the world. Expanding U.S. access to Vietnamese facilities as described above could eventually render access to Thai facilities somewhat redundant, further weakening the institutional support for the alliance in the United States. 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 most important and least tangible stake in the South China Sea concerns the preservation (or not) of a regional rules-based order supported by U.S. power. All Rights Reserved. But as it does so, it acts as midwife to a very real strategic realignment in Southeast Asia, one which promises to benefit the United States and its partners. 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. This new strategic map of Southeast Asia actually began to take shape during the Bush administration, whichinitially launchedthe effort to move beyond Americas traditional hub-and-spokes alliance model in the Asia-Pacific. In the past two weeks, Filipino . All these aspects highlight the strategic indispensability of the South China Sea for global trade routes. Historically, Taiwan's pivotal location off the China coast and between Northeast and Southeast Asia has served a variety of strategic purposes for regional powers, both offensive and defensive.