Why China wants to control much of the South China Sea

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China claims an expansive swathe of the South China Sea and the different islands it encompasses, putting itself at odds with other countries and territories in the region. Clashes between the Chinese coastguard and its neighbours, especially the Philippines, and declarations by Chinese officials show that Beijing sees control over the South China Sea as of the utmost importance. In the past several years, China has pursued the goal of securing the sea for multiple reasons. These include the South China Sea’s economic importance, its historical and national significance and geopolitical aspects, both from a defensive military point of view and for a potential conflict over Taiwan.

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[DK-ueks]

Maybe Italy can claim all of Europe since it used to be apart of the Roman Empire and use historical claim.

[mudshovel]

Just look at that pic. It just looks ridiculous. Their claim goes right next to the beach of other countries.

[sunnyzc]

You realise Russia does not recognise China's claims on the South China Sea....they have just agreed to help Vietnam build oil platforms on the disputed sea.

[necouhgr]

most of the south china sea aint even close to china🤣

[eylovyd]

What national integrity you have said - China has no rights on their overlapping claims in the South China Sea and overlapping the EEZ of the other country including the Philippines EEZ ‼️

[wynn]

There’s always one neighbour who keeps causing trouble.

[aungkyawhtet]

Because Xi Jing Ping thinks he is Aquman😂

[jaker]

I've drawn a nine dash line around the moon, now it belongs to me. Ridiculous?... exactly.

[reggie]

Northeastern Asians again going south to Malay waters claiming ownership, they don’t learn the first time

[deltaboss]

I wonder why many SEA nations have not criticised China as much as The West. Plus, western countries have been making more efforts in countering piracy and improving our waterways. While SEA nations have been plagued with corruption and mismanagement in turn, we couldn't afford the best military assets and improve technologically, educationally, and especially economically. We truly have wasted our years when China was a weak country and did not pose a threat to our waters now we pay the price.

[hcdfbcj]

Next china claim thepacific ocean because of history 😂😂😂

[ronaldlalisan]

Philippines has been fishing in SCS for 2000 yrs as well only difference is china has been rule by chinese dynasty while Filipino are scatter tribes which no sign of unity. If they had such evidence why didn't show in UNCLOS? Aren't a china signatory as well.

[Purowalangkwenta]

One country here is greedy. And you know who.

[Susspect]

China has territorial disputes with all its neighbors lol and if south china sea belongs to china then according to that logic all of indian ocean belongs to india...

[rezi-uiiq]

If the United States 🇺🇸 does not acknowledge Taiwan as independent, it should not provide military resources, it is only internal affair of China, the U.S🇺🇸 is in no position to interfere. 👎🇺🇸

[JA-pnji]

Firstly, the SCMP interlocutor interjects his words on China with, “Harping on …”, and “… the psyche….” Indicating a lack of neutrality and where his views lie.

Secondly, the background commentator ‘highlights in yellow’ parts of the arbitration conclusion that, “China’s claims to historic rights or other sovereign rights … are contrary to the Convention and without lawful effect …” to reach his view that the arbitration ruling concluded that, “China’s historic claims were insufficient to claim sovereignty over SCS Islands.”

A proper reading, with text that wasn’t highlighted, would reveal what the arbitration Tribunal actually said; “China’s claims to historic rights or other sovereign rights … *with respect to maritime areas* of the SCS encompassed by the relevant part of the ‘nine-dash line’… are contrary to the Convention and without lawful effect …”

The ruling is qualified, it does not say, “China’s historic claims were insufficient to claim sovereignty over SCS Islands.” as the SCMP background commentator will have us believe. It addresses only maritime areas.
After making this deceit the commentator then segways into the truth about the arbitration ruling on, “rocks and EEZ, then he segways into another lie by misinterpreting this truth
His technique is to deceive with an incomplete truth and use it to back up the lie he wants to broadcast.


*My media disinformation is bigger than yours*
The Philippine's claims are well-publicized in the West, it essentially bases its claims on UNCLOS. It is important to state that this organisation came into being in 1982 before which Taiwan (as the ROC), Vietnam, and the Philippines had militarily occupied Islands in the SCS in the 1970s[1]. Clashes between Taiwan (ROC) and the previous Marcos-ruled Philippines occurred in the 1970s.

In 1993, in my view, to boost its membership UNCLOS introduced the concept of the EEZ. This rule provided legitimacy for Philippines's expansion of its territorial ambitions into the SCS.

Prior to this Philippine sovereignty was delimited by the then International rule of ‘12nm territorial Seas’ and also the terms of its Independence treaty which relinquished U.S. sovereignty over the Philippines and recognized the independence of the Republic of the Philippines[2] (signed by the United States and Philippines) and contained in the 1946 Treaty of Manila which inter alia enshrined recognition of the 1898 Treaty of Paris[3], that in turn provided precise geographical coordinates for the US colony of the Philippines[4].

Philippine arguments against this constraint claim the subsequent 1900 Treaty of Washington expanded the US-controlled areas of the Philippine archipelago.

*Yankee doodle dandy*
However, the Treaty of Washington[5] only addressed in-name territories marking the Northern and Southern boundary of US-controlled Philippines while incorporating the catchall of “to any and all islands belonging to the Philippines archipelago lying outside the lines described in Article III[Treaty of Paris] and particularly to the islands of Cagayan Sulu and Sibutu … agrees shall be comprehended in the cessation as fully as if … expressly included in those lines”, making the matter subject to interpretation.

Is the South China Sea part of the Philippines archipelago? Did the US recognise this as so at the time? And, if the US drafters of the Cessation Treaty considered it so, why didn’t they establish sovereign and administrative control in the area which would have grounded US claims in the area and seen off competing claims?

The latter point is important because the Japanese would invade the area in 1938[6], and clearly an invasion of US territory would amount to a declaration of war in 1938. The US would remain neutral and not declare war on Japan until the 1941 Pearl Harbour attack. We can rightfully discern that the US did not consider this area as part of its Treaty rights from either the Treaties of Paris or Washington.

CONTD in Replies

[lyttlebee]

You may want to find out why KMT or ROC claimed the 11 dash line years before PRC did too. It made sense that PRC simply succeeds what ROC claimed to be its territory and waters, including South China Sea and Taiwan, as the civil war resulted in an ultimate change of regime.

[pushslice]

Horrific, bullying activities

the eerie parallels & similarities to the destructive behavior of 1930s imperial Japan now being seen CLEARLY by anyone worldwide who comprehends history.

It appears that Beijing is dead-set the history books shall forget others before them, and instead imprint THEM as Asian history’s all-time great hated pariah.
Seems it’s a quest that's working out quite well...

[louis]

SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST slowly introducing it's channel for China's propaganda of course.😂😂😂

[Pinoy.Potential]

I am from the Philippines. When I was young, our school used to teach us the great story of the "Battle of Yultong." The story depicts how brave the Filipino soldiers were 900 Filipino soldiers faced off against an entire army of 50, 000 PLA soldiers and won. But now as I get older and witness it with my own eyes, I see the complete opposite. What I see now is the Filipino navy and coast guard running away, waving the white flag or not even showing up when a PLA coast guard (Not even the PLA Navy that is a million times stronger) enters the Philippines' exclusive zone to steals oil, gas, resources, and fish, while harassing Filipino fishermen. It's truly shameful and contrary to the fairytale of the "Battle of Yultong."