China is claiming that it has control over the archipelago
in the South China sea and due to this, there should be no freedom of
navigation in that region. The Chinese have built military bases on these
islands/ rocks and have claimed them as their own. However, the archipelago
lies 700 miles from the Chinese mainland. In 2009, the Chinese government
submitted a map to the UN that includes the archipelago as Chinese territory, and the UN leaders have not recognized it.
Chinese leaders have asserted that historically China has had sovereignty over
these “spratly islands”; however, they were not even discovered until the 1930s
and they were never a part of Chinese territory. The motives for the Chinese to
gain power over this territory are the potential power over trade in the area.
The
United States navy has started a mission to skirt the islands to protect
international law and the freedom to navigate and trade in this territory. Since
World War II, we have tried to create this freedom of navigation so that anyone
could have access to resources and trade. The countries surrounding China are
threatened by this assertion that China “owns” this region because if China
gets away with it, their commerce with other countries will definitely be
affected.
To what extent does china have the authority to claim these
rocks/islands? What should we do as a country to make sure that there is
freedom of navigation in all parts of the world? If we do nothing, what will be
the consequences of China controlling the South China Sea?
5 comments:
After reading this article, it seems that there is no definite answer regarding whether or not China is in the wrong or, if these islands actually are a part of China's heritage. So, to answer the first question about if China has authority over these islands, I believe that if the Chinese are truthfully saying that these islands are original territory, I don't see an issue with them restricting the islands from other nations. In the United States, we don't just allow for all the other nations to access our ports. However, since these islands are 700 miles from the mainland of China, I think that China shouldn't be restricting them from outside nations, and should be willing to make a compromise. As for the second question, I sadly believe that freedom of navigation in all parts of the world is something that is too risky especially with pirates, and taking a look back into history, the sinking of the Lusitania was somewhat of a result of trying to allow free navigation of all waters. I believe that all nations should have the right to navigate the main oceans, but being on the coast of another nation should be a restricted area, reserved to nation that borders the coast. And for the last question, I don't see any immediate consequences of China controlling the South China sea, mainly because it might just make it easier for them to export products, which in turn might actually reduce our national debt.
I disagree with Jeff's statement that there is not an issue with China restricting the islands from other nations. Despite the fact that the Chinese government submitted a map to the UN that includes the archipelago and they did not recognize it, does not make it right for China to have authority to claim these group of islands. Furthermore, I strongly believe that freedom of navigation in all parts of the world would be extremely beneficial. This is because any country can travel anywhere to receive supplies and resources they want. But as great as freedom of navigation may seem, it also may cause security issues regarding pirates. Therefore, as a country we should enforce the idea to freely sail, but be cautious of the coasts we are traveling near. The United States receives a huge amount of supplies from China. Therefore, if we do nothing in this situation, it may help our trading relationship as they will have another export route, making it easier and faster to send products.
The Chinese government has been increasingly asserting its dominion over the South China Sea as it grows more and more confident in its ability to control the region economically and militarily. Since 2010, Secretary of State Clinton called for territorial reconciliation in the region to which China responded by demanding that the United States stay out of the issue. China does and should have authority over most of these waters since the body of water is off China's coast. However, this is unfair to neighboring nations like Japan, India, Russia,southeast Asian countries, and even the United States. In order to promote cooperation both economically and diplomatically, China should open the region to freer trade and travel. China's threats against Indian and southeast Asian vessels are belligerent and uncharacteristic of an advanced nation. If these tensions continue, it is likely that more armed conflict will result, and barring that, uneasy attitudes among Pacific nations will develop further.
Recently, debates about China have reopened as a result of belligerence in the South China Sea and as a result of hacking attempts from China that keep coming. Jim Webb, for example, was outspoken on the issue during the Democratic debate.
http://www.newsweek.com/why-beijing-not-backing-down-south-china-sea-381973
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-15/chinese-cyber-spies-fish-for-enemies-in-south-china-sea-dispute
As much as I like to stay away from international affairs, power grabs like these hurt trading across the world. The Chinese do not realize, or simply do not care, that their dominion over these waters hurts their trade too. I think this is an example of discrepancy between Capitalist cells in China, like Hong Kong, and the Chinese National Government. I hope that one day the Chinese will realize that their imperialism is a disease on international trade and it would be more beneficial for them to keep the seas free rather than disturb economic activity that takes place there. Unfortunately, because China is so powerful, there is no way to enforce anti-imperialistic measures to defend the territories and islands. To me it's just another example of a government out of reach with its people and a government unable to contain rampant corruption, a problem I'm happy to see them solving as a top priority (more to read down here if interested).
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/04/xi-jinping-china-corruption-political-culture/389787/
I don't believe China has the authority to claim these islands in modern times. China has announced to the United Nations that these territories are in fact part of the nation's property, but the United Nations has not acknowledged this, and for good reason. The UN was created to prevent nations across the globe from acting like a bunch of angry toddlers on a playground so that peace between nations could be created and maintained. When China claims that it has the right to solely preside over trade in the South China Sea, they gain an unfair advantage over the other nations that rely on these waters for commerce and could in turn cripple the economies of nations like Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Taiwan, the very type of situation that the UN was created to prevent. The Chinese can claim what ever islands they want, but no one else is going to recognize their claims, and if they try to assert power over territory that they claim as their own they will have broken international law. Therefore I do not support the Chinese and they have no jurisdiction over the territories they claimed in the South China Sea.
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