US Presence in South China Seas Sets Chinese on Edge

The presence of United States warships in the South China Seas has aggravated Chinese officials enough so that a spokesman for the Defense Ministry has called it a “serious infringement of China’s sovereignty.”

On Sunday, May 27^th, the ministry reportedly sent in naval forces and aircraft immediately to ward off the two American ships—the USS Antietam and the USS Higgins—present in the area.

The incident occurred near the Paracel Islands, a group of over one hundred small coral islands and reefs that have been claimed by the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan), and Vietnam. Tensions have mounted as China continues to assert its territorial claims in waters shared with its neighbors. Contention over the Japanese-owned Senkaku Islands in the East China Seas has led to conflict between the Japanese, Chinese, and Taiwanese Coast Guards.

In the South China Seas, meanwhile, China has come into conflict with a number of Southeast Asian nations, including Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. The area serves as a home to a number of important shipping routes, as well as sea lanes of communication (SLOC) essential to global trade. These waters serve as fishing grounds that have grown more and more important over time due to the rise in demand corresponding with regional economic development. Beyond those purposes, these islands also serve as a potential military base for Chinese maritime operations.

In what are known as freedom of navigation (FON) operations under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the US has sent in naval vessels to ensure free transit in what theoretically should be considered international waters.

But the effectiveness of laws defined by UNCLOS remains questionable; the Asian nations whose economies and military operations depend on this area have repeatedly challenged their authority.

China’s challenge of U.S. operations in the South China seas comes at a time of high tension. North Korea and the US have been in the midst of plans for a summit (which seem to keep falling apart). China remains North Korea’s foremost trading partner, and experts believe that China may have played a role in keeping effective communication between the United States and the DPRK from taking place, perhaps to prevent another communist nation from falling under Western capitalist influence.

Consequently, the presence of US warships in the South China Seas has been interpreted by the Chinese defense ministry as a breach of military trust between the two great powers. Meanwhile, the US has defended its right to intervene in the area under the argument that its maritime authorities must uphold international rights directly threatened by China and its excessive territorial claims.

Territorial disputes in contested waters and their consequences serve as a reminder that, even in a time of globalization and increased international cooperation, nations will continue to work in ways that serve their own individual interests. China seeks to maintain its military presence and its role as a regional (and global) economic superpower.

China has also grown increasingly wary of developing relations between the United States and North Korea. It is therefore likely that military tensions between the United States and the PRC will only continue to rise.

Featured Image via: Flickr/Naval Surface Warriors