by David Kavanagh

Saturday’s first-time landing of a Chinese civilian airplane on one of Beijing’s newly constructed island runways in the South China Sea has added more fuel to ongoing tensions about the disputed Indochinese region.

The 3000 metre runway, located on Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly archipelago, is one of three runways China has been building in the area in an attempt to support its expansive ownership claims over the territory.

This has occurred despite continuing outcry from rival nations claiming varying degrees of sovereignty in the region.

While these disputes have effectively been going on for centuries now, it is only recently that tensions have rapidly increased, prompting the US to get involved over concerns the friction could have global consequences.

What’s the dispute all about?

Contesting nations, including China, Taiwan, Vietnam, the Phillipines, and Malaysia, have all claimed differing levels of territorial ownership and sovereignty over certain areas in the South China Sea.

This includes particular ocean segments, two island chains known as the Paracels and the Spratlys, and a host of other small islands, outcrops, sandbanks, atolls, and reefs, like the Scarborough Shoal (referred to as Huangyan Island in China).

What’s so special about the South China Sea?

The South China Sea acts as a vital commercial gateway for a substantial portion of global merchant shipping.

Since over $5 trillion worth of world trade passes through the sea annually, control over the area could be of great strategic and lucrative economic benefit to whoever controls it.

The believed existence of large oil, gas and mineral reserves in the largely uninhabited Spratly and Paracel archipelagos, in addition to rich fishing grounds supplying the livelihoods of many in the sea itself, is another motivation for claimants.

For nation states geographically outside of the immediate Indochinese subregion, the South China Sea is important because conflict in the area could impact the international system.

The US specifically, concerned about potential impeded passage to commercial shipping, has worked to condemn attempts to limit freedom of navigation in the area.

While its attempts at mitigation are aimed at all claimants, the US, as the arguably declining world hegemon, is also expressly worried about the growth of Chinese influence in Asia and its military strength generally.

Following the landing of the civilian airplane near Fiery Cross Reef, analysts and foreign officials warned that a rising Chinese military presence in the area could potentially result in the creation of a strategically-located Chinese air defence zone.

By extension, future conflict concerning the South China Sea could also affect Washington’s relationship with China generally, putting at stake bilateral and multilateral cooperation regarding issues like terrorism, epidemics, climate change, and Iran and North Korea’s nuclear programs.

Who claims what, and why?

In claiming an area defined by the “nine-dash-line”, stretching hundreds of miles from south to east, China has made by far the largest claim in the region.

In 1947, it issued a map that allegedly shows the Paracel and Spratly island chains falling squarely within China’s territorial bounds.

As such, the Chinese government believes it has a historically-backed right to a large portion of the area. Taiwan mirrors these claims.

Vietnam severely contests this, instead declaring that alternative historical documents show that it has had control over both the Paracel and Spratly archipelagos since the 17th Century.

The Phillipines has also made different territorial claims, the most prominent of which is a claim over the Scarborough Shoal.

Furthermore, Malaysia and Brunei also believe some areas fall into their territorial umbrella, basing their assertions on the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) which establishes various laws and measures intended to chart out economic rights relating to land and sea ownership.

What conflict has occurred as a result?

The most serious escalations in conflict in the region have been between China, Vietnam and the Phillipines.

In 1974, Beijing physically seized the Paracels from Vietnam in an operation that resulted in the deaths of over 70 Vietnamese soldiers.

Over a decade later, in 1988, the neighbouring nations clashed once again in the Spratlys, leading to the loss of about 60 Vietnamese sailors.

Throughout 2012, China engaged in a number of stand-offs and disputes with both Vietnam and the Phillipines, some of which regarded the Scarborough Shoal and the Paracels.

In late 2012, anti-China protests erupted throughout Vietnam following yet unverified claims that China’s navy had sabotaged two of the country’s exploration operations.

In 2013, the Philippine government stated it would take China to a UN tribunal to challenge its claims, using UNCLOS to back it up. While this hasn’t taken full form yet, China would not be legally bound by any decision made by the UN.

Further collisions between Vietnamese and Chinese ships occurred in 2014 when Beijing introduced drilling rigs into the waters near the Paracel chains.

2015 and onwards:

Satellite images obtained in April 2015 ostensibly showed China constructing an airstrip on reclaimed parts of the Spratly archipelago.

Five months later in October, China warned the US to “not act blindly or make trouble out of nothing” after a US guided-missile destroyer entered the seas near the artificial islands in an attempt to assert freedom of navigation.

The US intends to continue to organise such operations to ensure freedom of movement isn’t limited.

This latest report of a civilian airplane landing on the Fiery Cross Reef runway shows China’s controversial plans to build up various facilities, such as airstrips, to back its ownership claims are right on schedule.

For more of this kind of content, follow Journalytic on Facebook or Twitter