Historical and Current Issue of China Sea and U.S. Interest on It
As Trump’s administration continues to deny Beijing’s maritime claims of U.S. interest in the South China Sea, there is an undeniable conflict wading between China and several southeast Asian countries. Such competing claims in the South China Sea comes at a time when there is a strained relationship between the U.S and China. As much as the word is under lockdown, American warships have sailed into the disputed waters, a move that seems to heighten a standoff in the waterway and worsening the rivalry between Washington and Beijing.
The current developments in the issue must be understood against the backdrop of history. The U.S. has been a resident influential power in Asia after World War II and did establish a military garrison in Japan with close ties to South Korea and the Philippines. In the process, the U.S. signed formal defense treaties with each of its allies including a permanent military presence in South Korea. However, this regional predominance was challenged by China in two ways; through the Korean War and by communist insurgencies in South East Asia who happened to be opponents in the 1963–1975 Vietnam War. Following improved relationships with Vietnam, the U.S. Seventh Fleet gained access to the South China Sea due to the weakening of the communist insurgencies in the region.
The renewed U.S. interest in the disputed waters has been described in economic terms, defense ties, and global balance of power. In each of these dimensions, there are efforts by the Chinese to counter America’s dominance. Economic interests in the sea lanes through the South China Sea that seems to be the busiest maritime waterways in the region and the world, is America’s number one priority. It carries a third of the global shipping with and approximate value of $3.4 trillion a year that include china’s 40% in total trade and 90% by petroleum imports by South Korea, Japan, and China; this translates to near 6% of U.S. trade in totals.
Interest in defense ties can be explained in what looks like formal security alliances with many Asian countries including South Korea, Japan, Australia, Philippines, and Thailand. The U.S. affirmed some responsibility for the defense of these countries as well as security cooperation agreements with others including Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, and New Zealand. Generally, the U.S. built and maintained its dense network of security obligations that can only be sustained through the South China Sea, a move that china views a security threat to its international policy.
Moreover, there is the implication of balance of power and influence, a concept of regional order that is tightly linked to a broader set of interests, values, and institutional changes in the aftermath of WWII international systems. These systems reflect U.S. values and leadership, therefore, consonant with America’s interests. With all these theories in mind, it is true to say that the south China Sea plays an immediate arena whereby two geopolitical paradigms contest their supremacy with an imminent impact on the rest of the Asian countries.
https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/territorial-disputes-south-china-sea
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/21/world/asia/coronavirus-south-china-sea-warships.html
