The South China Sea

At the end of 2013, a large Chinese fleet enters the Spratly archipelago. In just a year and a half, the Chinese dredge an enormous quantity of sand from underwater to raise seven artificial islets on which military bases, ports, and even airports are built. The country is making a name for itself in the archipelago it claims, some of which is already occupied by Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Brunei.

In this video, we retrace the origins and evolution of the conflict that today confronts and divides six opposing countries in the South China Sea.

Historically, the South China Sea is an important passageway for commercial vessels linking China to the Indian Ocean, via the Malacca Strait. But the sea is very dangerous, with hundreds of islets, reefs, atolls, and sandbanks, often submerged just a few meters below the surface. Ships are then forced to sail along the coast to avoid running aground. However, for centuries fishermen have ventured out into the open sea around the archipelagos that we now call the Paracels and Spratlys, where the shallow waters are rich in coral and fish. Some have even settled there for a period of time, but the lack of drinking water, the scarcity of arable land, and a long rainy season of 5 to 6 months a year, make life too difficult to settle down permanently. The islands themselves each cover an area of no more than 3 square kilometers, so I've enlarged them on the video to make them more visible on the map.

First sustainable settlements

For thousands of years, without intense human activity, the islands were refuges for seabirds. The accumulation of their excrement forms immense layers, sometimes several meters deep, of guano, a nitrogen-rich fertilizer used in agriculture. In the early 20th century, China, which lays claim to the Paracel Islands, mines guano there; while Japan, which has controlled Taiwan since 1895, does the same in the Spratly Islands. But, in the early 1930s, France officially claims sovereignty over the two archipelagos, considering that they are historically linked to Indochina, which it controls. France begins building a meteorological station on Pattle Island, then takes advantage of a war between China and Japan to set up a garrison on Woody Island, the largest of the Paracel Islands. China and Japan oppose the French claim. During World War II, Japan asserts itself throughout the South China Sea. But at the end of the war the Allies regain the upper hand, and in 1945 the United States napalms Itu Aba, the largest of the Spratly Islands. After its surrender, Japan is forced to abandon all its claims in the South China Sea.

French-Chinese competition

After the war, the Philippines gains independence and lays claim to the Spratly Islands. In Indochina, France faces major independence movements, and struggles to regain control of its colony. China takes advantage of the situation to install troops on Itu Aba and Woody Island, and then publishes a map with 11-dashed lines that includes almost the entire sea as its territory. But the country is torn apart by a civil war between nationalists and communists. In 1949, the Nationalist government of the Republic of China is defeated and forced to take refuge in Taiwan, where it continues to lay claim to the whole of China, including the South China Sea. But, weakened, Taipei recalls its remaining forces from Itu Aba and Woody Island. On the other side, Mao Zedong proclaims the People's Republic of China, and publishes his own map, this time containing 9-dashed lines, but claiming the same territories.

Vietnam and the Philippines

In 1954, after the defeat and departure of France, Vietnam finds itself divided along the 17th parallel. South Vietnam continues to claim sovereignty over the Paracel and Spratly Islands, and sends troops to Pattle Island. The People's Republic of China responds by sending troops to Woody Island. The same year, Tomas Cloma, a Filipino adventurer, settles on the Spratly Islands with 40 men, and founds a microstate he calls Freedomland. Taiwan reacts in turn and sends troops to Itu Aba, with the mission of arresting Freedomland's men and seizing their ships. In 1958, the North Vietnamese Prime Minister recognizes the sovereignty of his Chinese ally over the Paracel and Spratly Islands. Thereafter, the situation remains relatively calm, with the islands mainly frequented by fishermen. But towards the end of the 1960s, reports suggest that the surrounding seabeds are rich in gas and oil, reviving interest in the archipelagos, and prompting the Philippines to begin to occupy some islands.

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

In Vietnam, a fragile peace is signed between North and South, putting an end to the Vietnam War, and allowing the United States to withdraw its troops. The People's Republic of China takes advantage of the situation to step up its military presence in the Paracel Islands. South Vietnam then sends a military fleet there, but it is defeated, and China takes full control of the archipelago. The following year, North Vietnam invades South Vietnam, proclaiming the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. But the new power continues to claim control of both archipelagos, and sends troops to occupy some of the Spratly Islands. In 1982, the United Nations draws up a Convention on the Law of the Sea to establish maritime boundaries and avoid conflicts over seabed resources. Henceforth, each state can claim an Exclusive Economic Zone of 200 nautical miles, or around 370 km, off its coast. But the convention needs to be ratified by 60 states to come into force. The Philippines is the first to do so in the region, incorporating a large part of the Spratly Islands into its Exclusive Economic Zone. For its part, Malaysia begins to occupy Swallow Reef, which it claims.

China's rise to power

In 1987, in Paris, China takes part in a UNESCO Commission on the Oceans, at which the country agrees to build a marine observation station. China sees an opportunity and sets up its observatory on the Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly Islands. China, which is growing in power, then embarks on a more aggressive policy, and sends a military fleet to the Union Banks, which is already occupied by Vietnam. Vietnamese soldiers then put a flag on a submerged sandbank in front of the Chinese ships. In response, the Chinese fire their anti-aircraft guns, massacring 64 Vietnamese. China, in addition to the undersea resources, now sees it as vital to control and secure the important trade route, through which oil from the Middle East and its goods destined for Europe are passing. The country then passes a law on its territorial waters, making the South China Sea a national issue, and steps up its presence in the archipelago, notably on Mischief Reef, right in the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone. In 1994, after 60 ratifications, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea comes into force, allowing Brunei to claim and occupy Louisa Reef. In 1996, China ratifies the Convention on the Law of the Sea, while continuing to claim territory on the basis of its 9-dash line map. But it is difficult for the country to defend this map, which has no precise coordinates and is not compatible with the UN Convention.

Chinese domination

Taking advantage of its status as the greatest military power in the region, China steps up the pressure on its competitors. Its fleet now enters Scarborough Shoal, where it hunts Filipino fishermen with powerful water cannons. This time, Manila reacts by taking the matter to the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague. Furthermore, China adds a tenth line to its map to integrate Taiwan, and sends huge dredging ships to the Spratly archipelago, pumping out 40 to 50 million tons of sand, and raising 7 artificial islets on which it builds military bases and airports, doubling the total land surface area of the archipelago. Finally, further north, China puts an oil platform between the Paracel Islands and Vietnam, provoking the anger of the Vietnamese, who start violent anti-Chinese riots throughout their country, forcing China to abandon its project. Another major player in the region is the United States, which steps up its military presence in the sea, officially to guarantee free navigation. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration delivers its verdict. It finds that China's historical claims have no legal basis, and states that, legally speaking, there are no geological formations in the Spratly archipelago that could be used to claim an Exclusive Economic Zone. China rejects this decision, as does Taiwan, which still controls Itu Aba, the largest natural landmass in the archipelago, and which it considers to be an island. But paradoxically, the country has not ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Current situation

In 2019, the animated film Abominable is released. In one scene, the Chinese 10-dash map briefly appears. The film is then withdrawn from cinemas in Vietnam and censored in Malaysia and the Philippines. Today, with around 30% of international maritime trade passing through the South China Sea, tensions remain high, with each country camping out its armed forces on the islands it controls. China continues its hostile policy, regularly violating the Exclusive Economic Zones of other countries. Taiwan still claims sovereignty over the entire sea, but advocates diplomacy to find a peaceful solution between all parties. Vietnam, which calls the sea the “East Sea”, continues to claim the two archipelagos on historical grounds. The Philippines, which calls the sea the “West Philippine Sea”, has very recently strengthened its alliances with the United States, Japan, and Australia, notably around maritime cooperation. Finally, Malaysia and Brunei continue to lay claim to the islands in their Exclusive Economic Zones, especially as their economies are now heavily dependent on the exploitation of the oil and gas found there.