Why Conflict In South China Sea May Potentially Become Unavoidable
The South China Sea has been an area of continuous territorial disputes since prior to World War 2. The main key players locally being China itself, Brunei, Taiwan, India, the Philippines, Malaysia, and also Vietnam. And while as of late, China has become increasingly bullish, pushing it's other lesser rivals from ease of access, the United States has continuously mounted "freedom of navigation" patrols which have been instrumental in keeping China from having complete control over an area of intense commercial trade between many different lands and countries.
This is something that benefits everyone involved. China, since early 2012, however has undertaken the construction of artificial islands in isolated, and yet extended strategic positions in and around the South China Sea which it has then militarized, building missile-capable weaponry and anti-air craft guns, all the while continuously denying it is militarizing the region.
I myself am completely confused on how the Chinese can explain this as "not militarizing" a region which it is then trying to claim as it's own, with "historical rights" that it has never possessed seeing as many kingdoms have risen and fallen all within the reach and scope of the South China Sea. Why does only China have historical rights? It doesn't. It's only claim is the time-held ancient and even modern belief of, "Might makes right", which tends to still be proven true even in todays much more modern and logic-driven age.
During the creation of these man-made islands to attempt to push it's sphere of influence into a more dominant position in the key strategic naval area, it has even shoved the Philippines off of one of the Spratly Islands it once held as it's sovereign domain, beyond it's own homeland, which are a series of maritime islands in the South China Sea relatively close to Philippines landmass.
In response, U.S. military officials have declared it is more than capable of destroying these man-made islands of military value by China. U.S. officials even claim they have a history of doing so. Indeed they do.
Here is more on the most current news:
https://www.businessinsider.com/us-disregards-beijing-nonsense-says-it-can-destroy-south-china-sea-2018-6
This is something that benefits everyone involved. China, since early 2012, however has undertaken the construction of artificial islands in isolated, and yet extended strategic positions in and around the South China Sea which it has then militarized, building missile-capable weaponry and anti-air craft guns, all the while continuously denying it is militarizing the region.
I myself am completely confused on how the Chinese can explain this as "not militarizing" a region which it is then trying to claim as it's own, with "historical rights" that it has never possessed seeing as many kingdoms have risen and fallen all within the reach and scope of the South China Sea. Why does only China have historical rights? It doesn't. It's only claim is the time-held ancient and even modern belief of, "Might makes right", which tends to still be proven true even in todays much more modern and logic-driven age.
During the creation of these man-made islands to attempt to push it's sphere of influence into a more dominant position in the key strategic naval area, it has even shoved the Philippines off of one of the Spratly Islands it once held as it's sovereign domain, beyond it's own homeland, which are a series of maritime islands in the South China Sea relatively close to Philippines landmass.
In response, U.S. military officials have declared it is more than capable of destroying these man-made islands of military value by China. U.S. officials even claim they have a history of doing so. Indeed they do.
Here is more on the most current news:
https://www.businessinsider.com/us-disregards-beijing-nonsense-says-it-can-destroy-south-china-sea-2018-6
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