Competition between the United States and Chinese warships is growing in the South China Sea. China is turning the coral reefs into militarized artificial islands. The South China Sea is now a major area of strategic competition between the United States and China.
China's expansionist behavior in claiming sovereignty in the deep sea is undermining the rights of other countries in the region and hindering the free movement of ships in international waters. Not only that, but China's policy is threatening the ecosystem and economic future of Southeast Asia.
China has refused to comment in any international forum on China's claim to the South China Sea. However, 8 out of 10 countries in the region have 1.4 million square miles of maritime boundaries, coral islands and resources, he claimed. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in favor of the Philippines over the Spratly Islands.
The border crisis in the South China Sea is no longer a concern for the 600 million people in Southeast Asia. China's actions have already begun to have a detrimental effect on the region's marine ecosystem and livelihoods. James Burton from the Johns Hopkins Foreign Policy Institute published a recent book, Dispatch from the South China Sea: Navigation to Common Ground.
In the book, he brings out a real truth by removing geopolitical considerations. He pointed out that China's hegemonic behavior in the South China Sea threatens the future of the entire region. It is causing environmental, environmental and economic damage.
The main consideration of Burton is fishing. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United States, 15 to 56 percent (depending on the country) of animal meat consumed by people in Southeast Asian countries comes from the sea. It has a big impact on the world market. The South China Sea is only two and a half percent of the world's sea area. But 12 percent of the world's total fisheries comes from here. According to Burton, half of the world's 3.2 million registered fishing vessels are in the region.
Excess fishing is now a growing problem in the world. China's role in this is much greater. They have 2,500 large fishing boats. If unregistered and illegal vehicles are caught, this number will be 16 thousand. Burton fishermen, with information from relevant officials and researchers, show how the valuable resources in the South China Sea are dwindling. At one time there were about 2,500 species of fish in the South China Sea.
But since 2000, 80 percent of the species have not been caught in fishermen's nets. The rate of catching big fish has also decreased by 90 percent. For years, China has unilaterally banned fishing at sea. In 2021, China passed a new law giving neighboring coastguards the power to force their ships to break the law. But while China's coastguard is chasing other countries' fishing boats, China alone is catching 20 percent of the world's fish.
One-third of the world's coral reefs are located in the South China Sea. But according to Burton, half of them are now extinct. Coral islands are disappearing due to climate change around the world. But that's happening in the South China Sea as a result of China's creation of artificial islands. In doing so, China has destroyed 100 square miles of coral reefs.
Burton points out that the failure to resolve the crisis in the South China Sea is the root cause of the ecological catastrophe there. Burton sought to find a solution to the main problem in the South China Sea and to overcome it, citing recommendations from scientists, researchers and officials.
He wrote, "The South China Sea needs integrated scientific cooperation, just as it has done in the ongoing epidemic. The need is for a free flow of information. "
The unfortunate truth is that China has failed to take the lead in tackling the global epidemic. They are also reluctant to provide basic information on the ecological impact of the creation of artificial islands in the South China Sea. On the contrary, the military strategy they have adopted makes it clear that they do not have the will to share such information. China rarely wants to play a constructive role in protecting the regional ecosystem.
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