The first six months of the Trump administration saw relatively few confrontations over territorial disputes in South China Sea
The first six months of the Trump administration saw relatively few confrontations over the territorial disputes in the South China Sea; however, analysts and officials say the lack of public conflict does not mean the issues have disappeared.
Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., who serves on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and chairs the Subcommittee on Asian Pacific Affairs, told a conference in Washington this week that “China’s militarization of the South China Sea is real” and the situation remains a “crisis.”
Speaking at the Seventh Annual South China Sea Conference, Gardner described the region as a test for American leadership to deter Beijing’s hegemony.
“If the South China Sea is not resolved, what is the next step?” the senator asked.
High stakes for key region
The South China Sea extends more than 3.5 million square kilometers in the western Pacific Ocean. Countries including China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, as well as Taiwan, have certain claims over its sovereignty.
In recent years, China is seen to have taken actions in an attempt to secure its claim to large areas of the South China Sea for military and economic purposes.
The United States has said that it does not take sides in the rival claims but does oppose actions to militarize the region. The U. S. has been sending military planes and ships near contested islands where China has built up military infrastructure, ignoring Beijing’s assertions over what it says are Chinese airspace and territorial waters.
The reason so many nations are interested in an otherwise desolate stretch of open ocean is because it is a crossroads for international trade and is believed to have vast oil and gas reserves.
“Whoever controls the South China Sea controls East Asia, whoever controls East Asia controls the world, ” said Alexander Vuving, an analyst attending the conference.
