South China Sea

26 Oct 2024 12:01:49 pm

Tags : South China Sea

Topic: Water Bodies

Why in the news?

China and the Philippines accused each other of deliberately ramming their coast guard ships near the Sabina shoal in the South China Sea, the latest in a spate of similar incidents in recent weeks.
China claims almost all of the economically vital waterway despite competing claims from other countries and an international court ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.

Source: The Hindu

About South China Sea:

It is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean.
It is bordered by China and Taiwan to the north, the Indo-Chinese peninsula (including Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore) to the west, Indonesia and Brunei to the south, and the Philippines to the east (referred to as the West Philippine Sea).
It is connected by the Taiwan Strait with the East China Sea and by the Luzon Strait with the Philippine Sea.
It is a crucial global trade route. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), 80% of global trade by volume and 70% by value is transported by sea, with 60% of it passing through Asia and one-third of global shipping moves through it.
India relies on the region for approximately 55% of its trade.
It is also a rich fishing ground.
The major island and reef formations in the South China Sea are the Spratly Islands, Paracel Islands, Pratas, the Natuna Islands and Scarborough Shoal.
As many as 70 disputed reefs and islets are under contention, with China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Taiwan all building more than 90 outposts on these disputed features.
China claims up to 90% of the sea with its \"nine-dash line\" map and has physically expanded islands and constructed military installations to assert control.