Forgotten World (232): South China Sea
We think of the Middle East as the most likely location for global conflict, but the South China Sea is the scene of many worrying developments. China has declared that it views the South China Sea as a “core” interest and is beginning to deploy more military muscle in the area, while the United States continues to insist that it has a “national interest” in freedom of navigation in the Sea. Meanwhile North and South Korea have exhibited new, sharper tensions.
China, Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines all have territorial claims in the Sea. The area of most concern is the Paracel Islands which are occupied by China but claimed by Vietnam. The Spratly Islands are occupied by a mix of military forces from Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Malaysia and the Philippines.