CSS Current Affairs | Solutions of South China Sea Dispute
The following question of CSS Current Affairs is solved by Tehreem Zafar under the supervision of Howfiv’s Pakistan Affairs and Current Affairs Coaches. She learnt how to attempt 20 marks question and essay writing from Sir Syed Kazim Ali, Pakistan’s best CSS and PMS English essay and precis teacher with the highest success rate of his students. This solved past paper question is attempted on the pattern taught by Sir to his students, scoring the highest marks in compulsory and optional subjects for years, and uploaded to help aspirants understand how to crack a topic or question, how to write relevantly, what coherence is, and how to include and connect ideas, opinions, and suggestions to score the maximum.
Outline
1- Introduction
2- Understanding the importance of the South China Sea
3- Scrutinising the South China Sea Conflict
4- Possible amicable solutions to the existing dispute in the South China Sea
- ✓To adopt the option of multilateral agreements
- Evidence: According to Article 123 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, 1982 (UNCLOS), “the states bordering with the semi-enclosed type of sea must exercise their rights and duties with utter coordination and cooperation.”
- ✓To Initiate political relations at the bilateral level
- Evidence: Indonesia introduced the Managing Potential Conflicts in the South China Sea Workshops with the collective involvement of ASEAN countries during 1990-2001 to ensure mutual respect of international laws.
- ✓To put diplomatic pressure on China by the international community
- Evidence: Article 16 and Article 75 of UNCLOS of 1982
- ✓To apply confidence-building measures (CBM) by all claimant parties
- Evidence: The Confidence Building Measures in the South China Sea region can be achieved by adopting Track II Diplomacy like conducting workshops and informal meetings on concerned issues by promoting economic collaboration and energy exploration
5- Critical Analysis
6- Conclusion
Answer to the Question
Introduction
The South China Sea(SCS) Conflict, a tale of never-ending maritime disputes, is internationally a matter of utmost concern. Elaborating the point, the semi-enclosed sea area, with its high strategic and economic significance, gives birth to the constantly emerging aggressive elements owing to China’s ‘nine-dash-line’ claims and SCS-bordered nations’ Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) concerns as the politico-economic interests of claimants as well as other international actors are vested in the territory. Advancing further, the unbeatable competition of all stakeholders in nuclear-naval advancements, especially the USA, China, India, Japan, and Australia, has created the situation of military standoff in the sea. Nonetheless, the Southeast Asian belt direly needs some amicable solutions, like pursuing multilateral agreements and initiating political relationships to avoid warfare implications in the region. This answer highlights possible amicable solutions to the existing dispute in the South China Sea.
Understanding the importance of the South China Sea
Before digging deep into the conflict details, it is crucial to understand the importance of the South China Sea (SCS). The water body located in Southeast Asia at the Western arm of the Pacific Ocean has immense potential for maritime trade, fishing, and energy resources for the international community. The South China Sea provides a maritime trade route for almost 50% of the world’s trade and 25% of sea cargo. Moreover, the sea assures food security of all SCS-bordered states like the Philippines, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Brunei by offering them traditional fishing zones in the region. The fulfilment of energy needs from the South China Sea through its massive oil and gas reserves brings enormous benefits to the SCS-bordered countries and other international players like Russia and the USA.
Scrutinising the South China Sea Conflict
Moving towards the exploration of the existing South China Sea conflict, the dispute revolves around various factors; first, the territorial claims of the SCS-bordered countries like China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei exacerbate the issue as all the involved states want to achieve their politico-economic interests in the region. Also, China’s activities in building artificial islands and installing cruise missiles and fighter jets, especially in the Spratly and Paracel Islands, enhance aggressive moves in the sea. Similarly, the persistent conflict strengthens the constant rift between the USA-China over the oil reserves and the Philippines-China over natural gas deposits. Likewise, the military occupation in the Southeast Asian region by international actors like the USA, India, Japan, and Russia over the sea territory for securing free navigation rights and sea lines of communication (SLOCs) promote the disputing elements in the South China Sea area. These responsible factors have initiated troublesome situations in the region for decades and have direly needed amicable solutions to avoid naval warfare in the South China Sea.
Possible amicable solutions to the existing dispute in the South China Sea
- To adopt the option of multilateral agreements
First, the leading solution to bring peace in the conflicted South China Sea (SCS) region is to go for multilateral agreements. State actors like China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Japan, Taiwan, and others must choose this method to effectively manage the region’s natural resources. As the sea is semi-enclosed, all bordering states must harness the perks of its hidden minerals and resources with cooperation and collaboration. Likewise, the argument is supported by Article 123 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, 1982 (UNCLOS), that the states bordering the semi-enclosed type of sea must exercise their rights and duties with utter coordination and cooperation. Hence, despite multiple differences, all linking states must comply with international rules, aiming for collective security.
- To Initiate political relations at the bilateral level
In addition, it is realistically important to kick-start political relations bilaterally. Moreover, all the SCS-bordered countries must put aside their differences and focus on taking some collaborative measures or introducing a code of conduct to be followed by all. As an illustration, Indonesia introduced the Managing Potential Conflicts in the South China Sea Workshops, which involved the collective involvement of ASEAN countries from 1990 to 2001 to ensure mutual respect for international laws. So, by now, such efforts must be appreciated again between China and other disputed countries like the Philippines, Malaysia, and Vietnam to prioritise cooperation instead of competition.
- To put diplomatic pressure on China, the international community
Likewise, the existing South China Sea (SCS) dispute can amicably be resolved if the international community puts diplomatic pressure on China. To achieve this, the global level community must ask China to officially introduce the world to her geographical claims in the SCS under Article 16 and Article 75 of UNCLOS of 1982 to bring clarity. Moreover, there should be international pressure on China to resolve the overlapping maritime claims of all SCS-bordered countries to ensure peace and collective economic participation by claimant countries. Thus, putting diplomatic pressure on the international community can solve the SCS conflict.
- To apply confidence-building measures (CBM) by all claimant parties
Last but not least, the decades-long South China Sea conflict can amicably be resolved by applying confidence-building measures (CBM). The purpose of applying CBM is to avoid the emergence of conflicting situations in the future and to ensure understanding and coordination among all the involved actors. To elaborate, the confidence-building measures in the South China Sea region can be achieved by adopting Track II Diplomacy, like conducting workshops and informal meetings on concerned issues by promoting economic collaboration and energy exploration, ultimately reducing trust deficit and developing confidence among all claimant nations. Therefore, ensuring the confidence-building measures (CBM) will not only accumulate trust factors among the SCS-bordered states but also resolve the never-ending resources dispute in the region.
Critical Analysis
In a robust analysis, it is critically important to accept that the South China Sea conflict is asymmetric; as a result, it cannot be solved symmetrically. Apart from this, the impossible comparison of China -an emerging superpower and other claimant actors like Vietnam, Philippines, and Brunei- a smaller state marks that the ongoing regional dispute can not be settled through simplistic measures. Nevertheless, it is realistically evident that China gets more weight in this decades-long conflict, so the claimant states must approach her through collaborative actions rather than forcing the economic giant.
Conclusion
To conclude the debate, the potential for conflict in the South China Sea region can not be denied. However, peace-directed solutions by the claimant countries are the need of the hour in these hard times. In short, the international community can adopt bilateral or multilateral steps, ensure confidence-building measures among all claimants, and put diplomatic pressure on China.
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