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3 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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China's objectives: |
- Building islands to enforce territory in the South China Sea. - Although largely uninhabited, the Parcel and Spratly islands may have reserves of natural resources around them. There has been little detailed exploration of the area, so estimates are largely extrapolated from the mineral wealth of neighbouring areas, which China wants to take advantage of. |
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Possible scenarios that could emerge from this: |
- In the South China Sea, China has established a small military presence in the Spratly Islands, which lie between Malaysia and the Philippines but are disputed territory. - If countries feel heavily threatened by Chinese military presence in the South China Sea, it could possibly lead to military conflict between the nations that lay a claim to territory in that area. - The Chinese Navy is working on quieter submarines, long range hypersonic anti-ship missiles and so-called 'carrier killer' medium range missiles. Tensions in the East and South China seas continue to grow. |
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Why it hasn't resulted in actual military conflict to date: |
- In July 2016, an international tribunal in The Hague gave a legal ruling in favour of the Philippines' claims in the disputed waters of the South China Sea. The tribunal had also found that China had violated the Philippines sovereign rights by its fishing and oil exploration activities and construction of artificial islands. - China takes part in the UN Peacekeeping missions, but its military ambitions are focused on supporting its economy. E.g., through anti piracy measures in 'choke points' in the world's shipping lanes. The South China Sea is one of the world's busiest shipping routes, with 30% of the world's trade passing through it. This is one of the major reasons as to why this dispute hasn't resulted in military confrontation because it would block the trade routes which pass through the South China Sea. |
