that the US had flown over their artificial islands in the South China Sea unprovoked.

In response the US defended their reconnaissance flight in light of China’s aggressive claims

over the disputed area. So what’s going on? Why is the South China Sea so important?

Well, for starters, the South China sea is one of the most highly disputed regions in

the world. The roughly one and a half million square mile zone is bordered by China, Brunei,

Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Vietnam. All have overlapping

claims over different parts of the region. Most significantly, China has asserted its

sovereignty over nearly the entire South China Sea, violating the Exclusive Economic Zones

of every bordering country. Most of those countries also have competing claims over

a number of nearby islands, primarily the Paracel and Spratly Islands.

So, why are all these countries fighting over this region? Well, for starters, the South

China Sea is the second most used sea lane in the world, and hosts a third of all overseas

shipping. It also represents a third of the world’s marine biodiversity, meaning that

fishing rights are heavily disputed. But perhaps more importantly, beneath the sea of water

is a massive sea of oil and natural gas. Some estimates have suggested that there are about

28 billion barrels worth of oil under the seabed, along with around 266 trillion cubic

feet of natural gas.

So who really owns the area? Well, China claims that they’ve owned the Paracel and Spratly

Islands, including the surrounding waters, since the 3rd century. Archaeological finds

from the 5th century support this claim. However, Vietnam says that they officially documented

their rights to the islands back in the 17th century. This is well before China legally

staked its claim in the 19th century. The Philippines, on the other hand, claim dominion

based on proximity, as the Spratly Islands are closest to them. Meanwhile, Malaysia and

Brunei have used the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to say that their Exclusive

Economic Zones give them rights to parts of the South China Sea.

This dispute has led to a number of Island invasions and battles, mostly between China

and Vietnam. In the 70s and 80s, China twice fought Vietnam over the islands, and killed

more than a hundred soldiers and sailors in total. Then, in 2012, China created an administrative

body in the Paracel Islands, in spite of Vietnam and the Philippines. Two years later they

began drilling for oil in Vietnam’s disputed area. China’s aggressive actions have created

a strong sense of conflict between the Southeast Asian countries, and even with US diplomatic

intervention, it doesn’t seem as though China is willing to back down.

There’s a ship patrolling the South China Sea that’s been active since World War 2,

protecting Philippine Waters from the Chinese reach. To learn more about this fascinating

vessel, check out Seeker’s video here. Thanks for watching TestTube, don’t forget to subscribe!