Extending south of China and ringed in by the Philippines , Vietnam , Brunei , and Malaysia is a 1.35 million - square - mile body of water known as the South China Sea . If it truly is the case that East Asia is the global economy ’s center of gravity , then the South China Sea might be its uniqueness . In 1405 , the Taiwanese full admiral Zheng He sic canvas with a fleet of gem ship , travel to neighboring nations and finally as far as Mombasa , spreading cognition of China ’s wealthiness . Today , the South China Sea is again a locus for China to display its power — though with a very unlike fleet .
Although from on in high spirits the ocean may seem a patrician wasteland , punctuated from time to time by speck of uninhabited demesne , the island have seen a hysteria of activity in late age : China has constructed a series of stilted island throughout the area . These artificial islands are a display case of Chinese engineering , and this brawn - flexing has provoked impregnable reaction from China ’s neighbors in the region , especially the Philippines , which land a suit against China to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague . On July 12 , 2016 , the external tribunal rule against China , however , the superpower refused to recognise the decision or even the court ’s jurisdiction .
What on the button are China ’s artificial island , and why are they so crucial ? As it turns out , China ’s island - construction plan sit on a contentious intersection of technology , government , and the environs .
How do you build an island?
For those wondering what an contrived island is made of , the result is the same matter most islands are made of : backbone . The process for building these islands is remarkably dim-witted , although the applied science involved is impose .
The first necessity for an island is a base to build on . Naturally constitute island do n’t float in the water ; rather , an island is simply the top , visible part of a land mass that is mostly underwater .
To construct its contrived islands , China build atop already existing , islands , rocks , and even coral reefs . Building an island that can support airstrips and other military installation requires a lot of moxie , however . To gather it , China uses a fleet of dredger , ships design to pick up and move materials from the seafloor . These dredgers use bombastic tubes with cutting attachments at the end to grate up cloth on the seafloor and suck it up . From there , the material is carry through pipe or hose and dumped on top of reefs , rock ‘n’ roll , and other be formations .
Once the island are large and stable enough , China can then lie down cementum and work up structures on them . The extent of the change can be striking . For example , below is Fiery Cross Reef in 2006 .
Here is Fiery Cross Reef in 2015 , after China converted it into an island .
The new island include a runway and harbor , as well as numerous other buildings .
What’s the point?
China ’s island - building efforts require a dense investiture in engineering and infrastructure , so why is the state going to all this trouble ? Perhaps the prize motivation is to reward China ’s claim over the region . The Spratly Islands and other nearby chains lack indigenous populations . As such , they are take by the various neighboring nations . Vietnam , the Philippines , Malaysia , and China all claim dower of the South China Sea , but China ’s title is sinful . Dubbed the “ nine - panache air , ” China ’s call ( as present to the United Nations in 2009 ) cover most of the sea , extending down to the coast of Malaysia . Naturally , this has proven contentious , prompting the Philippines — located very closely to the Spratlys , which China let in in its claim — to bring a case against China in outside court .
By transforming Witwatersrand and cays into military installations , China is extending its military capabilities in the South China Sea . Airstrips , radar arrays , and all such buildings give China the ability to project force throughout the region .
Why is controlling the South China Sea so significant ? Although the scattered island may be unimpressive , the South China Sea is one of the busiest trade road in the world . According to info gathered by the council on Foreign Relations , more than $ 5.3 trillion Charles Frederick Worth of merchant vessels travels through the ocean each yr ; $ 1.2 trillion of this swop belongs to the United States .
Beyond its grandness as a trade wind route , the South China Sea may also contain giving resources beneath the open . The U.S. Energy Information Administration ( EIA ) estimates that there are 11 billion gun barrel of oil in the South China Sea , as well as 190 trillion three-dimensional feet of natural gas . As East Asia continues to grow in grandness , these resources — and who acquire to control them — will become more significant .
Fuel is not the only resource in abundance in the South China Sea . The area is one of the most important zones in the world for fishing . In fact , 12 percent of the global catch comes from the South China Sea . Astonishing as it may vocalise , this may be a far bigger point of contention than the fuel reserves . Fishing is a crucial manufacture for China , which is currently the largest producer of Pisces the Fishes in the world . China answer for for 17.4 percent of the public ’s marine catch , nearly three times that of offset up Indonesia , allot to a report from the Center for Naval Analyses . China is also the world ’s heavy exporter of fish products , with nearly $ 20 billion in export in 2013 .
What’s the ecological impact?
The political implications of this island - construction plan are direful , as are the environmental consequences . Coral reefs are finespun ecosystem , made up of M of various creatures , and the sand piled on top of the Reef smothers these organism . This is troubling because , although reefs take a lilliputian fraction of the worldly concern ’s ocean , they are among the most populous devil dog areas , supporting thousand of different specie . The damage does not finish at the Reef , either .
“ The Baroness Dudevant and silt stirred up by the dredgers covers most of the lagoon and is settling out on most of the remaining reef , ” Professor John McManussaid to The Guardian . “ The sand will kill virtually any bottom - dwell organism on which it settle in expectant quantities , and choke off the gills of most fish . ”
This damage to coral reef is not easily fixed , either . According to McManus , coral sink under sand can not recover . As a result , K of species in the ocean could be destroyed , and this could have event beyond the ecological . Coral Witwatersrand are , amazingly enough , significant to the development of pharmaceuticals;scientists have spring up several drugs and treatments by studying marine organisms .
What happens next?
Although the international tribunal at The Hague ruled nem con against China ’s claim to most of the scrap soil , the judicature has no mean to apply its opinion . China , for its part , has refused to take part in the arbitrament from the starting time , and the country ’s Foreign Ministry does not recognize the opinion as valid , according to a statement free before long later . Indeed , the country is poise to exposit its cognitive process in the South China Sea , rather than plump for down .
Chinese authorities are already project to build a massive science laboratory nigh 10,000 foot beneath the surface , say a report from Bloomberg . Several country , including the Philippines and Japan , have called for China to respect the ruling , and the U.S. has been conducting “ freedom of pilotage ” patrols near the island and Witwatersrand under Chinese mastery .
In December , the Asian Maritime Transparency Initiative ( AMTI)published a reportclaiming that China has installed weapon platform on the island , free-base on recent satellite images . These weapons include “ large anti - aircraft guns and likely nigh - in weapon systems ( CIWS ) , ” which are contrive to shoot down nearby missile and aircraft . Why the need for such weaponry ? “ Among other things , they would be the last line of defense against cruise projectile launched by the United States or others against these presently - to - be - operational atmosphere bases , ” accord to the AMTI .
China maintains , however , that these installations are “ legitimate and lawful . ” A statement by the Chinese Defense Ministry put it poetically : “ If someone makes a show of force at your front door , would you not ready your catapult ? ”
It seems that none of the parties function in the neighborhood are uncoerced to back down . For now , the hokey islands remain a gray harbinger of an unsure future .
