Creator: David Hessen, South China Sea Newswire
The South China Sea area has lengthy been residence to disputes over territorial disputes and management over sources. Native policymakers ought to reply by strengthening bilateral ties based mostly on scientific cooperation. A brand new survey suggests a path to sustainable growth constructed on nations’ shared concern for regional financial stability and environmental administration.
Taiwan and the disaster of worldwide stability that will be caused by an ideological Chinese language invasion have acquired specific consideration. Whereas this consideration is rightly deserved, regional and financial disputes within the South China Sea aren’t any much less noteworthy when it comes to their potential influence on regional and world stability.
This significance was strengthened in August 2023 when a Chinese language coast guard vessel intercepted a Philippine restoration mission on a disputed South China Sea island. Efforts to scale back tensions within the South China Sea ought to be a precedence for numerous claimants, together with China, Vietnam and the Philippines.
A survey of South China Sea consultants and teachers presents one potential technique to just do that. The survey means that growing bilateral scientific cooperation by way of addressing shared environmental threats could also be a promising approach ahead.
Whereas many of the regional consultants interviewed contemplate regional disputes between China and its Southeast Asian neighbors to be the principle challenge of concern, the overwhelming majority of survey individuals additionally agree that these disputes are exacerbating them. There are vital financial and environmental issues.
The South China Sea is a serious fishing floor for a lot of international locations, accounting for about 12 p.c of the world’s catch. Worldwide recognition of territorial management over particular geographic options permits a state to say financial exclusion alongside the territory and harvest giant portions of meals. The area can also be residence to an estimated 11 billion barrels of untapped oil and 190 trillion cubic toes of pure fuel. The South China Sea can also be an necessary commerce lane, with a 3rd of worldwide transport passing by way of the area.
China is the most important violator of financial exclusion zones and the most important contributor to militarization and unlawful useful resource extraction within the area. With out claiming financial possession over the area’s sources, China says the islands within the South China Sea are Chinese language territory and has constructed islands and reefs to accommodate large-scale army belongings comparable to plane, missiles and naval vessels.
However China just isn’t the one participant militarizing the area. Vietnam’s plans to strengthen its current army installations within the South China Sea make science diplomacy extra necessary than ever.
Bilateral science diplomacy—the direct assist of international coverage motion by way of scientific recommendation and proof—presents greatest practices for guaranteeing regional stability. Issues like overfishing, coral bleaching and air pollution stand to undermine the area’s ecological well being and financial vitality. Geopolitical competitors has ensured that these regional threats are addressed solely on a piecemeal and state-by-state foundation. Constructing relationships based mostly on belief and science has the potential to scale back these conflicts over time and create a framework for broader collaboration.
The concept of bilateral scientific cooperation between South China Sea claimants just isn’t new. The Philippines and Vietnam have a scientific analysis settlement that dates again to 1994. Even direct rivals China and Vietnam adhere to the 2004 Gulf of Tonkin Settlement, which established cooperation in fisheries, hydrocarbon extraction and maritime safety.
Whereas scientific multilateral agreements exist, this strategy is unlikely to ascertain a complete and binding multilateral framework for battle decision within the South China Sea. All events to the South China Sea disputes are signatories to the United Nations Conference on the Regulation of the Sea – an basically binding settlement on maritime rights and environmental tasks – however events are required to implement a regional framework to attain these targets. They may not succeed due to their territorial disputes.
A major majority of survey individuals reject the regional framework for the Antarctic Treaty as a mannequin for scientific cooperation and diplomatic engagement within the South China Sea. Though Antarctica isn’t any stranger to territorial disputes, the South China Sea’s proximity to regional powers and the huge extractive potential of its pure sources make profitable battle by way of multilateral agreements — scientific or not — much less probably.
Bilateral diplomacy itself dangers growing particular person states’ leverage over joint coverage. China has advocated bilateral negotiations with ASEAN states to ‘divide and rule’ the group and to forestall a joint regional response to its territorial claims. Though this can be a official concern, multilateral agreements are unlikely to make sure de-escalation or de-escalation. Regional states should pursue bilateral scientific diplomacy to defuse tensions, whereas not permitting these relationships to turn into one-sided and detrimental to their sovereignty.
Whereas an online of bilateral scientific relations is not going to resolve current territorial disputes within the South China Sea nor supply the prospect of scientific progress {that a} regional discussion board will, in a position to discover all doable methods to open communication and cut back tensions within the area. are And with sufficient scientific cooperation, the environmental well being of the area will also be improved.
David Hessen is managing editor at South China Sea Newswire.