VCE Global Politics 2025 Unit 2 AOS 2: 'The South China Sea' SAQ SAC Evidence

What are some key words?

Regime security, 9 Dash Line, UNCLOS, Economic Exclusion Zone (EEZ), Sierra Madre, Spratley Islands, Scarborough Shoal, Freedom of Navigation (FoNoPs), Pragmatism, Idealism.

What makes China so powerful?

The PLA is the world’s largest military force, and it has the world’s second largest defence budget, spending approx. $292 billion USD in 2022.

What is UNCLOS and when was it introduced?

The US Convention on the Law of the Sea entered force in 1994, giving nations a 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone from their coastlines.

Why is the South China Sea valuable?

It sees 30% of the world’s global shipping trade. According to the US, an estimated $5.3 trillion in trade passes through the SCS annually. More than half of the world’s fishing vessels operate in this area.

Who is the President of the Philippines and who is the Defence Chief?

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is the President. He has a ‘transparency initiative’. Gilbert Teodoro is the Defence Minister.

Philippine-US Mutual Defence Treaty.

In March 2023 the US built 4 new military bases in the Philippines. US Indo-Pacific Commander John Aquilino said in 2022 that ‘Over the past 20 years we’ve witnessed the largest military buildup since WW2 by the PRC’ which is ‘destabilizing the region’. China believes that US-Philippine cooperation ‘will seriously endanger regional peace and stability’.

What is some evidence of China’s aggressive actions?

According to the BBC, in August 2024, Beijing and Manila’s vessels collided near Sabina Shoal, only 75 nautical miles from the Philippine coast and 630 nautical miles from China. Chinese coastguards claim Philippines ‘deliberately collided’, and that their own actions were ‘in line with natural laws’, whilst the Philippines said the Chinese conducted ‘aggressive manoeuvres’.

What did Gilbert Teodoro say about China?

‘We are struggling against a more powerful adversary.’ The international community should issue ‘a strong callout against China’.

How could the situation escalate?

With fatalities. The Philippines warns that any fatalities would be considered ‘an act of war.’

Who should have control over the Spratley and Paracel Archipelagos?

Vietnam. It is pursuing a policy of ‘cooperation and struggle’ and has been experiencing Anti-China protests since 2007. It seeks the implementation of a Code of Conduct.

When did the ICJ rule in favour of the Philippines?

2016.

How many artificial islands are there in the South China Sea?

There are 7 artificial islands in the South China Sea.

Why is an EEZ valuable?

According to UNCLOS, an EEZ provides ‘special rights to the exploration and exploitation of natural resources’. An artificial island must be built on an already existing island, not a rock or low tide elevation, to provide EEZs.

What are FoNOPs?

The US Freedom of Navigation Operations, which are used to challenge excessive maritime claims. 9 Freedom of Navigation Operations were made in the South China Sea in 2019 alone. Australia and the UK also engage in similar operations.

What did China do in the Paracel Islands?

In May 1996, China established straight baselines around the Paracel Islands, which is not within its rights as a continental state.

What does Vietnam claim in the South China Sea?

It claims that it has had sovereignty over the Paracel and Spratly Islands since the 17th Century. Vietnam lost soldiers in disputes with China in the 70s and 80s.

When was the 9 Dash Line created and what does it include?

A map including the 9 Dash Line was published in China in 1947, extending 2,000km from the Chinese coastline.