Who really owns the South China Sea?
October 19, 2024
We are told the AUKUS ‘security partnership’ with the US and UK requires Australia to acquire a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines (SSNs) to accompany AUKUS. They will operate mainly in the South China Sea, allegedly to deter China’s ’expansionist’ goals.
Alarmed, I set out to discover those expansionist goals.
I assumed they were something other than Taiwan, because Beijing can attack Taiwan from the air rather than the sea.
That meant Beijing’s goals had to be some of those smaller islands in the South China Sea - the islands of Quemoy and Matsu, for example, little more than a stone throw from China’s Fukien province coast. In 1958, Beijing risked nuclear war to get those islands, but in vain. They were, and remain, owned by Taiwan. And Beijing prefers to keep it that way.
In that case, it must be Pratas, I reasoned - the largest island in the South China sea and also close to China. But once again no bingo. According to Google: The island is part of the Republic of China (Taiwan) with the postal code 817.
In which case, I decide, it has to be the Spratly group of islands, also close to China (which calls them Nansha) but are even closer to the Philippines which also claims them. But the only large island in the group, with an airport and a fixed population, has the Chinese name of Taiping and is held by (you guessed it) Taiwan.
If the Philippines wants something there it has to refer to the 2016 UN Hague Tribunal award which calls the island Itu Abu. To placate Manila the six member Tribunal said the island’s 64 hectare area was only a ‘rock’ (in theory if Taiping is only a ‘rock’ Taiwan cannot claim an EEZ around the large island).
But how about that notorious nine-dash line embracing almost all the South China Sea which Beijing uses to backup its claims? But once again no joy. Another Google check reveals Taiwan also uses the same nine-dash map together with a photo caption:
‘Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen reviews nautical charts aboard a Taiwan Navy ship before it sets out to patrol in the South China Sea from the naval base in the south.’
In all Taiwan says it owns 168 South China Sea islands covering 36,193 square kilometres.
Today, if China wants islands it has to go out and dredge sand to create them. Taiwan just says it has inherited them.
Taiwan, claiming all those South China Sea islands, is Australia’s friend.
It begs the question, do we really need all those expensive subs?
Gregory Clark
Gregory Clark was the first postwar Australian diplomat trained in Chinese, with postings to Hong Kong, Moscow and the UN before retiring in protest against the Vietnam War. After PhD studies at the ANU he became Japan correspondent for The Australian. A spell in Canberra’s Prime Ministers department led to professorships at Tokyo’s Sophia University and emeritus president of Tama University, Tokyo, before becoming co-founder of the very successful English language Akita Kokusai Daigaku. He has now retired to Latin America (Peru) and Kiwi fruit growing in Boso peninsular south of Tokyo.
His works include ‘In Fear of China’ (1969) and several books in Japan on education and foreign policy.
He used to speak Chinese and Russian with fluency. He now speaks Japanese and Spanish.