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China claims the maximum of this strategic waterway and seeks to expel neighbors such as the Philippines. Any fatal mistake can simply result in war.
By Mike Ives
You may not notice the moment Thomas Shoal from the air. The disputed atoll near the Philippines is slightly larger than Manhattan and sinks beneath the surface of the South China Sea during high tide.
But diplomats and army officers are paying close attention to clashes near the sandbar between Philippine and Chinese ships. The concern is that an incident could turn fatal and cause the Philippines to abandon its mutual defense treaty with the United States.
This can simply lead to a nightmare: a war between the United States and China.
In an earlier dramatic episode, Chinese coast guard ships clashed with Philippine Navy ships near the sandbar in June, footage released by the Philippine military showed. Some Chinese sailors carried knives and one Filipino sailor was injured.
Here’s what’s in the South China Sea and why it’s important:
The South China Sea is home to some of the world’s most productive fisheries, as well as shipping channels that generate about one-third of the world’s maritime trade. Studies suggest that it could also include significant deposits of petroleum and vegetable fuels.
The characteristics of the sea were beyond the “administration and conscience” of governments until the late 19th century, wrote scholar Gregory B. Poling in a recent book. But in the mid-20th century, Beijing claimed most of the sea with a vast U-shaped border.
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