A current day conflict that the U.S is involved in is that which is centered in the South China Sea. To give some background and explanation, the South China Sea has all of the makings of a conflict that could with time escalate to being a serious armed confrontation. Essentially, China believes that it has territorial right to the ocean to it 's south, particularly to the billions of barrels of oil, and very large reserves of untapped natural gas which can be extracted underwater. The issue arises with China 's threatening action against any southeast Asian countries like Vietnam, Taiwan, and Indonesia if they were to go ahead with seismic surveying, & exploration which precedes drilling for oil and gas in this body of water.
China "surveyed, mapped, and named" over 200 islands and reefs in the large disputed area in the late 1940s, and the line of delineation their leader at that time established is what they cite as making their claim valid today. The United Stat however, has stated that it believes these are expressly international waters "and sovereignty in the area should be determined by the United Nations Convention on Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS.)" According to UNCLOS, "countries can’t claim sovereignty over any land masses that are submerged at high tide, or that were previously submerged but have been raised above high tide level by construction." The trade route itself is highly prized as it is the major trade route for oil and gas getting into East and …show more content…
This is something that China was late to start but over the past year plus has been doing at a breakneck speed. Further, China is the only nation to date that has placed military equipment on these newly claimed islands, and is the only nation in the area powerful enough militarily to actively protect its
China "surveyed, mapped, and named" over 200 islands and reefs in the large disputed area in the late 1940s, and the line of delineation their leader at that time established is what they cite as making their claim valid today. The United Stat however, has stated that it believes these are expressly international waters "and sovereignty in the area should be determined by the United Nations Convention on Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS.)" According to UNCLOS, "countries can’t claim sovereignty over any land masses that are submerged at high tide, or that were previously submerged but have been raised above high tide level by construction." The trade route itself is highly prized as it is the major trade route for oil and gas getting into East and …show more content…
This is something that China was late to start but over the past year plus has been doing at a breakneck speed. Further, China is the only nation to date that has placed military equipment on these newly claimed islands, and is the only nation in the area powerful enough militarily to actively protect its