Vietnam has taken a page from China’s playbook to take on the Dragon in the South China Sea. Vietnam is strengthening its claims in the contested sea by increasing the size of its islands and hence furthering its claims. Since November of last year the South East Asian region has created 692 acres, which is larger in area than the two smallest countries in the world, that is Vatican City and Monaco. Vietnam has been expanding the size of its islands in the South China Sea. In the first 11 months of the year, it increased the size of islands by 404 acres and in 2022 the size was increased by 347 acres according to a report by Strategic and International Studies’ Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative.
China has been building islands on reefs and expanding islands, especially in the Spratly and Paracel island groups. Both Vietnam and China claim ownership of these archipelagos. The Spratly group sees ownership claims from Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Phillippines, Malaysia and Brunei. Parcel Island has also witnessed conflict in the recent past. In 1974 Chinese and South Vietnamese forces fought a naval battle in the area which was won by the Chinese, this event occurred a year before the forceful reunification of Vietnam. A diplomatic row erupted between China and Vietnam over placement of Chinese oil-rigs in the region in 2014, China in this case had to bow down.
The South China Sea, through which goods worth over $ 3 trillion pass through yearly, is increasingly becoming a global flash point. Nearly a third of global maritime trade passes through the area and a large portion of China’s energy imports also go through these waters. For these reasons, Chinese policy-makers think that they need to secure this region.
China eyes many other islands and shoals in the region. The country has active disputes with Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia. China also claims ownership of the Senkaku Islands the southern most of the Ryuku Islands administered by Japan.
Team Bharatshakti
