The historical context of the South China Sea territorial conflict

On July 12, nine years ago, the Permanent Court of Arbitration delivered its final ruling on the case filed by the Philippines against China over territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

- ANDREW J. MASIGAN

The court affirmed that China's claim, as embodied by its nine-dash line, has no basis under international law.

This piece provides the historical context of the disputed waters. The waters first appeared in Indian, Arab and Chinese historical records as early as 206 BCE. The waters were depicted as fishing grounds and trading routes that connected Eastern and Western Asia to Southeast Asia. The waters are peppered with tiny islands and sunken reefs. There, safe havens were built by ancient seafarers as they navigated the open sea. Artifacts originating from a myriad of cultures were found in the islets, suggesting that they were used not by one but by a host of civilizations.

Fast forward to World War 2 and it became clear that the waters are strategic in a time of war. They were used by Japan as naval outposts during the expansion of its empire in Southeast Asia.

In the 60s, it was discovered that beneath the seas lie an estimated 11 billion barrels of oil, 190 trillion feet of natural gas and 10 percent of the world's fishing resources. It has also emerged as one of the most important global trading routes. The strategic importance of the waters could not be denied.

Of particular interest is the Spratly Islands. The Spratlys is a group of some 100 islets, reefs and shoals. It straddles the Philippines to the east, Vietnam to the west, Malaysia and Brunei to the south and China and Taiwan to the north. Control over the Spratlys allows military projection and surveillance over the entire Asian region.