A U.S. South China Sea Perspective: Just Over the Horizon

China maintains complete control of the Paracel Islands and occupies nine rocks within
the Spratlys. China claims undisputable sovereignty over both island groups based on historical
records that date back 2,000 years. The map that China submitted to the United Nations in 2009
did not clarify this claim, it only created more questions. The nine dashes on the map cover more
than 80% of the South China Sea and no Chinese official has been willing to provide specifics to
its meaning. The debate continues as to whether the Chinese sees the dash lines as delineating its
territorial waters or an EEZ. Regardless, the ambiguous nature of the claim has benefited China
in negotiations. Speaking in generalities does not provide any specific facts for rival claimants to
refute during negotiations. However, China’s simple aim may be to delay negotiations with
ASEAN to allow China’s instruments of influence and control to grow stronger.
China’s diplomatic relations have dramatically improved with ASEAN members since
the time of China’s virtual isolationism beginning at the start of Mao Tse-tung’s reign in 1949. In
the past decade China has established and maintained frequent high-level contact with ASEAN
countries and Chinese leaders have attended a number of important regional multilateral
conferences. In an effort to establish greater ties with ASEAN members, China proposed a Free
Trade Area (FTA) in November 2000 that included ASEAN’s ten member nations and China.
This shocked most observers because China offered the trade proposal on their own initiative.
ASEAN accepted the FTA proposal, which reduced tariffs on almost 90% of goods to zero.
When the ASEAN-China FTA went into full effect in 2010, it represented the largest FTA in
terms of population (almost two billion people among the eleven countries) and it is regarded as
the major reason why ASEAN countries have experienced impressive economic growth and
increased trade in the last decade.
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