International agreements have attempted to establish boundaries and give a clearer picture as to which country has the rights to certain areas.Ĭhina sees things differently and essentially ignores the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.Ĭhina asserts its territorial rights in the South China Sea with a vague, U-shaped "nine-dash line". "Really what's driving these different disputes is first, the need for these states to access resources," La Trobe Asia director Bec Strating said. It's these overlapping territorial claims that make the 3.3-million-square-kilometres area one of the most contested maritime regions in the world, John Blaxland, professor of International Security and Intelligence Studies at the Australian National University, told the ABC. There's plenty of fish to be caught, and oil and gas opportunities they are all keen to exploit. The South China Sea is of great commercial and strategic interest to Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan and Brunei but has been almost entirely claimed by China. Here's a look at what's been happening in the region, and what's expected in 2023. On top of that are the strategic military concerns. US forces and allies including Australia will keep up their presence in the contested waters, where huge gas projects, commercial fishing, seabed resources and busy trade routes are all at stake. There are fears of more tension and competition in the South China Sea this year as Beijing continues its relentless building and military operations, with warnings the area will be "saturated with Chinese vessels".
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