Floating Barrier In The South China Sea’s Disputed Area:
The Coast Guard of China was accused by the Philippines recently of installing a “floating barrier” in the South China Sea’s disputed area.
- South China Sea is an arm of the western Pacific Ocean that borders the Southeast Asian mainland.
- It is bordered by China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, and Vietnam.
- It is connected by the Taiwan Strait with the East China Sea and by the Luzon Strait with the Philippine Sea (both marginal seas of the Pacific Ocean).
- The South China Sea and the East China Sea together form the China Sea.
- The two major archipelagos are known as the Paracel Islands, controlled by China, and the Spratly Islands.
- It is the second most used sea lane in the world. It is a significant trade route for crude oil from the Persian Gulf and Africa through the Strait of Malacca to Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan.
- Major Ports: Hong Kong, Singapore, and Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan.
- Several countries claim various parts of the sea, and these claims often overlap.
- In particular, China’s sweeping claims – which include sovereignty claims over land parcels and their adjacent waters – have angered competing claimants like Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.
