EVEN as the Philippines busies itself with precampaign mudslinging over Twitter and Facebook, the naval might of the United States and Japan arrive in formation at the South China Sea for a show of naval force.
Of late, in defense of China’s reclamation of 2,000 acres of disputed sea and reef for militarization purposes (that’s equivalent to about 1,500 football fields), Russia reportedly joins in the fray.
Just on Tuesday, US missile cruiser Shiloh docked at Subic Bay, once considered America’s biggest military base in the region.
The tensions alone are forcing Southeast Asian nations to rethink their defense spending, with Navy and Coast Guard units getting the bulk of the budget.
It is estimated by IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly that $52 billion will be spent by the 10-nation Southeast Asian region on defense by 2020, with a projected $42 billion this year.
The tension over South China Sea is projected to increase spending to about $58 billion over the next five years, with naval purchases getting priority status.
Why the earmarked spending all of a sudden, even as most experts predicted less of a shooting war?
It’s all about a question of trade.
Roughly $5.3 million in shipborne trade passes through the South China Sea annually. The exact amount reaches $6.39 trillion, based on varying estimates. That’s more than enough reason for a full-scale war, if and when things don’t go well with China and the Philippines.
But the thing is, the tensions are already forcing some companies to spend more just to avoid being caught in the cross fire over South China Sea. One doesn’t need a full-scale shooting war between China and the United States to know how such “cold wars” affect maritime activity in the area.
Caught in the middle of all this is the lowly fisherman. Reef destruction by China due to reclamation efforts is estimated to incur losses worth $100 million annually.
This virtual trading in egos must soon stop if we were to save the coral reefs, home to varying species of fish and other rich resources.
Image credits: Jimbo Albano
1 comment
“This virtual trading in egos must soon stop” If it is so, there is no problem at all. There is a real problem because China is already physically taking over areas that are presently in dispute and need resolution using the UNCLOS. China is doing so by the sheer power of its military might. China’s behavior is not on par with what is expected of a respectable world power. Other powers whose geopolitical, security, and economic interest will be affected must stand up to maintain the status quo and better, convince China to comply with the UNCLOS to maintain peace and progressive commerce in the area.