Why the Spratly Islands Dispute Matters

By Derek DeLuca

Starting in 2013, China began a concerted effort to establish large, artificial islands throughout the Spratly Island archipelago in the South China Sea (China claims the entire sea and archipelago). The undeniable purpose of such efforts is for China to control the archipelago, and therefore control the unquestionably important region.

The problem with the People’s Republic of China laying claim to the entire region is that five other nations (Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam) also lay claim to certain areas of the Spratly Islands, making one of the world’s most heavily militarized regions even more volatile.

In addition to the above-named countries, any potential conflict in Southeast Asia could eventually draw in the United States to protect its interests and allies. Most importantly, the United States and the Philippines have at least three treaties that would lead to a defense of the latter by China.  The 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, the 1999 Visiting Forces Agreement, and the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement all oblige the U.S. to oppose any aggression to its ally, the Philippines......

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