Why Does China Claim the South China Sea?

TL;DR

China claims most of the South China Sea because its leaders connect historical navigation and artifacts with postwar acts of possession, while also viewing the islands as strategic territory and potential sources of resources. The claim hardened after World War II, when rival governments realized that even tiny reefs and rocks could support military access, strengthen regional influence, and prevent competitors from controlling vital waters.

Transcript

(bright music) - Look at this map of the most disputed water in the world. It's a sea that is claimed in part by seven countries. - [Reporter 1] Tensions are rising in one of the most hotly contested regions on the planet, the South China Sea. - Including one that no one likes to talk about. This sea is peppered with tiny islands, most of which loo... Read More

Key Insights

• China's South China Sea claim combines historical contact, postwar possession, strategic geography, and expected resources. The argument is not based on one uninterrupted record of occupation. It draws together old maps, archaeological objects, naval expeditions, and a national story about territory that China believes other powers might otherwise seize.
• An early 1600s Chinese merchant map documents detailed trading routes from China's eastern coast through Southeast Asia, Indonesia, and toward the Indian Ocean. It also depicts important South China Sea island groups, demonstrating that Chinese merchants knew the waters and incorporated them into extensive regional trading networks.
• Historical navigation is evidence of Chinese activity, not necessarily sovereignty. Merchants and explorers fished near the islands, sheltered there during bad weather, and left pottery, bowls, and coins. The transcript states that nobody lived on the islands and that the Chinese empire did not initially consider them valuable enough to claim.
• European and Japanese expansion changed the political meaning of the islands. France's colonization of Indochina and its claims during the 1930s angered China and Japan, while strategic thinkers in Britain, France, and the United States began considering how control of small islands could influence power throughout the South China Sea.
• Japan's wartime control demonstrated the islands' military potential. Japanese planners surveyed locations for possible seaplane harbors and submarine docks, and Japan eventually controlled almost the entire South China Sea coastline. This experience showed regional governments that scattered rocks could become useful strategic positions during a major conflict.
• World War II triggered a postwar scramble for territory because Japan was forced to relinquish its conquests. China linked its claim to earlier navigation and artifacts, while southern Vietnam cited proximity and France's former claims. The Philippines initially made no claim because it was occupied with establishing its newly independent state.
• A Filipino businessman's Freedomland claim illustrates the uncertainty surrounding postwar ownership. He declared a country across a cluster of 53 islands, occupied them for about 90 days, and maintained the claim for roughly two decades before the Philippine government compelled him to surrender it and tried to use it for its own case.
• The Republic of China's 1946 expedition marked a major shift from historical awareness to an official act of possession. Its navy visited major island groups during China's civil war, and on December 12, 1946, a Chinese official planted a flag on a Spratly Island for the first time described in the transcript.

Questions & Answers

Q: Why does China claim most of the South China Sea?

China's claim rests on a combination of historical contact, postwar state action, strategic interests, and potential resources. Chinese merchants mapped regional routes, visited islands, fished nearby, and left objects such as pottery and coins. After World War II showed the islands' military importance, the Republic of China sent naval ships to major island groups and planted a flag on a Spratly Island in 1946.

Q: Does early Chinese navigation prove ownership of the islands?

Early Chinese navigation proves that merchants and explorers knew and used the South China Sea, but the transcript says it does not establish ownership or occupation. Chinese travelers stopped near islands during bad weather, fished around them, and left pottery, bowls, and coins. Nobody lived there permanently, and the Chinese empire initially showed little interest in claiming rocks that seemed to have limited value.

Q: What does the early Chinese merchant map show?

The map, commissioned by a wealthy Chinese merchant around the early 1600s or possibly earlier, depicts the South China Sea in surprisingly accurate detail. It records trading routes from China's eastern coast through Southeast Asia and Indonesia, continuing toward the Indian Ocean. It also includes important island groups, showing that Chinese merchants understood the region and used it as part of a broad maritime trading system.

Q: Why did the South China Sea islands become strategically important?

The islands became strategically important as France, Japan, and other powers competed for influence during the 1930s and World War II. Japanese surveys considered whether certain locations could serve as seaplane harbors or submarine docks. Japan's control of almost the entire surrounding coastline demonstrated that small islands could support regional power, making postwar governments fear that unclaimed territory would be taken by competitors.

Q: How did World War II affect South China Sea claims?

World War II changed the islands from largely neglected rocks into recognized strategic positions. Japan occupied much of the region and used its dominance to make the South China Sea effectively a Japanese-controlled area. After the United States defeated Japan and Japan surrendered its conquered territories, several governments rushed to claim islands, believing that failure to assert control would allow another country to take them.

Q: How did Vietnam justify its South China Sea claims?

Southern Vietnam argued that many disputed islands were geographically close to Vietnam and that France, its former colonial ruler, had already claimed them. Vietnam was divided and undergoing an independence movement when these competing postwar claims developed. Its reasoning therefore combined proximity with inherited French assertions, placing it in direct competition with China's historical and postwar arguments for ownership.

Q: What was the Free Territory of Freedomland?

The Free Territory of Freedomland was a self-declared country created by a Filipino businessman who claimed to have discovered a cluster of 53 islands. He occupied the islands for about 90 days, but his claim technically continued for roughly two decades. The Philippine government eventually forced him to relinquish it and attempted to use that earlier private claim to support Philippine ownership of the islands.

Q: What did the Republic of China do in the islands after World War II?

During China's civil war, the nationalist Republic of China sent its navy to several of the largest islands to assert that they belonged to China. The ships used for this mission had been supplied by the United States to support the nationalists against communist forces. On December 12, 1946, a Chinese official planted a flag on a Spratly Island, the first such official act identified in the transcript.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Chinese merchants and explorers navigated the South China Sea centuries ago, using its islands as temporary shelters and fishing grounds. An early 1600s merchant map records detailed trade routes and island groups, while pottery, bowls, and coins show Chinese contact. However, the evidence presented demonstrates activity rather than permanent occupation or formal ownership.

• The islands became strategically significant when France colonized Indochina and claimed territory during the 1930s. Japan subsequently surveyed and occupied much of the region, considering uses such as seaplane harbors and submarine docks. World War II demonstrated that small islands could provide valuable positions near a major international crossroads, encouraging competing postwar claims.

• After Japan surrendered its wartime conquests, China, Vietnam, and later the Philippines pursued competing claims. In 1946, the Republic of China sent naval ships to major islands and placed a Chinese flag on a Spratly Island. These actions helped transform older stories of maritime contact into a modern political narrative supporting Chinese entitlement.