Taiwan’s Policy towards the South China Sea
69confrontations among fishing boats and law enforcement vessels from
other claimants.^9
Figure 5-3: The Shipping Lanes in the South China Sea^10
Last but not least, the importance of the Spratly Islands (and other
territories in the South China Sea) increased substantially with skyrocketing
demands for oil and with the advancement of offshore drilling. The South
China Sea is believed to be abundant in hydrocarbon resources.^11 Any land
formation that can establish territorial waters and an exclusive economic
zone is greatly treasured as a potential base for oil and gas exploration.
The general rise of importance of the South China Sea has been
coupled with increasing militarization of the region, as mentioned above.
This phenomenon owes much to the rise of China, its military
modernization, and its past assertiveness in the region. Other countries in
the region react by increasing their military spending, which is also driven
by their rise in prosperity. Militarization of the region increases the risk of
miscalculation and rush to arms in case of conflict, particularly when
combined with the rise of nationalism in the region.
Taiwan was the first to formally lay claim to all of the Spratly
Islands.^12 However, currently, Taiwan only controls Taiping (Itu Aba)
(^9) One of the most recent intense conflict involved Philippines and Taiwan.
(^10) Himmelman, “A Game of Shark and Minnow.”
(^11) For more information, see e.g. U.S. Energy Information Agency’s Report on
South China Sea.
(^12) Kelly, “Vietnamese Claims to the Truong Sa Archipelago, Explorations in
Southeast Asian Studies.”