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Maritime Conflicts in the East China Sea: Regional Dynamics and Global Implications
Maritime conflicts and the possibility of at-sea conflicts have drawn attention to the East China Sea (ECS) for many years. Global factors, such as nations depending on the Law of the Sea (LOS) regulations while seeking to interpret them to their unilateral benefit, impact these conflicts. Bilateral agreements are preferred over formal arbitration wherever feasible by the parties. Regional considerations, however, influence these patterns. The validity of the liberal order of the Pacific (LOS) and Western international law has been challenged regionally by the abrupt and occasionally violent shift from the Sinocentric tributary system to the Westphalian system. Furthermore, because China is a near-peer rival of the US and has more tools to enforce its will unilaterally, the fact that it is a party to nearly all ECS conflicts restricts the application of LOS. China could not be as concerned about violating LOS as other weaker parties in these conflicts because it does not believe that doing so is essential to defending its maritime rights.
This qualitative research investigates the sovereignty of the Senkaku/Diaoyu island dispute, the only three-way dispute over a geographic feature above high tide with the greatest potential for conflict. It is clear from examining the ECS that the ECS issue is relevant to global dynamics. Even if they try to interpret them to their benefit whenever feasible, countries generally rely on the norms and regulations of the League of Nations. Due to the increase in recoverable resources brought about by technical improvements as well as the growing importance of maritime conflicts in domestic politics due to national identity, nationalism, and the high stakes involved in the economy, the resolution and management of these disputes have grown more difficult.
Differential geographical variables also influence these processes. The abrupt and dramatic shift from the Sinocentric tribute system to the Westphalian state structure in the nineteenth century somewhat undermined the credibility of LOS and Western international law. Due to this, parties are now much less inclined than in other states to consent to arbitration. In certain situations, they even deny the validity of LOS arbitral procedures altogether. Thus, because of their particular regional dynamics and the impact of external variables, the maritime conflicts in the ECS and SCS are different from those in other regions.
The Chinese coast to the west, South Korea to the northeast, Japan (including the Ryukyu Islands), and Taiwan to the east from the East China Sea (ECS) boundaries. The Senkaku/Diaoyutai/Diaoyu Islands, Socotra Rock, and overlapping exclusive economic zone (EEZ) claims between China and South Korea, Japan, and China are the main points of contention in the ECS conflicts. The nations that border the East China Sea (ECS) are varied, with liberal democracies South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan to the north, east, and south, and China, a one-party communist state, to the west.
The UN and regional multilateral organizations, including the East Asia Summit, East Asia 1 3, ASEAN Regional Forum, ASEAN Plus Three (APT), ASEAN Defence Ministers Plus Dialogue Partners, and Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum (EAMF), are all attended by the governments bordering the ocean. These global forums assist in resolving military tensions and maritime conflicts about ECS. As members of the subregional Trilateral Collaboration Mechanism (TCM), China, Japan, and South Korea encourage collaboration among these three Northeast Asian nations, including security cooperation. The Sino-Japanese disagreement over where to define the boundary for their respective EEZs is the second most important territorial issue in the East China Sea (ECS), after the Senkaku/Diaoyutai/Diaoyu Islands. Less well-known are the EEZ issues between China and South Korea and the Sino-South Korean dispute over Socotra/Ieodo Rock. The air defense identification zones (ADIZs) that overlap may make these EEZ issues more complicated.
- The Senkaku/Diaoyu island dispute involves complex sovereignty issues with high potential for conflict.
- The transition from the Sinocentric system to the Westphalian state system challenges the application of international maritime laws.
- Regional forums like ASEAN and the Trilateral Cooperation Mechanism help manage military tensions and maritime conflicts in the East China Sea.
