Chokehold of maritime trade route seen as aim of China aggression

MANILA, Philippines — China’s aggression in the South China Sea is pointing to its intention of asserting control over the area not only for its resources, but also for the economic and military leverages it could give.

For geopolitical expert Don McLain Gill, China’s long-term goal has always been “to dominate both sides of the Indo-Pacific,” a region that stands at the forefront of global strategic interests.

But to take over the region, the South China Sea has to be controlled first, considering its geographic location, he told INQUIRER.net in an interview on Monday, Aug. 4.

“There is a clear intent to operationalize an exclusionary policy that would keep particularly Western countries outside or at bay so that China can ensure that it has the upper hand for sea control in the area,” he said.

But how?

As pointed out by Gill, who is teaching international relations at the De La Salle University, “one of the major incentives for a more assertive sea control over the South China Sea is to dominate the maritime trade routes.”

READ: Silence not an option as China encroachment persists

 

Based on data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), the South China Sea, aside from having billions to trillions worth of proven and probable oil and gas reserves, is also a critical world trade route.