Warfare and Technology | The 5th Domain

Sandy Cay: Another line in the sand crossed by you, guessed it; China. Sandy Cay Sandy Cay and Chinese South China Sea sovereignty claims. China has recently taken steps to assert its maritime control in the contested South China Sea by establishing sovereign jurisdiction over Sandy Cay reef, a small and uninhabited sandbank. Earlier, we have seen China seize and militarize the Paracel Islands (South China Sea), the Spratly Islands , Scarborough Shoal , Fiery Cross, Subi, Mischief, Cuarteron, Gaven, Hughes and finally Johnson reefs. The former South China Sea land relamation projects serve her military doctrine. This move included planting the Chinese flag on the reef, a strategic location just a few kilometres away from the Philippine-held Thitu Island,  a vital military installation of the Philippines that includes an army aviation-capable airstrip and 250 residents.  The situation has escalated tensions in the region as Sandy Cay is also claimed by Taiwan, Vietnam, and th...

China’s Strategic Dominance in the South China Sea: Drawing a line in the sand. The People's Republic of China (P.R.C.) relies on an enormous amount of foreign energy to power her economy; 60% of her oil imports navigates the Malacca Strait. The Malacca Strait is the world’s busiest maritime trade route, with over 100,000 large container ships transiting it yearly, carrying 64% of global trade. To dominate and strengthen her position as a pre-eminent power, China must have control of this crucial life-line for her economy, and as you will read, she has come up with both illegal and innovative means to position herself in doing just that.  The South China Sea and territorial disputes. At the same time as China has enjoyed becoming a modern and prosperous nation tied to the global order of things, with both formal admittance to the United Nations in 1971 China and a security council member, she has become an increasingly disruptive global power. China seeks to become a leading pow...