Five countries, other than China, are highly dependent on the South China Sea

The South China Sea is a vital trade route that connects the major arteries of commerce in Southeast Asia, connecting waterways from Singapore and Malaysia to Indonesia, the Philippines and Taiwan.

Combined with abundant reserves of hydrocarbons and marine life – the primary source of animal protein for the region’s dense population – this body of water is extremely important beyond its borders.

According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and DevelopmentAn estimated $3.37 trillion, or 21% of total global trade, was valued through the South China Sea in 2016.

Territorially, there are seven claimants in the South China Sea: China, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam.

But to whom does the South China Sea matter most?

Analysts mention the first five countries, other than China, that are most dependent on the South China Sea.

Vietnam, with a population of 95.5 million, saw its economy grow to $362.64 billion in 2021, World Bank data show up.

“Vietnam occupies more than three thousand kilometers of coastline on the South China Sea and occupies the largest number of features in the Spratly Islands,” according to Ewan Graham, Shangri-La Dialogue senior fellow for Asia and the Pacific security at the International Institute for Strategy. studies.

The military and geopolitical expert said: “What makes it interesting is its geography in Southeast Asia, which allows for a continental or maritime orientation and creates pressures in both directions.”

“On a grand strategic level, Vietnam is doubling down on its maritime strategy to become an export-driven economy that relies on freedom of navigation to thrive.”

Graham said this was a reversal of the history of Vietnam in the previous century when it was focused on land and relied on continental allies – chief among them the Soviet Union and China. Vietnam was also mired in land conflicts with China and Cambodia at the time.

Vietnam, which shares a border with China, has it They benefited from China’s supply chain problems Exacerbated by Beijing’s strict Covid-zero policy and supply take-offs.

“The opportunity lies in the prosperity brought by exports and foreign investment,” Graham said.

“Organizations are reorienting supply chains out of China, and South Korea is now investing heavily in microchip production in Vietnam. This benefits Vietnam further by giving other countries a stake in its survival.”

As the primary sea link to markets in Europe, Asia and the Americas, with a length of 105 kilometers About 1,000 ships pass through the Singapore Strait every day.

Most of the conversations focus on resources like oil, gas and fisheries that everyone is competing with,” but “freedom of the sea is what keeps Singapore alive,” said Blake Herzinger, a civilian expert on defense policy in the Indo-Pacific.

“Carrier Killer, China’s anti-ship ballistic missile and theater of operations without a free South China Sea across from Singapore, this becomes a different proposition for its value and national survival,” said the co-author of Carrier Killer. 21st century.”

With a population of 5.64 million, Singapore’s GDP is estimated at $337.5 billion in 2020, making it 17th largest commodity trading partner with the United Statesaccording to the Office of the US Trade Representative.

“Although Singapore does not claim any maritime features of the South China Sea, it does lie on the most important Maritime Communications Corridors (SLOCs) – the Singapore Strait, and the beginning of the Strait of Malacca,” said Charlie A. Brown, a regional official. Maritime awareness expert and consultant.

The small country in Southeast Asia relies heavily on free trade that passes safely through their country and adjacent waters.

“Singapore’s leadership is clearly a country that depends existentially on free seas and a rules-based order. In the absence of that, places like Singapore are in a lot of trouble.”

The largest economy in Southeast Asia achieved an estimated GDP of $1.2 trillion in 2021, According to World Bank data.

About 42% of Japan’s maritime trade passes through the South China Sea each year, according to the Association of Accredited Public Policy Advocates of the European Union.

by 2020, Japan was the world’s largest LNG buyerIt imported nearly 74.5 million tons.

Brown argued that because of Japan’s oil imports from the Persian Gulf region, “they have a longstanding interest in the vulnerability of sea lanes that date back to before World War II”.

“In modern times, their regional activities support capacity building on issues such as maritime safety and security, protection of resources and infrastructure, and freedom of navigation with countries bordering the South China Sea,” Brown added.

Japan also sent strong signals to China.

The largest Japanese newspaper is Yomiuri Shimbun It reported that Japanese Navy destroyers had sailed through the waterway of the South China Sea repeatedly, near artificial islands and reefs claimed by Beijing.

The newspaper quoted an unnamed senior Defense Ministry official as saying that the maritime patrols “aimed to warn China that it is perverting international law to protect freedom of navigation and maritime law and order.”

The Yomiuri Shimbun said those operations, under the leadership of the Maritime Self-Defense Force, began in March last year.

On July 22, A.J The Japanese government has released Defense Japan 2022 A white paper accuses China of trying to unilaterally change the status quo in the East and South China Seas.

China’s Ministry of National Defense responded severely reprimanded, charging that the document made “irresponsible remarks”.

Fourth largest economy in Asia – An estimated $1.8 trillion in 2021 – economically more dependent on energy imports than Japan, according to Graham.

As the world’s eighth largest energy consumer, South Korea imports approximately 92.8% of its energy consumption and natural resources, Government data showed. In 2021, South Korea spent $137.2 billion on energy imports, which is 22.3% of its total imports.

according to Figures from the US Energy Information AdministrationThe Middle East accounted for 69% of South Korea’s crude oil imports for 2019, down from more than 80% before 2018.

With the majority of South Korea’s crude oil imports passing through the South China Sea, its current strategic importance to national security cannot be underestimated.

“With the launch of the domestically designed and manufactured Chinese aircraft carrier in June 2022, maritime hegemony and supremacy in the Pacific has not been challenged like this since World War II,” Brown said.

“The European conflict has raised concerns about the global trading system,” he said. “Warnings of the effects of conflict in the South China Sea must be taken seriously. We should all listen to calls from countries like Singapore and South Korea to avoid it and reduce tensions.”

In 2021, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said so More than 80% of the international trade volume is transported by sea, with 54% of global maritime trade occurring in Asia. However, pandemic uncertainty continues to spill over in the form of supply chain disruption, changes in globalization patterns, transportation costs, and port congestion.

Inclusive, UNCTAD estimates that global maritime trade recovered by 4.3% in 2021. It also projected trade volumes to grow at an annual rate of 2.4% between 2022 and 2026.