China's Territorial Disputes

One way to cement a claim to a disputed territory — and to anger others who think it belongs to them — is to build on it. That's what nations have been doing in the South China Sea, and none more so than China: It’s constructed vast features including runways and facilities to house weapons. The building boom is a sign of growing Chinese assertiveness under President Xi Jinping at a time when President Donald Trump is raising questions about the cost of U.S. security commitments overseas. Beijing’s heavy hand has been felt from the Himalayas to Asia's seas, where China's territorial claims have long been a source of contention and, now and again, threaten to boil over.

A Chinese warship nearly collided with a U.S. Navy vessel in the South China Sea in September while trying to shoo it away from territory China claims as its own. Another U.S. Navy ship operating near Scarborough Shoal — a feature seized by China from the Philippines in 2012 — provoked an angry reaction in China in January. Both incidents show how disputes can quickly flare up, particularly at a time of heightened political tensions. China claims more than 80 percent of the South China Sea and has stepped up its military presence as well as constructing artificial land features. Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan claim parts of the same maritime area, a thriving fishing zone through which more than $3 trillion of trade passes each year. In a case brought by the Philippines, an international tribunal in The Hague ruled in 2016 that China's claims had no legal basis. China dismissed the ruling, saying the tribunal had no jurisdiction. Xi identified as a key achievement of his first term the progress made building outposts in the South China Sea — a clear signal he means to stand firm. As tensions eased in 2017, China agreed to resume longstanding talks on a code of conduct for the South China Sea, but it would be non-binding and wouldn't cover territorial claims. One thousand miles to the northeast, in the East China Sea, China is in a dispute with Japan over century-old claims to a set of islands — called the Senkakus in Japan and the Diaoyus in China — that have been administered by Japan since 1972. That is potentially more dangerous, as the U.S. has said they fall under a mutual defense treaty with Japan, meaning any local flare-up would risk embroiling American forces. China is also in dispute with India over territory along their Himalayan border — they went to war over it in 1962 and nearly came to blows in 2017.