Topic: 2024-The Situatin in the South China Sea
Country: France
Delegate Name: Braden Longstreth
Great Lakes Invitational Model United Nations Conference
Delegation: France
Committee: Security Council
The Situation in South China Sea
Within the South China Sea, many countries are in dispute for territory, to try and claim the plentiful amounts of untapped oil, stemming back from the 1970’s. Countries such as Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Vietnam, and The Philippines are in attempts to claim land in the South China Sea (Territorial). The lands maintain high amounts of natural resources and rich fishing zones. Although China holds law over this area, their failure to resolve disputes in a diplomatic way, can encourage an increase of arms in these areas, and undermine the integrity of the international law. China upholds an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which states that foreign militaries are not allowed to conduct intelligence gathering research withing the EEZ. Contradicting this, rights under the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Seas show that countries should have full freedom of navigation within the seas (Territorial). Countries within the area, especially the Philippines and China, have been expanding their arms, and relations with other countries that could increase their power.
France holds its own EEZ’s within the South China sea, through territories. Although the country holds EEZ’s, France speaks out towards freedom of navigation throughout the area, along with many other countries in the European Union. Since 2021, France has been expanding military presence within the South China Sea, in response to the assertive response made by Beijing in response to the contested waters (Explainer). Along with the patrol of the South China Sea, France has been reinforcing its connections with the Quad, which includes the United States, Japan, India, and Australia (The Quad). The Quad looks to create a free and open Indo-Pacific region by striving to set the geopolitical agenda within the Area. The ideology of this collaboration coincides with the principles of France, and other countries in the European Union, and France looks to apply what the Quad is looking to apply.
To preserve freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, countries that have existing relations with the Quad, or countries that make up the Quad, need to be implementing a training system for their Navy’s that are involved in the area. If these countries have no naval presence in the area, an increase must be considered. France is holding multiple three-week training sessions in the Mediterranean Sea, to gain an operational capability to oversee the Indian Ocean and parts of the Pacific. If more countries train a sector of their navy to be capable of patrolling the South China Sea and simultaneously keeping China from pushing countries outside of their EEZ, the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea’s freedom of navigation could be set into place. This area is filled with an immense number of natural resources. Through the quad, these resources could be harvested and used as an incentive for countries to bring naval support into the area.
Work Cited:
“Explainer: Why France Is Flexing Its Muscles in the South China Sea.” South China Morning Post, 28 Feb. 2021, amp.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3123342/south-china-sea-why-france-flexing-its-muscles-contested.
The Quad: A Mature Counterbalance in the South China – DTIC, apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/AD1176642.pdf. Accessed 12 Nov. 2024.
“Territorial Disputes in the South China Sea | Global Conflict Tracker.” Council on Foreign Relations, Council on Foreign Relations, www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/territorial-disputes-south-china-sea. Accessed 12 Nov. 2024.
