Sustainable Development in the South China Sea: Delving the Prospects for a Durable Solution

The South China Sea is addressed for its territorial and sovereignty claims and also issues related to the environment. The vastness of the sea is spread over an area of 3.5 million square kilometer with a projected potential of massive energy resources. The issue has its political and military conflicts ranging from mere claim to various international rights. The sea is also surrounded by few other countries that have strategic interest in the sea which include Taiwan, Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam. There are three major group of islands in this region. They are the Paracel islands, Spratly islands and Scarborough shoal. Spratly islands are the largest group of islands, where almost every country have made claims. The location of this Sea is an important trade route, as it connects the western pacific and Indian oceans and is considered as one of the world's busiest. Over half of the world's merchant fleet sails through the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion worth trade happens every year. The South China Sea is also identified to have over 7.5 Billion barrels of oil and so it is called the ‘gulf of Asia’.

To strengthen its claim in the South China Sea, China is building airstrips, ports, and other facilities on disputed islands and reefs. The speed and scale of China's island-building spree have alarmed other countries with interests in the region. So far it has constructed port facilities, military buildings and airstrips on the islands. From December 2013, China has been creating artificial islands with a total area of close to 3,000 acres on seven coral reefs it occupies in the Spratly Islands. China's island-building initiativesignals an aggressive stance intended to secure dominance in the South China Sea. In its attempt to construct artificial islands, China has covered many reefs with sand through dredging from the ocean floor and has also allowed its fishermen to harvest the giant clams.

This paper brings to the fore the factors that have led to the environmental depletion and marine pollution in the sea. It also examines the intensity of China's economic pursuit and maritime ambitions in the South China Sea which has led to environmental issues. It also suggests viable and durable solution for sustainable development in the South China Sea.

To provide a comprehensive insight of the environmental problems of the South China Sea and explore the possibilities and challenges to establish sustainable development in the region.

It is adescriptive and analytical study. It is descriptivein the sense that the real scenario in the South China Sea region is portrayed and the extent of environmental damage is explained. It is analytical in the sense that the underlying cause and the probable solutions are to be identified. In order to make a detailed study, various secondary data were collected from text books, journals, magazines, etc.

China has carried out more dredging, island building and construction activities than any other claimant countries and therefore China should be held responsible for more damage.

The region is already vulnerable due to over fishing and unscientific methods of fishing.

China has overlooked the environmental issues because of its maritime ambitions which seem more important to it.

China has enough Marine Environment Laws but is intentionally twisted to suit their ambitions.

China is still continuing to build artificial islands and is expanding by land filling.

The response of China to the verdict is aggressive than to appear guilty. China thinks more construction will gain more credibility over the region.

The people or the NGOs in China are ignorant about the complexity of the issue.

In spite of having many possibilities to establish regional co-operation not even a single strategy is applied properly till date.

Although the international community’s primary focus regarding these activities has been on issues of sovereignty and security, they have also sounded the alarm about the environmental consequences. Though information about the scope of the environmental damage caused by China’s dredging and land reclamation is limited, China’s island building activities in the Spratly Islands have negatively impacted fisheries in the areas of the reclamation sites. In addition, China’s new artificial islands will almost certainly lead to increased Chinese fishing in the surrounding waters, which would put further pressure on fisheries in those areas. The long-term environmental impacts of China’s activities on the seven Spratly reefs it occupies may never be known unless the Chinese military allows independent experts to conduct research. Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan, and the Philippine accounted for just a tiny percentage of that construction, the study said, while China’s activities were responsible for 99 percent of the resulting damage to offshore coral reefs. The impact of any environmental harm occurring in the region may not be limited to the immediate area, but can affect the ecosystems elsewhere in the South China Sea. This situation can be changed only through a joint effort by all the countries which will pave way for a viable solution.