South China Sea

Subject – IR

Context – China to require foreign vessels to report in ‘territorial waters’.

Concept –

South China Sea is an arm of western Pacific Ocean in Southeast Asia.
It is connected by Taiwan Strait with the East China Sea and by Luzon Strait with the Philippine Sea.
This sea holds tremendous strategic importance for its location as it is the connecting link between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. (Strait of Malacca)
According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) one-third of the global shipping passes through it, carrying trillions of trade which makes it a significant geopolitical water body.