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For John, BLUF:  China is trying to expand its maritime frontiers and this has resulted in confrontations with a number of nearby states.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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China's attempt to seize another island in the South China Sea failed (for now)

From Hot Air, by Reporter John Sexton, 26 August 2023, 5:30 PM.

Here is the lede plus two:

There has been a strategic battle taking place in the South China Sea this year between China and the Philippines.  As you probably know, China has laid claim to most of the South China Sea and over the past decade has been using a strategy called the cabbage strategy to gradually claim individual islands.

The cabbage strategy involves surrounding islands with Chinese boats like the leaves of a cabbage.  China starts with fishing vessels, dozens of which anchor around an island or shoal making it difficult for any other vessels to approach.  Once that’s done, Chinese Coast Guard vessels move in to surround the fishing boats and formally prevent other boats from coming close.  Having established control, the fishing boats go away and sends in construction equipment to militarize the island.

One of the islands China has its eyes on is called Ayungin Shoal or, to foreigners, Second Thomas Shoal. Ayungin Shoal is only a few miles east of Mischief Reef, an area that China has already claimed and heavily militarized.  Both islands are well within the Philippines exclusive economic zone which stretches 200 miles to sea from the coast.

China relies on The Nine Dash Line as its legal authority to claim the whole of the Suoth China Sea as its own.  If China was able to claim at the waters encmpassed by The Nine Dash Line it would put a severe crimp in international ocean, and aviation, traffic.  On the other hand. resisting Chinese expansiono includes military confrontation.

Per Wikipedia, in January 2013, the Philippines initiated arbitration proceedings under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) over a range of issues, including China's historic rights claims inside the nine-dash line.  On 12 July 2016, the tribunal ruled in favor of the Philippines on most of its submissions.

The United States should support other nations in their assertions of their rights in the Suoth China Sea.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff