Chinese Rise and the Development of Conflicts with Southeast Asian Countries over the South China Sea

Abstract

The American thinker Samuel Huntington at the time thought that the global conflict under the new international order would be an economic conflict, stressing that China would be the first emerging economic power that could pose a serious threat to the United States. That reading embodied the model of American readings at the time, which were looking at a set of transformations that China brought about in its economic system and structures, which began to show features of its impact remarkably since the early nineties, especially in light of the enormous material and human capabilities and capabilities that China possesses, and its relentless directions at that stage. Which was proceeding in full swing to implement a successive series of comprehensive and ambitious development plans and strategies, to make China, in the eyes of American decision-makers, the strongest potential competitor to the United States in the twenty-first century. During the past three decades, China was able to deal with various international crises positively, to become a major economic power in the world, occupying an advanced position globally in terms of progress and growth, so it tended to develop and develop its military capabilities and modernize its war arsenal, especially its naval forces, commensurate with its global position. It enables it to protect its economic interests that extend across the world, and because China has become one of the largest consumers of energy in the world, it has paid great attention to protecting waterways and oil supplies that come from overseas countries from the continents, especially the South China Sea. The China Sea occupies a very important geographical location that made it one of the most important waterways in the world, as more than 33% of international trade ships pass through it, and nearly 50% of the maritime transport of energy sources from oil and gas, and a dense network of cables passes through it. The international communication network, in addition to the mineral and fish resources that are available in it, and its containment of large reserves of oil and natural gas, which made it the focus of ambitions of many countries near and far, in that controlling it means controlling the artery of global trade and navigation, and for this China was keen to Ensuring the extension of its influence on the China Sea, especially the strategic islands that it includes, and this is what made China enter into direct confrontations and conflicts with a group of Southeast Asian countries, especially the (ASEAN) group of countries.