The South China Sea covers an area of some 3,500,000 sq. km between Singapore and the Formosa Strait. It is bordered by the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. The Sea is a major maritime transit route and a true umbilical cord between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Within it lies vast wealth, notably the oil and gas so coveted by the littoral countries.

The majority of maritime traffic flowing from Japan and Korea to the Middle East and Europe passes through the strategic Strait of Malacca. In Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, sea fishing provides one of the principal sources of protein in people’s diet. The South China Sea is an area ripe for exploitation, but it also has to be preserved, so the challenges involved come from many directions. Three of these will be highlighted here: the economic stakes and challenges, which are partly linked to the considerable maritime traffic, the energy stakes and the environmental stakes, which will take on greater importance in the twenty-first century.

Economic Stakes

The South China Sea can be considered Asia’s umbilical cord, since it carries half of all world maritime traffic. Furthermore, it has in it three of the five busiest international container ports. From the economic point of view, it is important to note four aspects: sea lines of communication, commercial activity, exploitation of fish stocks and tourism.