More significantly, the economic harm caused by the South China Sea claim state ‘ construction of artificial archipelago and related individual actions in the area, as claimed by China, appears to be lower than the damage wrought by the grounded Sierre Madre at Second Thomas Shoal and related people activities there.
A CSIS report pointed out that, among other things, China has caused the most reef destruction through dredging and landfill, burying roughly 4, 648 acres of reefs ( equivalent to more than 3, 500 football fields ), followed by Vietnam ( 1, 402 acres or more than 1, 000 football fields ), Malaysia (83 acres or more than 62 football fields ) and the Philippines ( 40 acres or more than 30 football fields ).
Unsurprisingly, China has criticized these results and highlighted its own efforts to protect marine types in the South China Sea. However, Scarborough Shoal’s climate security claims are weakened by the destruction caused by China’s synthetic island-building.
Given that both parties are likely to talk disparagingly, China’s climate protection accounts are unlikely to dispel the Philippines ‘ concerns about the loss of marine life close to Scarborough Shoal. In order to put forth a new legal action against China, Manila also appears determined to push the case with the intention of imposing new international pressure on Beijing.
The Yusof Ishak Institute’s Regional Strategic and Political Studies Program is led by Lye Liang Fook, a Top Fellow. This remark initially appeared on ISEAS- Yusof Ishak Institute’s website, Fulcrum.