Each of China's four seas has its own special characteristics and unique strategic value, but the South China Sea is the most complex.
The entire South China Sea is the most extensive, with 3.5 million square kilometers, and although the South China Sea is so large, only 60% of the area belonging to China, 2.1 million square kilometers.
The territorial sea of 2.1 million square kilometers is mainly distinguished by the existing nine-dash line, which has also become the dividing line between the territorial sea of the mainland and the waters of other countries.
When everyone looks at the map of the South China Sea, they will clearly find that the existence of the nine-dash line is not only very large, but also close to the doorstep of Southeast Asian countries.
This raises the question of why the nine-dash line demarcating the area of the territorial sea came from, who proposed it, and why this almost hegemonic way of dividing it can be recognized by the international community.
1. Basic situation in the South China Sea
With its vast area and deepest depth, the South China Sea is unique among the four seas.
It covers an area of 2.1 million square kilometers and has an average water depth of 1,212 meters, with the deepest area being 5,559 meters.
The whole presents a diamond-shaped shape, from northeast to southwest, between China and Southeast Asian countries.
As a result, the distance between north and south has reached more than 2,000 kilometers, and there is also a span of 1,000 kilometers between east and west.
There are many islands and reefs in such a vast sea, and at present, there are more than 200 known to be uninhabited, and there are even more islands with traces of human life.
Most of the major rivers in China and Southeast Asia flow into the South China Sea.
From north to south, the South China Sea is divided into Dongsha Islands, Zhongsha Islands, Xisha Islands and Nansha Islands, of course, Xisha Islands and Zhongsha Islands are side by side from east to west, and the relative distance is not far away.
Among the four major archipelagos, the Dongsha Islands were the first to be developed because of their proximity to the motherland, and they are also the most rapidly developing archipelago, and of course they are also the areas with the least contradictions.
To the south, the Zhongsha Islands have increased to 600,000 square kilometers in area, and there are many islands and reefs, which are not low in development value and rich in fishery resources.
However, contradictions also arise, because Scarborough Shoal is here.
As for the Paracel Islands, it is the largest of the four archipelagos, surrounded by more than 40 islands and reefs, making it an area of more than 500,000 square kilometers.
The remaining Nansha Islands have the largest number of islands and reefs, with an area of 886,000 square kilometers.
With such a vast area and special geographical location, the Nansha Islands have huge reserves of minerals, oil and gas resources, and neighboring countries like to regard them as the Persian Gulf.
2. Nine-dash line distribution
Surrounding the four archipelagos is a U-shaped nine-dash line, starting from Taiwan, crossing the Philippines, crossing the Manila Trench, sticking to the Palawan Islands to the south, extending to the Nansha Trough, and then passing through Malaysia, turning north, sticking to the coast of Vietnam to Chinese mainland.
The first section is between the Batanes Islands in the Philippines and Taiwan, that is, near the Bass Strait, where although the wind and waves are strong, the navigation is dense and the strategic value is great.
The second section is located in the Northern Luzon Trough, which is 160 kilometers long from north to south and relatively close to Dongsha Island.
Section 3 is the boundary between the Philippine Islands and the Spratly Islands, located in the western part of the Philippines, near the Manila Trench.
Segment 4 is located in the western part of the Philippine island of Palawan, and the line runs close to the coastline of the Palawan Islands, strictly separating the Philippines from the Spratly Islands.
Further south is Section 5, which is located in the Spratly Trough and is one of the most unique of the nine-dash lines in terms of depth and length.
This is followed by Section 6, the southernmost of the nine-dash line, located off the north coast of Malaysia, with the Tsangmu Sands on its northern side.
After the 6th section, the nine-dash line turns right and heads north, making the 7th section of the nine-dash line the most western, which is located between Nansha and Natuna Island in Indonesia.
As for the final paragraphs 8 and 9, they rise along the coastline of Vietnam and directly connect with Chinese mainland.
At this point, the location of the nine-dash line is clear, and except for paragraph 7, which is far away from the neighboring countries, the other eight lines are close to the coastal presence of each country.
3. The origin of the nine-dash line
The nine-dash line was first seen not as an official act, but as a result of private shipping to facilitate navigation.
The earliest records date back to 1914.
Of course, at that time, there was no such thing as a nine-dash line, but it generally started from the Gulf of Tonkin in the north, went south to Vietnam, then to the South China Sea, and then turned back to Taiwan.
This was the dividing line that existed in the South China Sea in the early days.
In 1935 and 1947, China's two official maps gave clear names and geographical locations to the islands, reefs and islands in the South China Sea, and since then, the scope of the South China Sea has been gradually standardized.
After entering the People's Republic of China, the country continued to use the 11-dash line, and in 1953, near Vietnam, we took the initiative to withdraw two lines, which became the current nine-dash line.
From 1935 onwards, China did not raise any objections to the regulation of the South China Sea as a scope for neighboring countries, and no one raised objections until 1947, when the 11-dash line was introduced.
Later, countries around the world continued to use China's official markings in the South China Sea.
This is only a manifestation of China's sovereignty in the South China Sea in recent history, and it is even more complete if we go back to the historical records.