China blocks Scarborough Shoal and 30% of global shipping
Daily Kos • • world
Key Points:
- China has installed a 352-meter floating barrier and deployed maritime militia vessels to block the entrance to the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, escalating tensions with the Philippines over the disputed territory.
- The Scarborough Shoal, also known as Bajo de Masinloc (Philippines) and Huangyan Island (China), is a critical shipping lane through which about 30% of the world’s goods pass, making the blockade potentially impactful on global trade.
- The shoal is located within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and is a rich fishing ground, intensifying the territorial dispute and raising fears of possible armed conflict.
- The Philippines and the United States have increased military cooperation in the area, with recent joint naval drills and upcoming large-scale exercises planned across the Philippine archipelago, signaling a strategic pivot towards Washington amid China's assertiveness.
- Despite U.S. actions blocking merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz, China has yet to send warships there, focusing its maritime assertiveness instead on the South China Sea region.
