서구 시각에서 본 남중국해를 둘러싼 중국의 패권주의 연구 = Analysis of the Chinese Supremacy in the South China Sea: A Western Point of View

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This analysis is divided into two parts, analysis of the conflict zones in the SCS and how China shows its supremacy. The SCS is the most important marginal sea in the world through which more than 50% of the world`s ships transit. More importantly the SCS is known to have a reservoir of huge oil and gas reserves beneath its seabed, adding to its importance in geopolitics. The sovereignty claims to the SCS have been a source of dispute between China, which claims its sovereignty over almost all of this territory, including Paracel Islands, Spratly Archipelago, and Scarborough Shoal in the SCS and other Southeast Asia countries (Vietnam claiming the Paracel Islands, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei claiming the Spratly Islands, the Philippines claiming the Scarborough Shoal). As China has been reinforcing its supremacy by increasing its military force, strengthening national law, and establishing a new city ``Sansha`` to exercise authority over the SCS, the disputing countries, especially Vietnam and Philippines have - with the help of the US - raised the issue against China. The US, along with Southeast Asia countries which ask for help, has been in the lead to impede China`s supremacy since it solidified the Policy of the Asia-Pacific Region in 2010. Accordingly the dispute over the SCS has led to a conflict between US`s hegemonism and China`s supremacy and led to a build up of the military equipment in Asia-Pacific countries, which has caused considerable political unrest in the Asia-Pacific region. Unless there is a peaceful scheme or a joint development treaty to restrain China`s supremacy, the conflict between China and other Southeast Asian countries as well as the US would be intensified. While China keeps causing conflicts against other neighboring countries, it is gaining economical profit through development of oil deposits. Thus China is exercising its practical supremacy over the East China Sea as well as over the SCS. Although presently Korea is undergoing hardships in disputs about Dokdo and Ieodo with huge neighboring nations, Korea is in a more favorable position but needs to find various ways of practical governing of those regions. The historical evidence of governing is important, but through the case analysis of China`s supremacy it is concluded that practical governing is the most important way for Korea to claim the authority over those regions against Japan, which itself claims its sovereignty over Dokdo against Korea and China, that ignores the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) of 1982, reinforcing its own practical governing and claims of sovereignty over Ieodo.