| Summary/Abstract |
The South China Sea is poised to be the next big geopolitical theatre. It is one of the busiest and most important maritime routes for global trade, commerce and energy supply. The freedom of navigation is therefore at the centre of attention. The sea is dotted by many atolls, cays, islands, reefs, sandbars and shoals, so situated that all littoral countries claim the region as their own. This paper reviews the claims and counterclaims to the area, assesses the energy reserves that allegedly sit beneath it and analyses its significance as a maritime crossroads. The main argument of the paper is that, although the South China Sea is important from the point of view of trade, fi shing and energy reserves, China's strategic concerns trump them all.
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