The CCP’s overreach and menacing displays of military action threaten legitimate commercial industry and free and safe trade routes, putting the U.S. and our allies – particularly other Asian countries with which we trade – at risk. Any strain on these regional trade partners could jeopardize critical supply chains for the U.S. and markets for American products, including trade based in Ohio’s 12th Congressional District, where manufacturing is centric to the local economy. This could also endanger key supply chains related to the country’s battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND

The South China Sea has long been the site of territorial disputes between China, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. The CCP claims sovereignty over a majority of the South China Sea, even when that maritime territory is clearly much closer to another country. This CCP claim is often referred to as the “nine-dash line” due to the illustration of its boundaries. The U.S. and ally nations agree that these territorial claims demonstrate a vast overreach by the CCP.

As tensions have risen between China and other claimant countries, as well as the U.S., the CCP has increased military activity in the region, resulting in numerous international military conflicts in recent years. Meanwhile, the South China Sea remains a critical passageway for international trade. In 2016, nearly $3.37 trillion in trade passed through the region, while 40% of liquefied natural gas traded globally passed through the South China Sea in 2017.

According to the Council on Foreign Relations, “China maintains that, under international law, foreign militaries are not able to conduct intelligence-gathering activities, such as reconnaissance flights, in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ). According to the United States, claimant countries, under UN Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), should have freedom of navigation through EEZs in the sea and are not required to notify claimants of military activities.”

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