P & B: China (Sovereignty) Flashcards
What is the 9 Dash Line?
The maritime claim made by China over the South China Sea.
How does China argue for the 9 Dash Line?
By militarising Paracel and Sprally Islands as bases, following the laws of the sea, china claims the surrounding 300km of sea as its own.
Disputes over 9 Dash Line? (Regional and global)
The Philippines took China to the international court (ICJ), who ruled that China could not do so, however China ignored this and did not face consequences. Other countries who also dispute over the South China sea include: Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam. The USA thus also uses laws of the sea to patrol the area using a guided-missile destroyer ship.
What two regions pose a threat to Chinese Sovereignty (in the CS)?
Xinjiang and Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR).
How does Xinjiang pose a threat to Chinese Sovereignty?
THREAT OF RELIGION
=> Became part of China from 1949, formally known as “Eastern Turkmenistan”
=> China is mainly atheist whereas the population is made up of 1 million Uyghur Muslims.
=> China sees people who are religious- “3 terrors”: Extremism, terrorism, separatism.
How has China tried to tackle the religious threat of Xinjiang?
=> It is illegal to openly practice religion
=> People are being sent to detention camps for “re-education”.
=> To inhibit population growth, they have kidnapped children and (forcibly) sterilised women.
Importance of the railway between China and Pakistan with Xinjiang (link to CS)?
=> The railway crosses the province of Xinjiang.
=> It connects China to Pakistan and is key for trade, with exports to Pakistan increasing annually by 15% from 1995 to 2021.
=> Autonomy would disrupt this.
=> The railway is also importance for the movement of people: able to dilute the Muslim state by bringing in Han Chinese to the area.
How does TAR pose a threat to Chinese Sovereignty and how has it tried to deal with the threat?
SIMILAR, RELIGIOUS THREAT.
=> The TAR is a Buddhist region, led by the Dalai Lama.
=> China has ended the tradition of the Dalai Lama by kidnapping the next Dalai Lama- has not been seen for 25 years.
What value does the region of TAR have to China?
NATURAL RESOURCES:
=> 40 million tonnes of copper, lead and zinc
=> Gold and Coal
=> 1 billion tonnes of high grade ores.
RIVERS:
=> 8 major rivers start in Tibet, and 20% of China relies on the water from these rivers.
GEOPOLITICS:
=> The Andes mountains helps to defend against countries like India, in case an attack ever occurs
