After living in Asia for nearly a decade, I realized how much the dominance of China and Japan in the continent cannot be understated. While working in the Republic of Korea, I mentioned a body of water separating the Korean Peninsula with Japan. “The Sea of Japan,” I said of the maritime area off the eastern coast of Korea. The instant the name was uttered, I was certain it would be met with resentment. The face of the teenaged boy standing beside me reddened and his eyebrows raised. “No, no, no! The East Sea,” the pimple-faced teen protested.
With China to the west and Japan eastward, many Asian countries would agree that Korea is geographically disadvantaged, “stuck between a rock and a hard place.” South Koreans insist the sun always rises in Korea on the Isle of “Dok Do,” while Japanese contend the sun sets over Japan on the Isle of “Takeshima.” Dok Do and Takeshima: same island; different name. On the peninsula’s western coast, without regard to international law, Chinese fishing boats often trespass Korean waters, depleting catches of Korean fishermen.
Since president Rodrigo Duterte took power two years ago, the Philippines was moving in the direction of severing its ties with the US and aligning itself with China in an effort to improve Filipino-Sino Relations.
Taking a leap backward in relations between the two countries, the Philippines made allegations against China, claiming a vessel collided with a Philippine boat in the water of the contested “South China Sea” or as the Philippine’s argue the “West Philippine Sea,” jeopardizing the lives of 22 Filipino fishermen on board.
Though there is no consensus of the area’s name, three years ago, an international tribunal in The Hague reached the verdict that the area in question was the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. The US Secretary of Defense backed the Philippines, urging China to follow a “rules-based order” in the disputed waters.
A New York Times article posted today describes unfolding events in more detail.