nomy. For China itself, the sea is also crucial. Nearly 40 percent of China’s trade transits the SCS, making it the country’s most significant trade route by far. Two crucial goods make the transit routes even more important: natural gas and oil. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, over half of the world’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) trade and almost a third of global crude oil passes through the SCS. These figures are expected to rise further as Asia’s energy demand continues to grow (U.S. EIA 2013). As well as being vital for trade, the sea itself it rich in natural resources. An estimated 11 billion barrels of untapped oil and 190 trillion cubic feet of natural gas lie under the vast expanse of ocean (CFR 2018). The waters are also valuable fishing grounds, with fishing rights also being highly contested for within the region. Due to a lack of regulation around fishing rights, there is a growing concern amongst environmentalists saying that the region is being fished unsustainably. Disputes have also broken out over fishing rights and licensing of oil and gas reserves. The economic significance of the sea is undeniable, and the ongoing disputes pose a constant threat. Independent U.S. thinktank, Council on Foreign Relations recognises this significance, saying that if not managed wisely, the SCS could go from being “thriving channels of maritime trade” to “arenas of conflict”, with estimates of it costing the global economy $167 million per month to pay for war risk premiums if conflict was to break out.

The heavily contested region has a rich history of maritime navigation, exploration and trade dating back to as early as 5,000 years ago. Many of the sea merchants in the region’s early history would have rarely gone on the land. In fact, as late as in the 1960s these indigenous “sea gypsies” continued to live most of their lives out at sea. The region possesses a legacy of trade has been international throughout history: the spread of Islam around the region through Arab navigators in the 8th and 9th century, Chinese navigation in the early 15th century, as well as the spice trade throughout the colonial era all reflect a complex historical background of cultural diffusion and socioethinc diversity. Inconsistent map evidence has also added to the ambiguity of who owns the islands. The earliest maps often cited the islands as a threat to ships, warning sailors of potential dangers. Even navigational maps drawn by famous navigator Zheng He showed the islands as areas to avoid. Many maps in the colonial era inherited a lot of these traits, with many depicting a chain of non-existent islands in areas which ships would often avoid (Hayton 2016). Up until the 20th century, there was very little interest in the islands, but as countries in the region gained independence, founded new governments and established their claims, new sources of tension emerged. Many of the modern claims result from each country adapting the region’s history in their favour, for example, arguing that their nationals have been fishing around the i