SPRATLYS CONFLICT: CHINA’S BULLYING & EXPLOITS

by Earlie Doriman

The Spratly Group of Islands
(photo from economicroadmap.com)

How lawful is the Philippines’ claim to the Spratly Islands that it should continue to fight what it believed rightfully belongs to the archipelago? With the mighty China on the opposite platform, how could a small nation evenly confront one of the biggest military-based countries in the world? Just two important questions before I begin my own viewpoints on the Spratlys conflict. The first query requires factual bases from the two neighbouring nations, the Philippines and China, to prove their legitimate sovereignty over this group of more than 750 reefs, islets, cays, and islands located in South China Sea or West Philippine Sea. The second question rather weighs up how asymmetrical the fight is between a tiny nation against a powerful republic that could aggressively harass and bully its adversary.