South China Sea: Expert claims disputed waters may see military conflict between US and China over Taiwan

Taiwan and the South China Sea have proven to be volatile issues that the US and China find themselves at odds with. With China’s increasing aggression and the US’ increasing presence in the region, an expert has claimed that the disputed waters would be where open military conflict may occur over the island nation.

University of Nottingham expert and political scientist Dr. Jonathan Sullivan claimed that any conflict between the US and China over Taiwan would result in long-term disruption with implications for the rest of the world. Speaking with Express, Dr. Sullivan explained that the conflict would reconfigure international relations and result in the occupation of the island nation while turning China into an outcast state.

“Depending on the circumstances that led to a hypothetical invasion, it would probably lead to militarized conflict involving the world’s two superpowers,” said Dr. Sullivan. “The underlying danger that a clash over Taiwan could precipitate open warfare between the US and China is always there, and so this question provokes interest.”

Dr. Sullivan’s comments follow the recent arms sale between the US and Taiwan under the administration of US President Joe Biden. Biden had approved a $750 million arms deal for Taiwan, the first time his administration has backed the island nation since taking office in January. This also signals the continued military and political support of the US for Taiwan, which has been governed democratically for some time.

Prior to Biden, former US President Donald Trump had also approved of a $1.8 billion arms sale to the island nation. During this time, the US has also publicly denounced China’s sweeping claims over the majority of the South China Sea, which has since been reiterated by the current Secretary of State Antony Blinken in recent days.

China’s sweeping claims have also overlapped with claims from the surrounding countries. An international tribunal ruled against such claims, which Beijing has chosen to ignore. China continues to increasingly take aggressive measures to assert control over the waters.

A Beijing-based paper with ties to the Chinese Communist Party reported that its military will be setting up a navigation restriction zone in the South China Sea to conduct military exercises from Friday this week to Tuesday next week. The zone is believed to stretch from waters surrounding the Hainan island to the Xisha islands.