Second Thomas Shoal

12.03.2024

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 Why in the news?

A recent incident in the Second Thomas Shoal area, renewed global interest in the flashpoint between the Philippines and China.

About Second Thomas Shoal:

• It is a submerged reef located in the Spratly Islands in South China Sea. It is a low-tide elevation located within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines.
• The Philippines first took possession of the Second Thomas Shoal in the late 1990s, setting an outpost on the drowned BRP Sierra Madre. It continues to maintain its presence there and the ship serves as a military outpost, manned by a small contingent of troops.

What is the issue?

• The Second Thomas Shoal lies about 108 nautical miles (200 km) from the Philippine island of Palawan.
• China claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, including the Second Thomas Shoal, based on the historical and controversial Nine-dash line. China’s claims cut into the EEZs of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.
• In 2013, the Philippines had filed a case against China with the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, challenging the legality of China’s claims and activities in the South China Sea, including the Second Thomas Shoal. The court ruled in favour of the Philippines in 2016, but China rejected the judgment.

About the South China Sea:

• It is an arm of the western Pacific Ocean in Southeast Asia.
•  It is located to the south of China, east and south of Vietnam, west of the Philippines, and north of the island of Borneo.
•  It’s a major global shipping route, with about one-third of the world’s shipping passing through it, contributing significantly to its geopolitical significance.
• There are multiple contested islands in this region, including the:

○Paracel Islands (claimed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam)

○Spratly Islands (claimed by China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei, and the Philippines)

○Scarborough Shoal (claimed by the Philippines, China, and Taiwan)

                                                 Source: The Hindu