The New York Times Wednesday, September 27,2023

Thensions With China Cross a New Line in the South China Sea

The video may seem to simple, too understated to mark a serious international incident in the South China Sea: a quick clip of a diver using a knife to cut a section of rope underwater. But that diver was with the Philippine Coast Guard, and the rope was part of a sea barrier placed by Chinese forces to keep Pilippine boasts away from an area they had a legal right to fish in. In that moment, the Pilippines took one of the most forceful steps yet in contesting China's unrelenting territorial claims ever closer to the Pilippine Islands. "The barrier posed a hazard to navigation, a clear violation of international law, "the Philippines said in a statement, adding that the action had come on direct orders from President Ferdinand E. Marcos Jr.

China claims 90 percent of the South China Sea, some of it thousands of miles from the mainland and in waters surrounding Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines. In the past decade or so, China has asserted ever greater control over these waters by building and fortifying outpostes and airstrips. These actions have alamed much of Asia and the United States, which say it has a vested interest in maintaining freedon of navigation in one of the world's  busies shipping lanes.

Many analysts say China is likely to stop short of taking any military action against the Philippines, a treaty ally of the United States, for fear of being embroiled in a broader conflict with Washington and ohter U.S allies in the region.

He believes "Beijing has enough problems at home without wanting to add to them by picking a confrontation with the U.S. as well."

Mr. Carpio said that, more broadly, the international community must pay attention to what is happening in the South China Sea because "what is at stake in Ukrine and in the South China Sea are exactly the same."

 

 

understate : 절제된, 자제된 = restrained

barrier : 장애물 = obstacle

contest : 다투다, 도전하다 = dispute, challenge

unrelenting : 확고부동한, 꿈쩍도 하지 않은 = unyielding

hazard : 위험 = danger

assert : 주장하다, 선언하다 = maintain, declare 

fortify : 강화하다 = strengthen

vested interest : 기득권, 이미 확립된 권리 = existing, benefit, fixed right granted

busies shipping lanes = 가장 통행량이 많은 해로 (바닷길)

stop short of : ~까지는 가지 않다, ~까지는 하지 않다 = not go as far as

be embroiled in~ : ~에 휩싸이다, ~에 휘말리다 = get involved in

picking a congrontation : 대결을 자초하다

at stake : 위험에 있는 = at rist