中国は領有権の拡大を目的に、南シナ海の南沙諸島を
埋め立て、人工島を建設しているが、その人工島は、
「シーレーン(海上交通路)」において、非常に重要な
場所に位置している。中東から輸出された石油は、
インド洋や南シナ海を通り、日本およびその先のアメ
リカまで運ばれる。
China fills up Spratly Islands of the South China
Sea for the purpose of expansion of the dominium
and builds the artificial island, but the artificial island
is located in the very important place in "sea-lane"
(sea lane). The oil exported from the Middle East is
carried to Japan and the United States of there through
the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea.
Approximately 100% of resources from the Middle East
will go along the sea-lane including the South China
Sea for Japan and the country of the East Asia.
In international law, it is a basic rule that
"dominium is not accepted in the artificial island".
Originally there were only a rock and a coral reef and,
in the place where China insisted, "it is the territory
of the own country", filled there up artificially.
It isn't possible to regard that as "island(= Chinese
territory)", of course, and it isn't possible to set
an exclusive economic zone and forbid movement of
shipping of other countries. But China is insisting on
that illegally.
Moreover, other countries have difficulty dealing with
it because it is becoming a military base with three
runways into the artificial island. By the military
base in the artificial island located in the center of the
South China Sea, whole East Asia may be put under
the control of China military. Therefore, for neighbor
countries, the movement of China becomes the big menace
Under these circumstances, the United States did
not go for practical movement. However, the future
development is greatly changing by security-related
law having been passed in Japan in September
When we think about such China's way, the security of
East Asia cannot be maintained by the United States
alone anymore. The cooperation system of neighbor
countries including Japan is necessary.