For more than one month earlier this year, Chinese and Malaysian vessels faced off in the South China Sea. When a Malaysian-authorized drill ship called the West Capella was looking for resources in waters also claimed by Beijing, a Chinese survey vessel, accompanied by coast guard ships, sailed into the area and began conducting scans. In response, Malaysia sent some of its navy to the area, and the United States sent backup in the form of warships that had been performing joint exercises in the South China Sea. Beijing claims innocence, stating that it had been “conducting normal activities in waters under Chinese jurisdiction,” according to an article by CNN, but it has historically been known for staking claim over waters and hounding any countries who attempt to explore those areas. As the situation develops, experts claim that the Chinese ships are growing more forceful in their tactics, risking new conflicts with major regional powers like Malaysia and Indonesia.

The director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, Greg Polling, said that the countries are more important than ever as China continues to expand its reach in the region. China has been working to construct artificial islands in the South China Sea, altering the coastline far faster than was ever historically possible. These islands alter Malaysia and Indonesia’s place in the region, turning them into “front line states,” Polling said. “On any given day, there are about a dozen coast guard ships buzzing around the Spratly Islands, and about a hundred fishing boats, ready to go.” Add to the equation Beijing’s armada of coast guard and fishing vessels available to deploy in the sea, and China can easily harass the ships of any claimants to the area, or sail through sensitive areas.

The South China Sea is a hotly contested region. China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan, and Indonesia all lay claim to the area. Beijing claims the majority of the sea; however, a 2016 international court ruling deemed these claims invalid. Even so, China proceeded to create the aforementioned artificial islands by building up reefs and shoals in the sea. This confrontation was not the first act of aggression by the Chinese government in the region in recent memory. Beijing has a long history of harassing other ships in the South China sea, including Chinese fishing vessels operating inside of Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone at the beginning of 2020, and a Chinese maritime surveillance vessel ramming and sinking a Vietnamese fishing boat near the Paracel Islands in April.

No matter what happens, it is key that these confrontations come to an end, as they continue to unnecessarily put lives at risk. Experts say that China will likely double down on its behavior in coming months, and will not be easily deterred. However, even with China’s stubbornness, a coalition of the other countries in the region could easily help keep tensions low. Their cooperation would signal to China that although it is powerful, it is alone in its economic goals, and unable to function successfully against a united force.