The geopolitics of sand
Sand is so much more than sand. As explained in the Sand Stories book, it has in fact become ‘The Currency of Development’. It helps nation-states expand not just vertically, but also horizontally. This isn't a new phenomenon, but what is certainly new is the immense scale and pace of the activity and its massive impacts. The book examines a few key drivers and provides an overview of some conflicts across various regions. What’s troubling is that we are also beginning to see the securitization and militarization of sand in some places as the geopolitics of sand and fluid geography makes neighbouring countries and their allies feel unsettled. As explained in one of the chapters, the situation in South China Sea remains volatile. China, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan have all reclaimed land in the region. But China appears determined to establish a different world order based on what it perceives to be its historical rights. The Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague ruled against this claim in 2016. Nonetheless, ‘The changing physical geography of the region brings with it new geopolitical challenges …’
Last year, the US imposed visa restrictions on specific individuals deemed responsible for land reclamation or militarisation of features in the South China Sea, and it also blacklisted 24 Chinese state owned companies that had apparently led the destructive dredging. This year, there has been a surge of joint naval exercises between various countries and the UK now aims to permanently deploy two warships in Asian waters.
As of September 1, 2021, the Chinese authorities have announced that foreign vessels must declare ship’s name, call sign, position and dangerous cargo before entering ‘its territorial waters’. This not only includes nuclear vessels and ships carrying radioactive materials, but also ships carrying bulk oil, chemicals, liquefied gas and other toxic and harmful substances. It is unclear how the country plans to enforce this new regulation but this move could potentially have ramifications for the free passage of both military and commercial vessels in the South China Sea. Trade worth trillions passes through this region including 55% of India’s trade. Let’s hope this situation does not escalate further.