Participants in the South China Sea
Updated: August 23, 2024
We are documenting the names and titles of relevant, key participants in the actions and publicity around the South China Sea, and more broadly in the countries in the area. Not all of these countries have a claim to reefs, but they all are relevant to the space. Many Western countries, and Russia patrol the South China Sea and are signing defence agreements. We are also documenting relevant relationships between countries in the region.
We are still working on this list, so a few of the entries may be light on details. All entries are made via open source research. This list is updated often.
We are documenting the names and titles of relevant, key participants in the actions and publicity around the South China Sea, and more broadly in the countries in the area. Not all of these countries have a claim to reefs, but they all are relevant to the space. Many Western countries, and Russia patrol the South China Sea and are signing defence agreements. We are also documenting relevant relationships between countries in the region.
We are still working on this list, so a few of the entries may be light on details. All entries are made via open source research. This list is updated often.
China
President, Xi Jinping
President, Xi Jinping
- Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee
- Chinese Defence Minister, Admiral Dong Jun Source
- Political commissar of the Southern Theater Command, and Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Wang Wenquan
- Head of Navy, Commanding General, Hu Zhongming
- Head of the People's Liberation Army, General Liu Zhenli
- Commander, People's Liberation Army Rocket Force, General Wang Houbin
- Political Commissar, PLA Rocket Force, General Xu Xisheng
- Chinese State Councilor, Yang Jiechi
- Chinese Ambassador to Philippines, Huang Xilian
- Senior Colonel Tian Junli, Spokesman at the PLA Southern Theater Command (as of 03/23/2023)
- Chinese Defense Ministry Spokesman, Zhang Xiaogang (as of November 2023)
- Chinese Foreign Ministry / Foreign Affairs Spokesman, Wang Wenbing
- Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Mao Ning
- Chinese Defence Ministry Spokesman Senior Colonel Wu Qian
- Yang Tao, director-general of the Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs of the China's Foreign Ministry
- Chinese State Councilor and Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong (War on Drugs)
- Secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, Chen Jining
- Head of Navy (former): Admiral Dong Jun (now Chinese Defense Minister)
- Commander, People's Liberation Army Rocket Force (former): Wei Fenghe
- Head of People's Liberation Army Rocket Corps (former): Li Yuchao.
- Foreign Minister & State Councilor (former): Qin Gang
- Chinese Defence Minister and State Councilor, Central Military Commission member (former): Li Shangfu
- Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military expert; Cao Weidong, a military expert and former researcher at China's PLA Naval Military Studies Research Institute.
- Wu Shicun, president of the National Institute for South China Sea Studies
- Chen Xiangmiao, director of the World Navy Research Center at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies
- Zhu Feng, a South China Sea specialist at Nanjing University
- Song Zhongping, Military expert
- Wu Xinbo, a professor at China's Fudan University
- Shi Yinhong, professor of international relations at Renmin University of China
- Li Dexia, Associate Professor with the School of Journalism and Communication at Xiamen University, China.
- Xu Liping, director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
- Hu Xin, Assistant Researcher, China South China Sea Research Institute
- Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian
- Chinese spokesperson Gan Yu
- Senior Colonel Tian Junli, a spokesperson for the People's Liberation Army Southern Theater Command.
- Xue Chen, a research fellow at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies
- Ma Bo, an associate professor at the School of International Studies at Nanjing University
China (continued)
China's Ministry of Natural Resources published a new 10-dash line in August 28, 2023 that publicizes their own territorial claims.
China's maritime militia fleet are known for their blue-hulled ships, and are actively operating in the South China Sea, including around the Second Thomas Shoal as recently as December 10, 2023. This fleet is separate from China's Navy and Coast Guard, and are known to be 'patriotic fisherman' by the Chinese Government.
China supports a July 12, 2016 concept (described here) called Nan Hai Zhu Dao, Nanhai Zhudao, or the Four Sha/sands, to explain the logic of their sovereignty claims of the 10-dash line. Here are the four shas:
- Dongsha Qundao (Dongsha islands) which may also include Taiwan
- Xisha Qundao (Xisha or Paracel Islands)
- Zhongsha Qundao (Zhongsha Islands southeast of the Paracel Islands)
- Nansha Qundao (the Nansha or Spratly Islands).
China's Ministry of Natural Resources published a new 10-dash line in August 28, 2023 that publicizes their own territorial claims.
China's maritime militia fleet are known for their blue-hulled ships, and are actively operating in the South China Sea, including around the Second Thomas Shoal as recently as December 10, 2023. This fleet is separate from China's Navy and Coast Guard, and are known to be 'patriotic fisherman' by the Chinese Government.
China supports a July 12, 2016 concept (described here) called Nan Hai Zhu Dao, Nanhai Zhudao, or the Four Sha/sands, to explain the logic of their sovereignty claims of the 10-dash line. Here are the four shas:
- Dongsha Qundao (Dongsha islands) which may also include Taiwan
- Xisha Qundao (Xisha or Paracel Islands)
- Zhongsha Qundao (Zhongsha Islands southeast of the Paracel Islands)
- Nansha Qundao (the Nansha or Spratly Islands).