China’s Silent Conquest: South China Sea Flashpoint

Abstract

This study examines China’s operational behavior in the South China Sea from 2023 to 2026 which has reshaped the long standing norms of maritime governance in regional security dynamics which remained unsettled. During this period, China’s expanding territorial claims and strategic activities have further altered the geopolitical landscape of the Indo Pacific. Existing scholarship discusses China’s gradual militarization and increasingly assertive naval posture, as well as persistent regional resistance and legal push back. Yet, there is still relatively little focus on how recent Chinese operational practices intersect with mounting international legal pressure and evolving regional counter-measures. Using a qualitative geopolitical approach, this study draws on document analysis and process tracing of verified maritime incidents, diplomatic exchanges, and official statements. The findings suggest that intensified maritime presence, grey-zone coercion, and carefully calibrated diplomacy have consolidated de facto control over key maritime features while eroding the effectiveness of existing legal regimes and prompting diverse adaptive responses among claimant states.