Territorial dispute in the South China Sea:origin and development options
Today South China Sea is an object of geopolitical interest of a whole range of both regional and exterior political actors. It is important and relevant to analyze the territorial dispute in South China Sea taking into account the growing economic and political influence of East-Asian states, first of all China. There are large mineral reserves of both oil and natural gas in the sea. Moreover, the world's largest trade routes go through the Strait of Malacca. Control over them would provide considerable benefits in the global economic competition. But the further development of this territorial dispute remains unclear. For the major regional actor - the People’s Republic of China - this is not just an economic, but both historical and domestic political problem. Therefore, the Chinese authorities do not consider any possible concessions in this matter. After the election of Donald Trump - known for his anti-Chinese rhetoric - as the President of the United States of America, the USA is likely to take a tougher stance, trying to use the problem of the South China sea as well as other delicate matters to exert political and economic pressure on the People's Republic of China, which might lead to the escalation of tensions in the region. The author of this article scrutinizes the territorial conflict in the South China Sea, and analyzes the historical reasons for its emergence and development. The author also reviews the possible variants for the evolution of the situation in the region, depending on the actions of its main political actors - China and the United States of America.