Thread by @zacharyhaver

In my new report with @ChinaMaritime, I reveal how Sansha City has built a system of administrative control in the South China Sea (SCS) and how China is using this system to transform contested areas into de facto Chinese territory.

Thread: (1/)
digital-commons.usnwc.edu/cmsi-maritime-…

(2/) Sansha was created in 2012 and is headquartered on Woody Island. Its jurisdiction covers 2 million square kilometers and includes the Paracel Islands, the “Zhongsha Islands” (Macclesfield Bank and Scarborough Shoal), the Spratly Islands, and their surrounding waters.

(3/) As China’s vanguard in the SCS, Sansha is responsible for exercising administrative control, implementing military-civil fusion, and performing the work of “rights defense, stability maintenance, environmental protection, and resource development” (维权维稳保护开发).

(4/) Since 2012, central, provincial, and municipal authorities have worked together to develop Sansha’s physical infrastructure and transportation, communications, economy, party-state institutions, and defense system.

(5/) After reviewing thousands of party-state documents, corporate records, news articles, pictures, videos, and other open-source materials, I found that nearly all aspects of Sansha’s development ultimately help the city exercise administrative control over the SCS.

(6/) For example, the city established a new maritime law enforcement force, Sansha Comprehensive Law Enforcement (SCLE), to enforce local policies and to assert China’s maritime claims in coordination with the China Coast Guard (CCG).

(7/) Sansha integrated both the SCLE and its new maritime militia force into a system of “military, law enforcement, and civilian joint defense” (军警民联防), which allows the city to coordinate information sharing and operations with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

(8/) As Sansha developed its joint defense system, it also invested in smart microgrid technology to ensure that Woody Island could accommodate a growing number of PLA, law enforcement, and civilian personnel and to guarantee the continuous operation of important facilities.

(9/) Similarly, the city established a wide range of new party-state institutions to improve administrative capacity and ensure strong Chinese Communist Party (CCP) control over the city’s day-to-day business—including rights defense operations.

(10/) Sansha’s party-state institutions are also responsible for hiring outside contractors and enticing companies to register in the city. These companies facilitate the city’s daily operations and support the implementation of major policy initiatives.

(11/) In this manner, Sansha’s leaders oversee the daily minutiae of strengthening China’s grip over occupied features and precluding other claimants from operating freely within contested waters. Be sure to check out the full report for more details! digital-commons.usnwc.edu/cmsi-maritime-…

(12/) I owe many thanks to @IBKardon and the rest of the @ChinaMaritime team for working with me on this project! Likewise, this report would not have been possible with support from @C4ADS. Special thanks to @D_Thorne as well.