Has China ever managed the South China Sea in history? What kind of fighting is there in the South China Sea today? How do you handle these battles?

This 3.5 million square kilometers of clear water must be viewed in a broader geographical environment and a more distant historical background, in which China's role is more clear.

If we look at this issue from a long-term historical perspective, the various problems in the South China Sea are not a temporary dispute, nor a dispute between one ship and one soldier, but a cumulative continuation of China's 500-year attitude and marine policy, during which there are both missed opportunities and encouraging efforts.

Undoubtedly, since the great development of China's navigation technology in the Tang and Song Dynasties, China has been the most important maritime power in the South China Sea, and China merchant ships frequently travel to and from various ports in the South China Sea. As the throat of the South China Sea entering and leaving the Indian Ocean, Malacca is also under the control of China. However, since the Portuguese captured Malacca in 15 1 1, westerners have poured in, which coincides with the time when China voluntarily abandoned the ocean and adopted a conservative "sea ban" policy. "Going west and retreating east" is not only reflected in trade, but also in the rise and fall of control over the South China Sea. During this period, there was a huge rebound of folk forces, and the main pirates in the southeast coast in its heyday were fishermen from Fujian and Zhejiang provinces who tried to go out to sea despite the ban. China immigrants wandering in the South China Sea have made brilliant achievements by virtue of their industrious nature.

However, this kind of non-governmental efforts without state support can not compete with the western maritime trade system supported by industrialization in any case. Dutch East India Company and British East India Company are the most typical representatives. These large trading companies, supported by state power, guided by monopoly interests and assisted by armed colonization, easily defeated various farming forces in East Asian waters and once dominated the historical trend of the South China Sea for hundreds of years.

In a country accustomed to farming, the ocean is always in a subordinate and marginal position. Is Wan Li's sea border an obstacle, a barrier or a self-protection for the outside world? However, since the whole world entered the marine age, this situation has been reversed in one fell swoop. The ocean is gradually moving from the edge to the center, and the pains of the late Qing history are accompanied by the journey of westerners from the sea. It can be said that rediscovering or understanding the South China Sea is one of the biggest changes in modern China. When "coastal defense", "navy" and "sea power" become common words in this agricultural country, the South China Sea has modern significance.

From this perspective, the discovery of the South China Sea has dual significance, one is geographical discovery, and the other is conceptual discovery. This discovery continues to this day.