7 charts that show why the tit for tat over crumbs in the South China Sea isn't for nothing

Guang Niu/Getty

As of last week, China deployed surface-to-air missiles on one of the most central swathes of land in the disputed waters. 

According to author and the chief geopolitical analyst for Stratfor, Robert D. Kaplan, "the South China Sea functions as the throat of the Western Pacific and Indian oceans — the mass of connective economic tissue where global sea routes coalesce."

"More than half of the world’s annual merchant fleet tonnage passes through these choke points, and a third of all maritime traffic worldwide," Kaplan wrote in "Asia's Cauldron: The South China Sea and the End of a Stable Pacific."

Territorial claims from Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, Taiwan, and China make the South China Sea one of the most disputed territories on the planet.

Meanwhile, China claims the majority of the contested region, which is home to $5 trillion in annual global trade.

To that end, by 2030, the entire region is predicted to be nothing more than a "Chinese lake." 

Business Insider has selected six charts that explain why the South China Sea is so valuable. 

Here's a look at the region and the disputed areas. The primary issue at the heart of the South China Sea dispute is the overlapping of several "Exclusive Economic Zones" of each country.

Brunei, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines claim various parts of land in the Spratly Islands — one of the island chains in dispute in the South China Sea.

China claims the lions share of the South China Sea with its self proclaimed "nine dash line" shown below in red.