It’s an interesting view on the tensions in the South China Sea
Written by Ahmed Rajeev exclusively for SouthFront
Introduction
Very recently the US send it’s Guided missile destroyer USS Lassen to 12 mile limit around the artificial islands in the South China Sea. This military step will provoke further destabilization of political and economic security in this area. At the same time, it can deteriorate present diplomatic fabric more into chaos. The present day US foreign policy and its actions through its globalized system appear more aggressive towards organic developments of a collective society. In the Middle East, China, Eastern Europe and many developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America we saw their Failed Political Design, Futile Economic models, forged Cultural injection and mighty Military positioning directly or indirectly being imposed to create modern day slaves and self-destructing consumers. Though their aggressive policy towards organic development of a society is not going smooth, The US led western policy is now being challenged by mainly Russia, China and with the support of other BRICS countries. This BRICS bloc had a common history of struggle against the western ideology which has a core intention to rule the whole world according to their ways.
Why South China Sea is so important
The South China Sea is estimated as 1400000 square miles of vast shallow continental shelf based sea area. It is an archipelago of hundreds island. It has Huge Oil and Gas reserve. There is some estimation that the world’s one third shipping transports sails through it. This sea is bordered with china, Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines, Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia. Amongst those countries there are allies and foes of China.
Territorial claims
The South China Sea is a sea of Claims and blames. Most of the South China Sea bordering countries have sea water disputes against each other. There are claims over water of the North East of Natuna lslands between Indonesia, China, and Taiwan; the Philippines, China, and Taiwan have disputes over Scarborough Shoal. On the other hand Vietnam, China, and Taiwan have disagreement over waters west of the Spratly Islands. Some of the occupied islands are also disputed between Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The Paracel Islands are disputed between the China and Vietnam. There are arguments about Gulf of Thailand between Malaysia Cambodia Thailand and Vietnam where china is not interfering. There are disagreements between Singapore and Malaysia along the Strait of Johore and the Strait of Singapore. Interestingly there are some interrelated disputes between the bordering countries where china has no role to play, such as the Gulf of Thailand or the strait of Johore or the Strait of Singapore. But the US has not claimed any territory there yet. They have other intentions.
TPP and TTIP
On 5th October 2015 twelve Pacific Rim countries signed an apparently hidden agreement named TPP (Trans-pacific partnership), concerning a variety of matters of economic policy. Those signatory countries are Singapore, Brunei, New Zealand, Chile, USA, Australia, Peru, Vietnam, Malaysia, Mexico, Canada, and japan. Though the deal signed under apparent secrecy, we can easily assume that what that deal deals with. It is all about containing the BRICS block from the Pacific Rim by creating economic, political and military pressure to the BRICS bloc, notably Russia, China and later India. The west also amplified their negotiations with Colombia Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan and South Korea as their future TPP partners in the Pacific Rim Bloc.
At the same time the west has increased its diplomatic activities for a wider agreement on Transatlantic Trade and Investment partnership which is due for the next year. The west promises that TTIP agreement will boost 50% of the concerning economy. In other words TTIP is giving an infeasible assurance of 50% more growth to the western economy when the west is going through severe recession. It is true that the west fears the BRICS, Russian diplomacy, Chinese economic growth and its policy. And it is a clear sign that to contain the BRICS bloc and pursue the global hegemony the West is trying to create a Huge Atlantic bloc to compel the BRICS bloc into surrender. The west is now securing the Pacific Rim by TPP and working for Pan Atlantic force to create pressure from the other side. The west wants to contain the BRICS into the middle to induce constant gradual economic and military pressure break the BRICS unity. On this particular issue Russian president Vladimir Putin correctly said in Valdai discussion club that, “The creation of economic blocs by imposing their terms on the strongest players would clearly not make the world safer, but would only create time bombs, conditions for future conflicts.”
The western claims
The US led west claims that ‘unprecedented land reclamation’ currently being conducted by china, though the west has not given any clarification or definition of precedented land reclamation. On the other hand the west runs its undercover asset reclamation programs throughout the world. The west is claiming that China is building artificial land by pumping sand on to live coral reefs and created four square kilometers of artificial landmass. The question is why china is being threatened by the west for using its own territory and assets for their countries development? We all know that China never asked a single question about any single construction in and around the USA. The west also claims that China is destroying the mosaic of beautiful natural islands by creating a great wall of sand. So, now the Chinese must learn to appreciate natural beauty from the US who is bombing the Mother Nature with all kind of conventional and unconventional weapons. The US complains that China is posing provocative actions against its smaller neighbors. But, on the ground, the west is taking all the provocative measures to dismantle the harmony amongst South China Sea neighboring and bordering nations. And finally the US things China is reluctant to follow sea rules so the US said that China should conform the 2002 China-ASEAN ‘Declaration of Conduct’ that serves the purpose of the US’s Freedom of Navigation program or FON.
Freedom of Navigation program
The United States Freedom of Navigation program (FON) seeks power supremacy over global water (ocean and sea) under the disguise of promoting international freedom of navigation and security throughout the shipping channels of world trade. Through FON the United States positions itself to dictate the entire world’s water area to obey the international law of the sea as stated by the UN Law of the Sea Convention, although the United States has not formally ratified the treaty. On many cases the west conducted operations in areas claimed by other countries, such as naval operations in the Gulf of Sidra in the 1980s. Throughout the decade U.S. forces had been performing “Freedom of Navigation” operations in the Straits of Gibraltar, Strait of Hormuz, Straits of Malacca, and the Indonesian Archipelago, the Black Sea under the name ‘Silver Fox’.
Understanding the security threat inflicted by the west, many self-determined organic civilizations and countries prefer to stay away from the west led freedom of navigation program. In 2004 , Chinese media reacted by saying that the American program (FON) is an violation of China’s “rights” to “reclaim” the South China Sea and East China Sea. So, Freedom of Navigation is an instrument of western Sea diplomacy accompanied with Military force to contain and destroy self-determined countries.
The western Goal
The west now wants to pressurize the BRICS bloc from every possible angle. The situations in Middle East, Ukraine, Europe are few fronts from where the west bloc is trying to pressurize the BRICS countries, mainly Russia and China. Now they want to open a new front in South China Sea as well. Where, the US wants to break the geopolitical power structure in that area by supporting anti-China countries and sentiments. The military domination of the powerful china in that particular area is being challenged by the west as a result the smaller countries can change the team and leave Chinese influence. It is a way of isolating china with its neighbors like they declared of isolating Russia. Since the TPP bloc is already into action around China, it won’t be too hard for the west to impose economic restrictions on china according to their policy. And TPP will work as major tool to manipulate Chinese economy from a distance place. On the other hand, The US has announced that they are on a pace to have 60 percent of their Navy based in the Pacific Fleet by 2020. So, the US wants to contain a key BRICS nation by injecting racial hatred by supporting some anti-china countries bordering South China Sea. And now those countries are being supported economically and militarily to confront the so called Chinese aggression into the South China Sea. But in return, those anti-China countries will have to hand over the natural wealth of the well preserved South China Sea in future. The main goal of the west is to reduce Chinese influence in that region to confront BRICS, confirm wealth and uphold the western hegemony.
Conclusion
The way the west is advancing its global policy towards BRICS countries, provokes only escalation. Already the west is accused of spreading terrorism worldwide by their failed foreign policy. Their neoliberal economic policy creates worldwide dissatisfaction of state systems and gradually pushing the world into more chaos and intolerance. They are now very aggressive towards the alternative BRICS bloc by signing secret trade deal and military agreements.
Every country has some disputes and similarities with its neighbors. It is always advisable to settle the dispute between the concerning neighboring countries, not from somebody who has come from Atlantic as the rescuer to overcome the dispute. So, the crisis in South China Sea should be discussed and solved within the member countries bordering South China Sea. There are neocolonial countries like Philippines and Brunei which has the US military installation on their soil who poses real threat to China and the BRICS. On the other hand China should continue their presence in South China Sea by making necessary installation. This time the US has sent their military to console their allies not to confront with china. But the continuous process of enclose China by the western force should be tackled by the collective efforts of the BRICS countries. On the other hand, as an intruder into the regional disputes far away from home, the west must learn a good lesson from the South China Sea where it is in search of its monstrous presence.