Europe and its South China Sea dilemma by Rem Korteweg
Few issues in today’s international politics are as thorny as the disputes in the South China Sea. An international court recently ruled against China, complicating matters further. Europe should speak up. On July 12th a tribunal of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague published its ruling on the claim brought by the Philippines against China, relating to the rights of the two countries in the South China Sea. Manila challenged Beijing’s interpretation of its maritime borders, which overlap with the Philippines’. The fate of the South China Sea matters to the global economy and international security. Onethird of all global trade passes through its fishrich waters, and vast supplies of oil and gas are believed to rest underneath the sea floor. Based on a self-declared zone, known as the ‘nine-dash line’, China claims roughly eighty per cent of the South China Sea – including the islands, rocks and reefs in it. As a way of asserting its position, the Chinese government has in recent years turned some of the reefs it controls into artificial islands and placed military equipment there. Its unilateral steps and the expansive nature of its claim make neighbours like Vietnam and the Philippines nervous. In response, both countries have strengthened security ties with the United States, raising tensions with China.
Beijing sees control over the South China Sea not only as a matter of economic interest or national pride, but as a question of national security. It feels threatened when the US navy operates in the area. And its growing military muscle and economic weight embolden it to challenge the status quo. The US, Japan, the EU and others, however, worry that China may want to restrict the freedom to navigate and fly over the sea. To highlight its concerns, Washington has started to deliberately sail through the disputed waters close to the contested reefs. The tribunal took the Philippine side and ruled that there was no legal basis for China to assert historic rights to resources within its nine-dash line. It also said that the rocks and reefs, many of which are either fully submerged or only visible at low tide, are not features that can generate an exclusive economic zone. China boycotted the tribunal’s proceedings and called the ruling ‘null and void’. It also questioned the impartiality of the tribunal. The United States, supported by Japan and Australia, called on Beijing to respect the decision.