This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission.
Asia-Pacific nations should observe their obligation not to use, or threaten to use, force amid increased tensions in the South China Sea, an international panel of experts has warned.
Participants at a two-day conference ending on Thursday, hosted by Vietnam, examined how the principle of non-use of force in resolving disputes should be understood and upheld by the claimants of the South China Sea and the international community.
The conference “Navigating Narratives, Nurturing Norms” looked at “the complex evolution of international relations, the proliferation of proxy actors, and the politicization and weaponization of interdependencies.”
Euan Graham, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, or ASPI, said that compared with other regions such as the Middle East and Europe, “there have been remarkably few armed conflicts between states” in the Asia-Pacific.
However, there have been sporadic armed clashes, he noted. The last serious one was in 1988 between China and Vietnam over the Johnson South Reef in the Spratlys that resulted in the deaths of 64 Vietnamese soldiers.
“In the last 15 years or so, the South China Sea has become more associated with China’s use of coercive tactics including physical confrontation but below the threshold of military force, commonly called gray-zone activities … presenting a clear threat of force,” Graham said, warning that this “gray-zone” has now adopted a noticeable “darker shade.”
“The number and intensity of incidents involving physical force and threat of armed violence has increased,” he added.
First-hand experience
Tensions between China and the Philippines have risen sharply this year in a part of the South China Sea that is under Manila’s jurisdiction but also falls within the so-called nine-dash line that Beijing prints on its maps to back its claim to most of the sea.
Philippine Coast Guard Spokesperson Jay Tarriela told the conference that his country has first-hand experience of China’s aggression but other countries in the region also suffered from its “illegal and unacceptable behavior.”
Tarriela said that from Manila’s perspective, in order to achieve a peaceful solution of disputes in the South China Sea, regional countries should forge a common understanding and mutual respect based on international law, and ensure transparency in their policies. He also called for collective actions amongst all claimants in the sea.
“The Philippines’ struggle extends beyond our sovereignty, it is a fight for everyone,” said Tarriela. “We should not allow any state actor to circumvent international law and to veto the U.N. Charter.”
“Remaining silent about such bullying tactics is tantamount to condoning such actions,” the coast guard commodore said, pointing to “the lessons from the two World Wars.”
Responding to the criticism of her country’s policies in the South China Sea, a Chinese expert said that Beijing had already exercised much restraint and patience.
Lei Xiaolu, a professor at the China Institute of Boundary and Ocean Studies at Wuhan University, said that other countries should be aware that “China will never abandon our claims over four archipelagos and the waters in the South China Sea.”
Maritime disputes take time, patience and political will to achieve final solutions, Lei said, urging parties to “sit down to discuss in good faith.”
Most Southeast Asian countries already have a bilateral consultation mechanism with China, according to the Chinese scholar, who noted that in the second half of this year “there’s already been an intensified diplomatic communication between China and the Philippines to de-escalate tensions at sea.”
“In many cases, it’s very difficult to determine whether it was the use of force in hostility or the use of force in a law enforcement activity,” Lei argued, adding that only increased communication, not only through diplomatic channels but also by other government agencies from relevant countries, could help prevent conflict.
Yet, the risk of escalation remains, ASPI’s Graham said.
“The maritime enforcement has very limited utility without an accompanying hard power,” or the military presence at the scene, he said.
