Clinton’s remarks on the South China Sea shouldn’t have surprised China, says Minxin Pei. It must be careful not to overreact.
US-China ties appear to have hit another rough patch. First there was the revelation that China and Pakistan had signed a deal that would lead to the construction by China of two nuclear reactors in Pakistan, a development that has aroused much anxiety in Washington.
Then, Beijing made public its displeasure over the large-scale joint naval exercise conducted by the 7th Fleet and the South Korean Navy in the Sea of Japan, saying it viewed such a display of military power as ‘destabilizing.’
But it was US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s declaration on July 23 at the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in Hanoi that ‘The United States supports a collaborative diplomatic process by all claimants for resolving the various territorial disputes without coercion,’ and announcement that the United States ‘oppose[s] the use or threat of force by any claimant,’ that sent China into a rage, with officials accusing the Americans of attempting to ‘internationalize’ the South China Sea disputes.
On the surface, Beijing seems to be fully justified in being upset about Clinton’s remarks. First, she clearly caught the Chinese by surprise. Apparently, no hint had been given to the Chinese that Clinton would make a momentous announcement at this year’s ARF, which is known chiefly as an uneventful talk-shop.
Second, the symbolism carried by the venue itself, Hanoi, must deeply trouble the Chinese. Vietnam is one of the principal claimants in the dispute and Clinton’s remarks, although taken alone sounding neutral, actually are closer to the Association of South-east Asian Nations’ positions than to China’s.
So in Beijing’s eyes, Washington has now taken sides. China believes that, despite the long-simmering territorial disputes in the South China Sea, that it has taken serious steps to address its neighbors’ concerns. In 2002, for example, China and ASEAN signed a historic Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea that pledges to seek a peaceful resolution to the territorial disputes. Meanwhile, some ASEAN officials expect that China will sign a code of conduct at the end of this year.
However, Beijing shouldn’t allow fury to muddle its judgment. To be sure, no US secretary of state has ever publicly declared a US position on the South China Sea disputes (making this perhaps the most significant aspect of the Clinton statement). But on the other hand, the substance of her remarks don’t depart from the long-standing US position on the South China Sea disputes. So in reality there’s been no policy change.
Photo Credit: Uniphoto Press
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Tanda
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-Vietnamese_War – “… the PRC also supported the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. The PRC supported Pol Pot from fear that a unified Vietnam, in alliance with the Soviet Union, would dominate Indochina.”
Let’s the world see how much Chinese were as inhumane as was Pol Pot by creating Khmer Rouge massacring people.
mandrewsf
Geopolitics meant that the U.S. supported Peron in Argentina, Pinochet in Chile, and the Shah in Iran. All of them were murderous and oppressive regimes. Does that mean the U.S. is equally murderous and oppressive?
By the way, the Chinese war with Vietnam occurred with implicit U.S. support for China. Carter met Deng for this reason. Without U.S. backing, China would never have dared to go to war against Vietnam while millions of Soviet troops were encamped on its northern borders.
MollyMuses
Also, to “The Diplomat” editors, since you are ‘reviewing’ these comments for ‘approval’, by what standards are you “reviewing”? how do we know you are not censoring and controlling this conversation? are you going to censor me? This will be a test. If this appears, The Diplomat readers can be assured that their comments are being reviewed while still respecting their freedoms of speech in an age where all to many governments and power moguls are trying to censor us on the internet.
Chinese
Hmmmm …. interesting that you would ask that question. I thought you were saying only China censors the internet. (By the way, on the topic of Chinese censorship, I responded to your earlier comment)
raysimlee
I see a lot of westerners love to demonize the Chinese and look at Chinese as inferior. The self claimed civilized world is not so civilized when one look at the brutality in the middle ease. Look at Black Water and the US law court.
Many in the west are ignorant of other non western cultures. The norm for most westerners are their superiority complex.
I suggest the writer of this article may study recent Chinese history and what the western power (Japan is western country) did to China in the 19-20th centuries. After the profiteering and invasion of colonialism comes a period of exploitation. The grabbing of Chinese territories is what China is fighting against now. For this the westerners must understand that it is a result of their past action. Furthermore superiority in military power will force other to improve and suppression will only bring reaction.
The west can choose to continue their hate and attack on the Chinese. More aggression will only result more reaction. China has 5000 year of history. China has seen ups and downs, strong and weak. For a time it is at least one century ahead of the rest of the world. 200 years of corrupted Ching government has weaken China. Now China is rising. No power in the world no matter how brutal will be able to stop this trend.
The last paragraph by Minxin Pei is very typical of western superiority. What he is saying is that China must do what ever it is told and everything will be all right. I do not know where this westernized Asian comes form. Taiwan may be but Taiwan is part of China and has been at a state of civil war with China. The Americans can spin the truth with all its media power. Truth is truth. Superior American military technology has proven useless in Korea war, Vietnam war, Iraq and Afghanistan. Superior war technology only work on countries that do not have them. But China is not Iraq. They need to study the art of war and political wisdom pass down in China for 2000 years.
50 years of sanction has force China to train millions of very capable scientists and engineers. This is the main reason why China is progressing so fast. Sanction is a blessing from the western (so called civilized) world upon China. Now China has for the past 10 years work on principle of harmonious cooperation. It is the west that is forcing China and Chinese to react. The assault by western media on the Beijing Olympic with lies and fabrication has alienated many Chinese against the West. It also bring back the memories of the dark days of western invasion, rape, pilfering, loot, destruction. One stern English reporter insist the Chinese must forget the past. How can the past be forgotten when the west keep refreshing the memory.
The west can go to the web to know the current Chinese population’s opinion on world matters. My assumption here is that they care about a fellow human’s opinion. Otherwise just treat the Chinese the way you have been doing for the past 2 centuries. It is this opinion that is forcing the Chinese government to take a tougher stance.
The western behavior is the main cause of current world problem. They may want to blame it on countries like China and other third world countries. Continuation of this western behavior will cause more chaos and destruction. Much worse than what is happening in the middle east by superior US solders.
I fear for humanity itself.
the SEA
Welcome the USA back to South East Asia!
China is a great country and great nation. It demands loudly respect from every countries. They should act as a emerging super power correctly and with responsibility so that they receive respect from its neighbors. But looking at how they are dealing with the dispute: as a super power they think they have the right to shoot fishermen from neighboring countries, to rob them of gasoline, drinks and provisions on the high sea. Those innocent fishermen get even the Chinese bullet while they are looking for help during the typhoon, even if they violate China’s water or not. Is it the human being? Should China earn our respect?
With “high moral commitments of the Han-Emperor”, China invaded Vietnam in 1979 just to “teach them a lesson”, without an obvious reason (even a fake one like the Tonkin Gulf ‘attack in case of the American) according to international law? Please inform you about the destiny of those shameful and forgotten Chinese soldiers of this war. How were they feeling about a bloody war against their neighbors, “their comrades”? How were they treating after the war by the Chinese Society, when this shameful war shouldn’t be spoken about? China knows that it have always paid “a high prize” for its invasion to Vietnam. China can do it with its own people, but not with its neighbors. Of the nations those having bloody conflicts against Han-Chinese since the ancient times, only Vietnam, Korea and Mongolia have at the present time their own land, their independence and their own culture. The Vietnamese and the Koreans know how they defense their land. With Chinas claims of 80% South China Sea, the Vietnamese fishermen have only the choice to sell their boot and to go fishing inshore. Vietnam has two options: either to resist this matter with all its capability or to integrate itself to a province of China for economic reasons. The answer is clearly according to Vietnamese history in the thousand year’s long struggle for independence against “the northerner”. With its small navy Vietnam would suffer an immense lost in a military conflict. But it has a capability to harm China a lot in economic terms, as China’s economy is today fully intergraded globally.
The Chinese people had suffered so much from former superpower in the past. You say “the grabbing of Chinese territories is what China is fighting against now”. But China is the only world power that has land (and sea) disputes with all its neighboring countries. Why? As emerging super power PRC promotes the new Asian order by Asian values with China as a peaceful, understanding power center not like the western powers in the past. On other hand they play now the card of “big fish swallows smaller fish” and of nationalism for its motivation. Those small fishes with spine, someone with big spine were not easy to swallow. PRC is obvious nervous, not because of the threat of USA, but due to the Unity of ASEAN catalyzing by USA.
Better China should encourage its neighbors to its allies. China’s greed is unlimited. You haven’t learned your history as a repressed nation. Now you have your uninvited Uncle Sam in “your lake” again.
Chinese
@the SEA,
- “… they play now the card of ‘big fish swallows smaller fish’ …”
Again (same as with my previous comment), all statistics seem to show the opposite of what you are saying! If they play the so-called “big fish swallows smaller fish” card, why would they have this tendency to GIVE land away to their smaller neighbors.
Have a read of this interesting article from an Indian author :
http://indiaschinablog.blogspot.com/2010/03/you-scratch-my-back-but-i-wont-scratch.html
He disputes your point with a lot of interesting statistics.
The Diplomat Team
Just a friendly reminder to encourage commenters to keep comments constructive, on subject and to show respect for others who take the time to post. We receive many thoughtful and informative comments and try to post a diverse range of views. But to ensure this forum is welcoming for everyone, regardless of nationality or opinion, we do reserve the right to reject personal or aggressive commenting.
Chai Okwero
Which world power has land (and sea) disputes with almost every SINGLE neighboring country?
The answer is, obviously, China. She does not even spare Vienam, her supposedly communist “brother-in-arms”. The two countries had a bloodly border war in 1979, as well as numerous sea battles over the islands in South China Sea in the 1980s. Even today, China continues to attack Vietnamese fishing boats and hold Vietnamese fishermen for ransom.
Her land-and-sea-grabbing tendency arises from a combinaton of intense population pressure, an insatiable appetite for natutal resources to fuel her meteoric economic development as well as a collective “peasant” mindset which equates estate with power
China speaks volumne of what a China-dominated world would look like. Those who gleefully pray for America’s demise will certainly get more than what they bargain for when the post-Pax-Americana arrives with the dominance of a land-grabbing expansionist China
Ny
Re: Chai Okwero August 4, 2010 at 3:38 am
Hey, China simply defends its territorial integrity.The South China Sea and its numerous islands have been China’s territory since ancient time; the present government now has the strength to tell the world don’t mess with China’s territorial rights; so it appears as an aggressor.
paul
China has no right to claim the whole South China Sea belongs to it. It belongs to many countries.
In fast China doesn’t have any proof such as map to support its claim over the disputed islands, while Vietnam has so many. Don’t forget the fact that the French occupied Spatleys and Paracel islands for almost a 100 years before transferring the ownership to Vietnam and China attacked Vietnamese navy to take over some of the island in 1974. Another attack happened in 1986 to grab a few more islands.
get real
Your concept of “right” is mis-applied – it’s better used against the U.S. and the U.K. for illegal invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Territorial claims are not based on “right”, but history and power.
The entire Vietnam was for some period of time considered Chinese domain/territory.
Haav
Your statement is completely false.
China have the longest land border and the most number of land neighbors in the world. There were indeed many land border disputes between China and its numerous land neighbors due to the colonization of most of China’s neighobers by western imperial powers during the 19th centuries, while encoraching and grabbing Chinese traditional territories where possible. The border disputes between China and its neighbors are, in almost all cases, inheritted from these imperial conquests of western powers in Asia
In the past 2 decades, however, China has worked pragmatically to settle all of its border disputes with all of this neighbors. Land border disputes has been settled with the exception of India and Bhuttan (an Indian vassal state that does not even have its own diplomat relationship with China).
Land border disputes with Vietnam has been settled as well, even though they had a border war in 1979. That border war a Chinese response due to Vietname invasion of its own neighbor Cambodia.
Since China have successfully resolved most of its land border disputes, its has been focusing on resolving its sea border disputes with its Asian neighbors. These are comparatively much more complicated and difficult processes. But China undeerstands that in order to ensure long term growth and prosperity in the region, all of the border disputes must be addressed peacefully and soon.
Unfortunatley for China, sea border disputes are far more difficult to resolve than land border disputes. By throwing a monkey ranch into these very complicated processes of untying these extremely complicated knots of contradicting claims and counter-claims, the United States has brilliantly make it almost impossible for China to resolve its sea border disputes with its Asian neighbors.
With Asian countries permanently engaged in border disputes and an arms race, the US will benefits substantially. Not only the arrival of the Asian century will be delayed, the US will enjoy its global dominance for a longer time, but the American military-industril complex will profit handsomly from the great Asian arms race which already silently began.
oNe
“Land border disputes with Vietnam has been settled as well, even though they had a border war in 1979. That border war a Chinese response due to Vietnam invasion of its own neighbor Cambodia”…..
It is funny how you left out and forgot to mention that Vietnam invaded Cambodia was the response to China backing of the murderous Khmer Rouge in Cambodia in order to destabilized the region and resulted in the murdered of millions of Cambodian as well as hundreds and thousands of ethnic people including Vietnamese and Chinese. In fact every world historians (with the exception of the Chinese historians) praised the Vietnamese for toppling and ending the genocide in Cambodia. Only Chinese perversion would defend such a murderous gangs of thugs and criminals in order to justify their own invasion.
Chinese
@Chai Okwero,
- “Her land-and-sea-grabbing tendency …”
But all statistics available seem to show the opposite is true! That is, they seem to have a tendency to GIVE land away.
Have a read of this interesting article from an Indian author :
http://indiaschinablog.blogspot.com/2010/03/you-scratch-my-back-but-i-wont-scratch.html
It contains a lot of interesting statistics.
Jean
“Her land-and-sea-grabbing tendency arises from a combinaton of intense population pressure, an insatiable appetite for natutal resources to fuel her meteoric economic development as well as a collective “peasant” mindset which equates estate with power”
Land-and-sea-grabbling? pffft why don’t you read this before jumping into conclusions?
http://indiaschinablog.blogspot.com/2010/03/you-scratch-my-back-but-i-wont-scratch.html
(This site has statistics which support its argument and I dare the author is trying to stay as inpartial as possible and, if it makes you feel better, the author is not Chinese)
Indeed the killings of fishermen just because they are in “China’s sea territory” is no excuse (in fact judging from what others wrote, China is the one at fault here and I do not understand why they are so harsh Vietnam… but then again no body wrote anything specifically on China’s side of the story and how they viewed the situation so it’s hard to decide when you’ve only got one side of the story), but please do not bias on your general opinion of China’s ‘treatment’ toward all of it’s border countries. It is bad enough that most countries tend to portray China onesidedly as some evil country that does not respect human rights of their own and other country’s citizens. While they are busy creating the image of evil China I do not think, they mentioned about the positive things that China did, or the reasons to some of China’s actions which other countries found unjustifiable.
Leohart
There is no such thing that Chinese GIVE THEIR land away. They GAVE OTHER’S LAND AWAY. At the beginning, these lands belonged to their proper owners. Then Chinese came and claimed other’s lands as a part of their country. With their superior military force, they gained some advantages and took a part of the contested land. Giving land away? please stop the HYPOCRISY.
It’s not a coincidence that China is the only country that has conflict with all their neighbors.
About the point that mentioned the Qing Dynasty, I’ll just show you a counter argument. Mongolia once captured all China and Russia. Now should they claim all China as their land?
About the internet-censoring thing, just try facebook.com for example. And you see how demon-cracy they are.
About the Tiananmen square event, I agree that every government has to do something “dirty” to protect themselves. But at least, the other’s know about humanity, they don’t massacre armless people in such a cruel medieval way..
Pat
I often wonder if individuals in powerful postions leave comments on articles. I’ve been one that usually sits with comfort knwoing there are behind the scenes intelligent individuals considering the info and helping to make decsions. Of course I thought some of them were bad people, but I still had hope that there were highly intelligent, moral, and higher up individuals with character that had greater pole. Sometimes I would see evidence in this in our constituiton and laws. I have intelligence, but considered these secretive, behind the scenes indivduals to be cunning, sharp, and highly intelligent.
Perhaps regualation has been a double sword. Not doign their job andon the same token weeding out the indivduals who could or should. By weeding I mean prohibiting in one manner or another. Similair to the way an annoying, pestering, incompetent co worker calls you out when you are doing the right thing in a better and more efficient way. The only solution to that is a better boss who recognizes your talents and skills.