Most international scholars dismiss as baseless China’s Nine-Dash Line which demarcates almost the entire South China Sea as being Chinese territory. The international arbital tribunal in The Hague agreed that there were no legitimate grounds for China to claim “historic rights” to the territory.
But Bill Hayton writes for Nikkei Asian Review that Western countries have to take China’s claim seriously, not for the purpose of conceding its validity, but for the purpose of challenging it.
While China’s strategic interests such as defending lines of communication and defending against seaborne attacks are clearly important to Beijing, Western observers place too much emphasis on these factors. China’s actions in the region are based on a very real sense of entitlement to the territory. This feeling is informed by an obsession with ending the country’s “national humiliation” suffered at the hands of Western colonial powers in the 19th and 20th centuries.
This sense of entitlement to the territory means that Beijing will only grow more assertive, especially in the face of military confrontation. If other nations want to balance China’s interests in the region they must first understand China’s objectives.
Hayton argues that, while China’s strategic objectives for the defense of its coast, sea lanes and nuclear deterrent, will endure, the flawed historical narratives on which its claims are based can and should be challenged.
There may be some validity to this argument, but if China continues to erode regional challenges to its claims, as it seems to be doing in the Philippines, then the US, Japan and other Western powers will have little grounds for pushing back, regardless of how historically accurate their argument is.
Ng Mingtin I bet if they get a piece of the oil and fishing in the S. China Sea instead of China just saying the way it’s going to be – their chances of moving forward are a lot better? Who’s being imperialistic here? I love when people act like only the other guy can be driven by lust, greed, and glory. good one – lol
the dragon really awaken!!! and knows no law!!! if you insist… this means the start of a " 3rd world war ". if you are mightier then go ahead make the heavens shower with burning stars…
he international arbital tribunal in The Hague agreed that there were no legitimate grounds for China to claim “historic rights” to the territory.
– What International Tribunal in the Hague is the author quoting to justify his claim? Both the United Nation’s sole legitimate legal body, the International Court of Justice and The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague made their respective announcements distancing themselves from the ad hoc (read: fake) tribunal’s fake ruling.
Archer Sterling Yes, but so what?
Ng Mingtin ok west is hipocrite and China is copying it now..
Ok its just pride so please do not harrass the small country.. how come you discover Philippines when there is Filipino there..Dont play words just get out its not yours..
Is it really?
May be it is. May be it is not.
Anglos Europeans claimed ENTIRE CONTINENTS – North America/South America, Africa, Australi THAT was plain madness.
Well, I don’t see the Chinese wiping out the Filippinos, nor the Viets.
Can one say the same for the Anglos feeling the suffering of native Americans, and Australian aboriginals when they were removed from their lands?
No. Didn’t think so.
How little you know of your own history.
Ignorance is bliss for you then.
Jeff Wolfers
said the thief to another.
a kettle to the pot….rolling eyes.
"bully?" don’t agree on that.
China established the "Tributary State" system a thousand years ago whereby countries such as Korea/Vietnam and other S.E Asia was within a balanced sytem and protected.
The West when it emerged in the 1400’s fought each other hundred of years before making peace in 1945 among themselves. Now, excluding the other colonial subjects, only the Anglo nations coexist peacefully within their own such tributary system (us/canada/uk/australia…extended to franco france, saxon german and other european states).
Zeny Manalastas
Agree.
The SE Asian countries must develop into modern states – like the other Asia tigers of S.Korea, Taiwan, HK, Singapore. Once they do that then their claims can be more legitmate as they would need the oil fields for their economic development. But as it stants, those countries are standing pat and are mired in undeveloped state leaving the rich valuable resources for other nation (i.e. China) to scoop in and claim it.
Hai Nguyen
Actually, it is a legacy of the past as set by the West.
China is taking over territories that (probably) belonged to other countries (tacitly?), but where as the West masscred the indgiouns inhabitants of North America, South America, Africa (now given back to Africans), Australia, N.Zealand, Hawaii -,the Chinese are only taking atolls in the SCS.
The smaller nations of S.E Asia can/should complain, but for the USA/West to challenge and refute China’s actions is nothing more than idiotic hypocracy.
Zeny Manalastas
China is only doing what the West has done since 1600 and that is taking over other foreing lands – with one exception – China is not exterminating the indigious people, they are only taking territorial uninhabited land.
The poorer nations of Vietnam, Phillippines et al, can’t do much about it.
It’s not a surprise to anyone that the West keeps getting it wrong on other countries.
Let’s be real and compare this with other historical examples; some of these islands/reefs are close to the coasts of the Phillipines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and so are legitimately claimed by them because they are relatively far from China. But if proximity is the only yardstick, then should Guam or Hawaii or indeed Guatanamo, or the Falklands/Malvinas, or Diego Garcia, or Gilbraltar be rightly returned to the rightful owners (assuming they have not been decimated by the imperialists)? The USA and its vassal states are wanting to take China down a peg or two- isn’t that what the Pivot to Asia is about? Do that, push China back if you can, but don’t tell Asians that it is about about freedom of navigation, or rule of law. All bollocks. A bit like a remix of ‘weapons of mass destruction’. Absolute rubbish!!
China would not face opposition from the Philippines if they inform publicly that their intention is just to safeguard the territory from any seaborn attacks or from western countries invasion.
Philippines should not be included to be mentioned as western country because Philippines is Asia.
Philippines does not care about freedom of navigation because its ships could float hundred meters away from shore.. the point here is china intimidated the Philippines fishermen from its own shore that is a big mistake.
We Asia understand about the invasion of the western countries that includes the Philippines and all Southeast Asian countries and China but China should not drive away the Philippines from its own shore. Filipinos are just concern of their daily needs to fish to buy food for the hungry stomach.. very basic needs so china must not drive away fishermen from its own shore because it is a form of bullying…
Filipino fishermen are not familiar into politicking.. what they knew is they need to catch fish to he sold to buy rice for the family that needs to be feed . While china is busy in thier very advance politics and futuristic dream ..
Filipinos are not aware of what is it but just to feed the family to survive.
Unity of asia is important..
UNCLOS is a law promulgated by the UN to put the limit on the claim of every state on the waters around them. If there is no UNCLOS, big countries can claim every inch of the water adjacent to them. It is right to follow this law to prevent conflict between nation. Countries signatories or not must honor this law. Past is just a history and no one country claim more that what is stated in the UNCLOS.
John Brown I will make it ample – God give me the courage to change the things I can, the patience to accept the things I can’t, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Never said Am. Policies always had the moral high ground, in fact quite the opposite ‘- policy is often driven by power interests. Whoever has the advantage hammers the other guy until we learn otherwise.
The article talks about a benign sense if Chinese entitlement here. No such thing. Entitlement almost virtually guarantees an attitude that will lead to the kind of injustices you rail against.
Timing is everything, this is something we can and should do something about. It us in our and the rest of the worlds interest and bit has the moral high ground.
You are right, the way we treat native Am. In this country is a travesty and should be corrected.
Why China has no claim for funding from the Global Debt Facility for island building in the South China Sea: https://s3.amazonaws.com/khudes/Twitter12.19.15.4.pdf