U.S., Japan tighten Jail on China for building united front in South China Sea

Successive military agreements with the Philippines and Indonesia…
Promote joint military training with Quad

The South China Sea Spratly Islands (Chinese name Nansha Archipelago, Vietnamese name Truongsa Islands, Philippine name Calayaan Islands) have 48 islands, as well as various reefs, coral reefs, and sandbars (see map). However, China and the Philippines are fiercely fighting over territorial rights over the second thomas shoal (Chinese name Ren’aijiao, Philippine name Ayungyin), which is a sand bar. A sand bar is a type of sand mound created by the deposition of sand in shallow seas. At one corner of the 15km long and 5km wide Second Thomas Shoal lies the Philippine landing ship Sierra Madre, which ran aground in 1999. At the time, the Philippine government had 12 Marines stationed on the ship in the name of protecting the vessel. The Philippine government is in the position that there is no problem in deploying military forces as the sand bar is within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

On the other hand, the Chinese government has been demanding the demolition of the Philippine government, claiming that the Philippine government deliberately set it aground by sending it to the sand bar located on its territory. In particular, the Chinese government mobilized naval vessels and coast guard vessels to obstruct Philippine vessels and civilian vessels that were trying to deliver food and supplies to Philippine marines. Finally, when a Chinese coast guard ship fired a military laser at a Philippine Coast Guard patrol boat carrying supplies on the Second Thomas Shoal on February 6, the Philippine government strongly protested. At the time, some of the crew members aboard the Philippine vessel temporarily lost their eyesight due to the powerful laser light.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (right) protests to Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Si-lien about laser attacks by Chinese coast guard ships. [필리핀 대통령궁]

When this incident occurred, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called Huang Si-lian, the Chinese ambassador to the Philippines, to the presidential palace on February 15 to protest. President Marcos Jr. pointed out to Ambassador Huang that “the level of tension is rising as China’s hostile actions targeting the Philippine Coast Guard and fishermen in the South China Sea have increased.” When a diplomatic problem arises, a high-ranking official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs usually calls the ambassador of the other country to protest, but it is extremely unusual for the president, the country’s top leader, to directly come forward. The Philippine government claimed that “China intentionally fired military lasers.”

China, on the other hand, refuted, saying, “A Philippine ship intruded into our waters and responded legally.” The two countries also clashed in the region in November 2021. At the time, the Chinese coast guard ship blocked access to the sandbank by firing water cannons at the Philippine supply ship, saying, “They trespassed on our territory.” China’s even more radical laser irradiation than at the time is intended to warn President Marcos Jr. of his anti-China policy. President Marcos Jr., son of former President Ferdinand Marcos, who ruled the Philippines with an iron fist from 1965 to 1986, has strengthened relations with the United States and Japan since taking office in June last year, unlike former President Rodrigo Duterte, who was pro-Chinese. there is.

In fact, President Marcos Jr. visited Tokyo, Japan on February 9, held a summit meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and agreed to promote the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA), a quasi-military alliance. The RAA is a treaty that allows armies from both countries to enter the other country without visas and easily bring weapons and ammunition. If this agreement is concluded, ships or fighters can easily enter the other country, facilitating large-scale military exercises, and mutual dispatch of troops in case of emergency is possible. Japan currently has RAA agreements with Australia and the UK. Accordingly, Japan and the Philippines are expected to significantly expand joint military exercises in the future. In a joint statement, the two leaders emphasized, “We are seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas and strongly oppose any act of escalating tension, including force or coercion.”

The Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, called by different names by China, Vietnam and the Philippines. Donga DB

The Philippines also agreed to provide four additional military bases to the US military under the EDCA agreement with the US. Philippine Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez reached an agreement after meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who visited the country on February 2nd. Under the agreement, the two countries allow US forces access to Philippine military bases for joint military exercises, equipment prepositioning, use of runways and fuel storage, and construction of facilities such as military housing. The US military has so far operated five military bases in the Philippines, including four air bases and one army base, and deployed troops on a rotational basis. This time, the two countries agreed to add four bases, bringing the total number of military bases used by the US military to nine. Additional military bases are expected to be on Luzon Island in the northern Philippines, close to Taiwan, and on Palawan Island, close to the Spratly Islands, a disputed territory in the South China Sea. Gregory Pauling, a researcher in charge of Southeast Asia at the US think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said, “It is an important agreement that can play a big role in the event of a crisis in Taiwan or the South China Sea.”

Indonesia, like the Philippines, is actively taking an anti-China route. This is because Indonesia has also been engaged in a territorial dispute with China over the South China Sea, also called the ‘North Natuna Sea’. The North Natuna Sea, which spans the northwest of Indonesia’s Kalimantan Island and the south of the South China Sea, is called the ‘golden fishing ground’ because of its rich fish stock. In addition, there are also natural gas fields under the sea. This sea area is within Indonesia’s EEZ, but it overlaps with China’s so-called ‘Nine-dash South Sea Line’ to a large extent. The Nine-Dash Lines in the South Sea are nine U-shaped imaginary lines drawn along the periphery of the South China Sea by the Chinese government to claim sovereignty over the waters and seabed in the South China Sea, accounting for 90% of the entire South China Sea. The South China Sea is a strategic strategic point with large-scale reserves of oil and natural gas, and annual maritime cargo volume of 3.4 trillion dollars (approximately 4,426 trillion won).

The Indonesian government named the waters surrounding the Natuna Islands as the North Natuna Sea in July 2017, and has since strengthened its sovereignty by deploying destroyers and fighter jets and building a new military base. The Indonesian government has also captured and sunk illegal Chinese fishing boats intruding into these waters. About 5,000 Chinese fishing boats annually engage in illegal fishing in these waters. On the other hand, the Chinese government demanded that the name of the Northern Natuna Sea be withdrawn, arguing that because this area is a traditional fishing ground for China, its fishing boats have been doing legal and reasonable activities, and has mobilized coast guard ships as well as naval vessels to protect its fishing boats.

Recently, Indonesia concluded an EEZ negotiation with Vietnam, which has been in conflict over territorial rights in the South China Sea. At the end of January, Indonesian President Joko Widodo had a summit meeting with then-Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and agreed on the EEZ delimitation, which was the biggest pending issue between the two countries. Cooperation between the two countries was achieved through the mediation of the United States and Japan. As a result, the two countries will be able to stand up with one voice against China, which claims the South China Sea as its own sea. Indonesia is also strengthening cooperation with countries along the South China Sea. Indonesia signed a defense cooperation agreement with the Philippines in September last year to strengthen maritime security. The two countries agreed to establish a five-year plan and strengthen cooperation in areas such as energy, maritime development, education, and health as well as security areas such as counterterrorism and border management. Indonesia plans to conduct joint military drills with Malaysia and Brunei in the waters near the Natuna Islands during the first half of this year. Indonesia is also promoting joint military exercises with Quad, an Indo-Pacific security consultative body consisting of the United States, Japan, Australia, and India.

The reason why Indonesia actively participates in the anti-China solidarity between the US and Japan is that China is further strengthening its sovereignty over the South China Sea by turning artificial islands into military bases. It is for this reason that Indonesia held the ‘Super Garuda Shield’ joint military exercise with the United States, Japan, Australia, and Singapore participating in Sumatra and Kalimantan Islands in August last year. The Super Garuda Shield is a large-scale military exercise conducted by the United States and Indonesia for the purpose of putting pressure on China. Japan is expected to step up strategic cooperation by inviting Indonesia, the chair country of this year’s ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) tour, as an observer to the G7 summit to be held in Hiroshima in May.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (right) inspects the Thai military honor guard with Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha in June last year. US Department of Defense

The U.S. and Japan are also working to improve relations with Thailand, which has been pro-China. The United States and Japan have distanced themselves from Thailand since then-Army Chief of Staff then-Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha seized power in a coup in 2014. The U.S. and Thailand are co-hosting the multinational joint military exercise, ‘Cobra Gold,’ starting this year again on a large scale as before. The exercise will be held from February 28 to March 10, with seven countries participating: the United States, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea. Japanese Prime Minister Kishida visited Thailand in November last year and had a summit meeting with Prime Minister Prayut and decided to strengthen bilateral relations, including economic cooperation. Japan is Thailand’s largest investor.

The intention of the US and Japan to actively embrace the countries along the South China Sea can be seen as an attempt to build a siege against China through anti-China solidarity. Attention is focusing on how successful the joint strategy between the US and Japan to strangle China will be in the future.

Janghoon Lee International Affairs Analyst [email protected]

Source: Donga

Mark

Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.