By Dr Mehmood Ul Hassan Khan
It seems that Mr. Adan Shawal Akbar, the writer of the article titled “A threat to regional stability” published in daily Pakistan Today on December 8, 2024 is full of factual errors, historic mistakes, research blunders and the following of self-whims & wishes syndrome vividly reflecting his prejudiced approach and limited real expertise with the sponsored intentions to target China polluting its legitimate rights on South China Sea.
Because historic, natural and domestic laws accepted by most of the regional countries endorses lawful claims of China on South China Sea since long and only western false, fake and fabricated propaganda and news are dishonoring the Chinese ownership.
The writer blamed China its so-called diversified policies creating instability, disharmony and displeasures among the ASEAN countries which should be termed as lie of the century because a fair assessment and independent economic opinion is and will always highly appreciate China’s positive, productive and participatory role and cooperation in overall socio-economic integration, industrial cooperation, financial integration, human capital nurturing, digitalization, modernization, hybrid agriculture, investments, joint ventures, connectivity and above all better understanding resolving all conflicts through peaceful dialogue, diplomacy and development in the region making Asia Pacific a safe haven of political consultation, economic cooperation and trans-regional connectivity.
Therefore, the current status of ASEAN being the biggest trading partner of China in terms of imports & exports nullifying self-made assumptions and intended miscalculations of the said writer of this article.
I feel sympathy with the writer who purposefully accused China for its so-called militarization in Asia Pacific. On the other hand, daily naval hide & seek, massive deployment of ballistic missiles, re-formation of military alliances with Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Philippines, India, Australia, activation of QUAD and AUKUS, holding of joint martial drills with its regional allies spanning from India, Australia, South Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam and Philippines, formation and arming the Philippines and Taiwan all indicate the emergence of a new flash point in the region.
Thus Asia Pacific and ASEAN trans-regional connectivity, socio-economic integration, national capacity building, digitalization and modernization have now encountered new negative zones which clearly mitigates high claims of the writer against China and its national deterrence policies against external aggression.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs always firmly opposes any aggression in the South China Sea and continues to take all necessary measures in accordance with the law to resolutely defend the country’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.
As a principal China is right to reject a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that its sweeping claims were not supported by international law because of its numerous enacted domestic laws covering the South China Sea, such as a coast guard law in 2021 that allows it to detain foreigners suspected of trespassing along with its natural and historic claims as accepted in case of US and Canada and many other countries and regions around the world.
China rightly maintains that, under international law, foreign militaries cannot conduct intelligence-gathering activities, such as reconnaissance flights, in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) which should be appreciated instead of deeply indulging in the unlawful economic and exploration activities in South China Sea mainly by Philippines and Vietnam.
Undoubtedly, the South China Sea is an important trade route that connects the Pacific and Indian Ocean regions. According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), in 2023 76 million barrels per day (BPD) of petroleum products were traded globally via maritime transport, with approximately 28 million bpd 37 percent of those shipments passing through the South China Sea.
With the support and sponsorship of the US and the west some regional countries, mainly the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, have almost certainly intensified maritime territorial disputes between various countries in the region that seek to strengthen their undue natural and historical claims to geographical features against legitimate rights of China. An escalation of tensions in the region has the potential to disrupt trade through this global waterway, which would very likely result in supply chains being affected worldwide for which the Chinese government has been advocating a regional resolution and peaceful solution.
In this regard, foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) welcomed the continued improving cooperation with China on the South China Sea issue. Moreover, underscoring the importance of the full and effective implementation of the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) in its entirety, the foreign ministers emphasized the need to maintain an environment conducive to the COC negotiations. ASEAN member states and China have agreed on a Single Draft COC Negotiating Text which is a good omen.
Unfortunately, the recent US$1 billion investment pledge from the US to the Philippines should be seen by Chinese analysts as a strategic move to encourage the Philippines to further cooperate with the US’ Indo-Pacific strategy and take a strong stance against China, particularly over the South China Sea issue. However, this investment package may be more like a sugar-coated bullet, as the potential losses would outweigh the gains if the Marcos Jr government continues to provoke China.
Thus the western false, fake and fictional propaganda is flushing out. While addressing the opening ceremony of a seminar commemorating the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) by video, the Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi termed peace and stability in the South China Sea as important prerequisites for regional development.
The DOC is the first political document signed by China and ASEAN countries on the South China Sea issue which establishes the basic principles and common norms for all parties/countries to handle the South China Sea issue, Wang added.
Wang also emphasized the need to further improve bilateral and multilateral maritime-related dialogue mechanisms by establishing and advancing the cooperation mechanism between coastal countries, actively promoting practical cooperation in scientific research, environmental protection, search and rescue and other fields, and the discussion of the joint development of resources. He highlighted that stronger institutional guarantees must for managing differences and promoting cooperation.
He assured China’s commitment and termed that the principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness in its neighborhood diplomacy, and work with ASEAN countries will be the foremost priority to defend maritime peace, build maritime order, a promotion of maritime cooperation, and a contributor to maritime development. Thus all regional countries should not pollute the deep waters of the South China Sea by borrowing any foreign idea or plan.
In summary, it is confirmed that the writer Adan Shawal Akbar has some personal vested interests supplementing/implementing the hidden agenda of his foreign peers to write such baseless, groundless and untrue accusations against China on the South China Sea.
This article does not have any relevance, objectivity, validity and any genuine facts matching with the history, natural and legal claims of China on South China Sea. Therefore, I plead to this writer to please not follow any foreign agenda by blindly adopting the western political hype against China being an iron-clad brother.
The author is President of Pak-China Corridor of Knowledge and Executive Director of Center for South Asia & International Studies (CSAIS), Islamabad.
