China’s actions in the South China Sea have irritated many nations in the region, but they also threaten the preservation of the UN Charter system, Alison Pert writes.
Until very recently, China was insisting that its newly-created “islands” in the South China Sea were not for military purposes. Those assurances, always unconvincing, have now been abandoned following publication of the satellite photos showing the nature and extent of the facilities being constructed, and China’s display of military strength designed to coincide with the last month’s ASEAN meeting in the US.
China’s rhetoric has now shifted to claiming that the installations are necessary for self-defence against “aggressors” such as the US and Japan. Whatever its true intentions, there is a real prospect that China will seek to control the entire South China Sea for as-yet unclear purposes, using military force if necessary.
Apart from the obvious direct threat to any state challenging China’s right to control this vast area, there is another underlying concern here: the effect that these actions may have on other states’ adherence to international law, and on the UN collective security system in particular. One of the primary reasons for the creation of that system in 1945 was to prevent the forcible seizure of territory.
China regularly refers to the importance of international law, but of course insists that these activities are all taking place within its own territory and are therefore a matter of purely domestic concern. This, however, begs the question. China’s exorbitant maritime claims – the legal nature which has still to be explained – are inconsistent with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to which it is a party, and are vigorously contested by many other states in the region.
– See more at: http://www.policyforum.net/china-in-the-south-china-sea-back-to-the-future/#sthash.XXjb1eYh.dpuf