China vs world opinion

There is no gainsaying that with its dizzying economic success and sudden accumulation of massive wealth, China now believes that it can just run roughshod over its neighbors and belittle or totally ignore world opinion.

Its angry reaction to the recent statement of the Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies expressing concern over China’s “intimidating, coercive or provocative unilateral actions” in the South China Sea only shows its arrogance and its penchant to deflect criticism of its policies by saying that such criticism constitutes interference in its internal affairs.

In their statement, the G7 foreign ministers urged all states in the region to refrain from such actions as “land reclamations and building of outposts for military purposes” in the disputed areas. Although not specifically mentioned, China felt alluded to and reacted strongly.

Its foreign ministry retorted that China has every right to build on the Spratly Islands, and reiterated that there are no problems with freedom of navigation or overflights in the important international shipping lane. In a cavalier manner, it told the G7 that given the sluggish global recovery at the moment, the group should focus on “global economic governance and cooperation instead of hyping up maritime issues and fueling tensions in the region.”

In a subsequent statement, China said the military exercises of the Philippines and the United States were “unbeneficial” to the peace and stability in the South China Sea and would only exacerbate tension in the area. It conveniently sidestepped the fact that it is the one fomenting tension by building permanent structures on the shoals and islets in the contested archipelago, some of them claimed for many years by other countries like the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

It mouthed its usual refrain that it is committed to resolve the sea conflict through direct bilateral talks with the claimant countries, but with a tacit condition: All claimant countries should recognize China’s full sovereignty over the disputed areas.

How can the other claimants negotiate with China when it has already claimed, using ancient maps with dubious origins and its so-called nine-dash line, the whole of the Spratlys, even including the Scarborough Shoal which faces the shorelines of Zambales and the waters around which are traditional fishing grounds of Filipino fishermen and way, way far from mainland China?

The Philippines made the right move in elevating the case to the United-Nations-backed arbitration tribunal in The Hague as the only recourse by a small country to gain a just and peaceful settlement of the dispute.

The tribunal, which has rejected outright China’s claim that it has no legal basis to hear the Philippine complaint, is expected to issue a definitive ruling within the year.

But China, a member of the United Nations, has adamantly said that it does not recognize the authority of the arbitration tribunal and would not be bound by any of its decisions.

It is high time China proved to the world that it has no intentions of establishing regional hegemony and that it is not a threat to regional security by putting a stop to bullying small nations.

As a huge country with vast resources and one-fifth of the world’s population, China can do much mayhem, especially toward its small neighbors, and this is now being shown by its arrogant posture toward other claimant countries.

The only recourse for a small country like the Philippines is to strengthen its alliance with world powers, such as the United States and Japan, to mitigate the restiveness caused by China’s belligerent attitude.

The new military accommodations extended by the Philippines to the United States and Japan should serve as a warning to China that it cannot continue its threat to the stability of the region without being confronted. Any further tension in the region can only be blamed on China and no one else.

Alito L. Malinao, a veteran journalist and former news editor of a major Manila daily, now teaches journalism at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila. He is the author of the textbook “Journalism for Filipinos.”