Recent reports on the South China Sea have relayed China’s aggressive expansion into the maritime region. As tensions between China and the Philippines rise, Beijing has blocked its neighbors ships from resupplying its Marine bases. Interestingly, China’s approach to national security differs from those that dominate Western institutions. President Xi Jinging has expressed that, in order to ensure national security, civilians must dirty their hands in military operations. This is reflected by the climate of the Spratly Islets: small militarized fishing boats patrol the waters that lie between China and the Philippines. With other countries also expanding their presence in the South China Sea, the probability of large-scale maritime conflicts is high.
Civilians are also caught in the crosshairs. In 2019, a Filipino fishing boat was rammed by a Chinese militia trawler, leaving the fishermen floating in the wreckage for hours before a passing vessel saved them. From Vietnam and Indonesia to the Philippines, fishermen say they can no longer access traditional fishing grounds because of what is in effect a Chinese blockade
From the top down, President to civilian, it appears that China is all in on consolidating its power in the South China Sea–or, more simply, the whole world. Numerous South Asian countries, namely the Philippines and Vietnam, are in full apprehension of the threat the Chinese pose to their influence in the region. But it appears odd that China would militarize the region, rather than commercialize and build peace within the region, especially considering the message behind its progressive Belt and Road Initiative.
An arms race in the South China Sea between Beijing and its southeast Asian counterparts is a direct contradiction to the BRI’s rhetoric. President Xi Jingping has proclaimed his intention to spur peace, in addition to development, as part of the BRI. The Chinese Coast Guard, however, has capsized civilian Filipino fishing boats; fishermen in nations in Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Phillipines note that China has restricted their access to certain fishing hotspots. In addition, Chinese ships have launched small-scale attacks on Vietnamese and Filipino boats. Counterintuitive when considering its BRI, China is welcoming conflict.
Its aggression in the region could damage China’s credibility and momentum as it pursues geopolitical endeavors in southeast Asia. Much of the criticism that circulates throughout BRI discourse asserts that perhaps China wants to exploit developing nations with debt-traps in the form of loans–that their primary impetus, instead of global connectivity, is to exact control over its neighbors and partners. The current status of BRI implementation and narratives next to China’s antagonization of other nation’s in the South China Sea, at the very least, warrants us to raise our suspicions about its true motivations.
https://www.voanews.com/a/analysts-vietnam-s-island-expansion-aims-to-counter-china/7373096.html