WALL STREET JOURNAL
Trump’s
South China Sea Message
He laid down some important markers on his Asia tour.
An underreported theme of President Trump’s Asia tour was his attention
to a regional flashpoint overshadowed by North Korea: the South China
Sea. While Mr. Trump avoided public statements on the issue in China, he
laid down important markers in Vietnam and the Philippines.
For five years China has escalated tensions by building military bases
on artificial islands. Last year a United Nations tribunal found that
China’s claim to territorial waters violated international law, but
Beijing dismissed the judgment. Chinese vessels continue to harass the
ships of the other six nations that claim territory and economic rights
in the area.
In his Nov. 10 speech to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting
in Danang, Mr. Trump cited territorial expansion as a threat to regional
stability. “We must uphold principles that have benefitted all of us,
like respect for the rule of law, individual rights, and freedom of
navigation and overflight, including open shipping lanes. These
principles create stability and build trust, security, and prosperity
among like-minded nations,” he said.
The remarks are a direct challenge to China, which warns away ships and
planes that pass near the land features it controls. Beijing reacted
with outrage after the U.S. Navy conducted four “freedom of navigation
operations” this year to assert the right to use waters claimed by
China. An estimated $4.5 trillion in trade transits the South China Sea
annually.
U.S.-Vietnam relations continue to warm as a result of China’s pressure.
In July Vietnam abandoned oil exploration in its exclusive economic zone
after threats from Beijing. Mr. Trump urged the Vietnamese to buy
Patriot missiles, and the relationship could deepen into a strategic
partnership.
In Manila, Mr. Trump and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte issued a
joint statement that stressed “the importance of peacefully resolving
disputes in the South China Sea, in accordance with international law,
as reflected in the Law of the Sea Convention.” Last year’s tribunal
decision was based on the convention.
This is significant because Mr. Duterte previously offered to put the
verdict aside and sought to cooperate with Beijing on oil-and-gas
exploration. But China’s aggressive behavior is creating political
pressure on Mr. Duterte to defend Philippine claims.
In August, Manila announced that a commercial deal with China was in the
works and Beijing agreed not to occupy more land in the Spratly Islands
or build on Scarborough Shoal, which it seized from the Philippines in
2012. But that same day Chinese ships surrounded the Philippine-occupied
island of Thitu, causing a political backlash in Manila. Last year Mr.
Duterte called for American troops to leave the Philippines, but now the
two allies are in talks to expand the U.S. presence on Philippine bases
near the South China Sea.
While Beijing has agreed Monday to work with Southeast Asian nations on
a code of conduct for the South China Sea, that hardly means it will
stop its encroachment and base-building. Chinese negotiators have strung
along this process for more than 15 years and still insist that the code
should be nonbinding.
Last week a Chinese shipyard unveiled a new dredger capable of dredging
6,000 cubic meters of sand per hour. China continues to reclaim land in
the Paracel Islands, which are also claimed by Vietnam.
In a meeting with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang on Sunday, Mr.
Trump offered to mediate between China and the other claimants. That
brought a predictable rebuke from China’s Foreign Ministry, but quiet
cheers in Southeast Asia. This presidential trip sent the welcome
message that the U.S. has a vital national interest in keeping shipping
lanes open and deterring Chinese territorial expansion. |