Macroscope | South China Sea headbutting of nations is about energy security
“China’s territory,” its foreign minister asserts. Navigation of the waterways to the country’s south are key to other countries’ energy needs
Other nations reject that assertion.
China has every right to peaceably pursue what it considers its legitimate claims in the area. Still its challenge of the existing status quo is of considerable interest to others — even those without territorial claims in the South China Sea and who view their energy security and geopolitical interests aligned to continuing freedom of navigation in those sea-lanes.
Thus, even if the Obama Presidency had not already committed the United States to a foreign policy pivot towards Asia, US geo-strategic interests in Asia would anyway have forced Washington to take an interest in developments in the South China Sea.
Even though Beijing subscribes to the principle of freedom of navigation and overflight, any prospect that China might more easily exercise control over the sea-lanes of the South China Sea could be viewed as a potential threat to the energy security of key US allies Japan and South Korea while Taiwan too would also be vulnerable.