China’s military-foreign ministry divide ‘muddies South China Sea waters’

Sovereignty disputes in the South China Sea have been blown out of proportion partly because of intense internal differences in China over the handling of the maritime rows, according to a prominent US expert.

Stapleton Roy, a former US ambassador to Beijing, also said the escalation of tensions in the South China Sea was partly due to both China and the US allowing their militaries to play too large a role in the handling of the disputes.

“South China Sea disputes have been much higher profile than they should have been,” Roy said.

“Part of the problem is China cannot clarify its position because of its internal dispute [between the foreign ministry and the military]. Therefore, no one knows if China is claiming rights within the nine-dash line or not.

“Sources say the dispute is so sensitive that it cannot be resolved at present time, even with a strongman leader like [Chinese President] Xi Jinping in power,” he said.

The Chinese foreign ministry regularly issues statements saying China claims all islands and reefs in the South China Sea without claiming special rights in the waters, but Chinese behaviour suggests it is claiming rights within the nine-dash line, according to Roy.