Opinion | South China Sea: ‘alliance of democracies’ ready to counter Beijing aggression

In July 2016, an international tribunal rejected China’s claims of sovereignty over the territory within a vaguely-defined nine-dash line in the South China Sea, concluding that Beijing’s claim violated international law.

While the United States takes no position on the competing claims in the South China Sea, Washington does reject Beijing’s claim and has deployed two carrier strike groups in dual-carrier operations through the contested waters. Punctuating this position is US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s recent announcement that China’s claims are “completely unlawful”.

Likewise, Australia has rejected the Chinese claims. It declared in late July that Beijing’s consolidation of the Spratly Islands and the Parcel Islands was invalid as it was “inconsistent” with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

To understand the tensions in the South China Sea, one needs to see the broader geopolitical struggle taking place beyond simply access to the rich fishing grounds and energy reserves. The evolving Sino-American tensions also have a significant impact on regional and global stability.

China’s aggressive reclamation and militarisation of the Spratly and Paracel Islands in 2014 should have immediately made clear that Beijing’s objectives were not just about fish, gas and oil, for three reasons.