Opinion | Beijing’s hard approach in the South China Sea could cost it soft power gains in Southeast Asia

China’s enforcement of its historic nine-dash line claim casts doubt over assurances that it will not seek dominance over Southeast Asian states

Aggressive tactics threaten the progress China has made in the region – playing right into the hands of the US

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A Chinese vessel patrols the South China Sea on April 13 and 14. China’s recent moves have upset some Southeast Asian states. Photo: Philippine Coast Guard via AP

Published: 1:00am, 11 Dec 2021Updated: 3:58am, 11 Dec 2021

China has been making progress in its soft power contest with the US for dominance in Southeast Asia. Its relationship with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has now been elevated to a “comprehensive strategic partnership”, entailing more closely aligned laws and security.

But with its recent aggressive and – in rival claimants’ eyes – illegal actions in the South China Sea, China is in danger of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

Beijing has tended to be ambiguous about what its historic nine-dash line claim means. But it is now evident that the claim includes jurisdiction over resources and activities within the boundary. Such a claim runs contradictory to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to which China is party.

Adding to the growing concern are new laws which allow China’s coastguard to use force to safeguard “national sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction”and which insist on prior notification from submersibles, nuclear vessels, ships carrying radioactive materials, and ships carrying bulk oil, chemicals, liquefied gas and other toxic and harmful substances before they enter China’s “territorial waters”.

Exactly what China regards to be its territorial waters is as worrying as it is ambiguous. As Beijing bares its teeth, rival claimants are recoiling into aligned opposition. And the US is taking every political advantage of these own goals.

What is the evidence? China has formally objected to drilling in Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), with reports saying Indonesia’s foreign ministry received a letter from an unnamed Chinese diplomat telling Indonesia to halt the activity because “it was taking place in Chinese territory”.

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