Opinion | China’s disregard for Vietnamese sovereignty leaves region worse off

Beijing’s actions in the South China Sea suggest that ‘might makes right’ and will keep tensions high

To have any chance of agreeing how to share resources in the disputed sea, all claimants need to refrain from pushing dubious entitlements

Reading Time:2 minutes

The deployment of Haijing 3901, one of the world’s largest coastguard vessels, showed Beijing’s willingness to use maritime law enforcement ships to impose its claims. Photo: Handout

Published: 3:00pm, 26 Jul 2019Updated: 10:08pm, 26 Jul 2019

Approaching the third anniversary of the tribunal ruling in the Philippines’ favour against China over maritime entitlements in the South China Sea, it became clear that Beijing was no closer to adhering to the international court’s binding award.

Instead, China continued to demonstrate its disregard for the landmark July 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, and for the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Beijing’s quest to establish a new status quo in the disputed waters of the South China Sea continues.

The stand-off between Vietnam and China over ongoing geological survey work by a Chinese vessel and its escorts – including a massive China Coast Guard vessel – highlights the new realities taking shape.

Hanoi and Beijing are no stranger to these sorts of stand-offs. In 2014, China-Vietnam relations hit a nadir over Chinese state-owned China National Offshore Oil moving its Hai Yang Shi You 981 oil platform into disputed waters.

In 2017, Chinese pressure on Vietnam, including a threat to use force, resulted in the suspension of an offshore natural gas project by Spanish firm Repsol in the southeast of Vietnam’s claimed exclusive economic zone, which China also claims.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x