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On September 18, The Straits Times newspaper quoted Dr. Li Nan, senior researcher at the East Asia Institute (EAI – Singapore), as saying that forgoing the “yellow dock line” will improve soft power, increasing profits . benefits and helps China keep friends in ASEAN.
Speaking at an online seminar on maritime disputes organized by EAI and the Yusof Ishak Institute, Dr. Li said that it is time for Beijing to abandon “cow’s tongue” in the East Sea.
China’s nine-dash line is contrary to international law of the sea, but uses it to claim sovereignty over the waters around the Natuna archipelago, Indonesia, at the center of the dispute between China and Indonesia.
China built illegal artificial islands in the South China Sea. Photo: DPA
According to Dr. Li, the China Coast Guard protected the nine-dash line, causing all the problems with the coastal states involved in disputes in the South China Sea. However, if Chinese leaders leave the nine-point line, they could face a backlash from many sides, including the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
Dr. Li’s opinion received a reply from Dr. Le Hong Hiep, a member of ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. “China has removed two dashes, but in 2010 they added another dotted line in the East China Sea. So I’m not sure if China has really dropped the nine dash line,” Hiep said. I fully agree with Dr. Li that if China completely abolishes the nine-dash line, it will be a great and good idea for China’s soft power.
In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague – Netherlands ruled to reject China’s claim on the nine-dash line in the East Sea after the Philippines took the case to court. In July this year, the United States supported the ruling, but China ignored it.
Meanwhile, most of the academics attending the seminar agreed that ASEAN and China were still unable to issue guidance on the Code of Conduct in the East Sea (CoC) by the end of next year due to the Covid pandemic. -19.
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