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European powers appear to want to increase their presence in waters around China, including the South China Sea, given Beijing’s grand ambitions.
Britain, France and Germany, also known as Group E3, sent a joint note to the United Nations on 9/16 to challenge China’s irrational claims in the South China Sea. In the note, the three countries emphasized the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) as the “legal framework” for all activities at sea and must be upheld with integrity.
The content of the note states that China drew the so-called “straight baseline” around Vietnam’s Hoang Sa archipelago, and the concept of “historical right” it introduced to claim the majority. The South China Sea, “violates international law and the provisions of UNCLOS”, is a convention to which China is also a party.
The decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands, in the Philippines’ lawsuit against China’s claim for “beef tongue line” in the South China Sea of July 12, 2016 “clearly affirms this point” added the function.
The British corvette HMS Argyll was tested in the South China Sea with the US Navy in January 2019. Image: Royal Navy.
The E3 Group’s move comes against the backdrop of China recently committing a series of aggressive acts in the South China Sea, as countries focus on dealing with Covid-19. The global geopolitical climate is also tense as relations between the United States and China fall to their lowest level in decades.
According to commentator Richard Javad Heydarian Asia Times, Britain and France will benefit by adopting a tougher stance in the face of unilateral movements and China’s aggression in the strategic maritime area.
These two countries are permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and are also nuclear powers with naval forces capable of fighting on the high seas. They also have territorial property rights in the Indo-Pacific region, as well as important trade and investment partners.
Even germanyThe country does not have any territorial rights in the region, nor does it have a naval force to fight on the high seas to show great power in remote waters, and earlier this month it also showed interest. Asian Waters adopts 40-page policy guide.
Along with other aspirations, Germany aims to “make an active contribution in shaping the international order in the Indo-Pacific,” the document says. Commenter Heydarian called this an important statement.
Last year, France also declared a similar goal when it announced a strategic plan, in which it pledged to “consolidate its position of power in the Indo-Pacific region, to work to protect sovereign interests.” and the security of citizens, actively contributing to international stability. “
Under President Emmanuel Macron, France appears to be more “looking” at China, with a more proactive approach. During his 2018 tour of the Indo-Pacific, Macron called for new strategic alliances, including France, Australia and India, to preserve the freedom and openness of the region.
France has also strengthened its strategic commitments throughout the region, expanding economic and defense ties with like-minded countries such as Australia, Japan, India or countries in Southeast Asia. Notable activities include a $ 50 billion submarine contract between French shipbuilder DCNS and Australia last year, or a $ 9.4 billion Rafale fighter contract to India in 2016..
“We are not naive. If we want to be respected by China and seen as an equal partner, we must organize,” Macron said during a visit to an Australian naval base in May 2018. When he arrived in China earlier that year, Macron also said that Beijing’s economic initiatives should not be “one-way”, but should guarantee the interests of the partners.
Additionally, France has also strengthened its naval power, part of a broader effort led by the United States to maintain freedom of navigation and overflight in the waters around China. Last year, Beijing did not invite representatives from Paris to attend the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the Chinese navy, after the French corvette Vendemiaire passed through the Taiwan Strait.
On the british sideA key ally of the United States, there are increasing national calls to urge London to deploy military ships and investigate China’s attitudes in the South China Sea. In July, the British Times reported that the country’s military planners appreciated plans to bring in the HMS Queen Elizabeth, a new $ 3.9 billion aircraft carrier and the largest warship in British naval history. to the South China Sea to show strength and support international partners, including the United States.
The ship HMS Queen Elizabeth this week conducts preliminary exercises in preparation for new deployments next year. The next British Army program includes joint exercises with the US, with the participation of the newly acquired F-35 Lightning fighters.
Building on rising tensions in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, British MP Andrew Bowie recently urged Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government to “open its eyes to the apparent threats” from China at the same time. responded by deploying aircraft carriers in the western Pacific.
“The size of the Chinese fleet and its growth should be seen as clear warnings of Beijing’s ambitions to become a maritime superpower. In July, both the United States and Australia rejected again. China’s maritime and territorial claims in the South Sea It is time for a truly global UK to step up and aggressively tackle illegal infractions, “said Bowie.
As early as 2017, Johnson, then serving as British secretary of state, said London was likely to deploy its largest aircraft carrier in the South China Sea by 2021. London still appears to be in the completion stage, however. good plan, because Beijing must consider responsiveness.
In an interview in July, the Chinese ambassador to Anh Liu Xiaoming said that deploying the ship HMS Queen Elizabeth in the South China Sea was a “very dangerous” measure. He accused the Johnson administration of “seriously poisoning the atmosphere in China-UK relations” and warned of the dire consequences if Britain decided to “collude with the United States” in the South China Sea.
“After Brexit, I think Britain still wants to play a major role in the world, but that is not the way to show its position. Some British politicians adhere to the Cold War mentality and cause the so-called termites.” Threats from China, seeing China as a hostile country, warned of the complete separation from China, even calling for a new Cold War against China, “Liu said.
However, despite the reaction from Beijing, London continued to take a tough stance. On July 13, the country banned the Chinese telecommunications conglomerate Huawei from participating in the development of the 5G network. They also established an easier route for some three million Hong Kong residents to naturalize the UK, after China enacted a new security law in the special zone in late June.
Gloss (According to the Asia Times)
