China's Credibility at Stake

China's protest and disappointment over the rejection of its claim in a territorial dispute in the South China Sea poses a dilemma for Beijing.

According to international and defense analysts, China on one hand wants to ignite the spirit of nationalism in its citizens, but on the other hand needs to expand its influence and diplomatic ambitions.

The rejection of the claim by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, the Netherlands, is a major diplomatic defeat for China, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

This occurred a few decades ago when the country decided to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) and became the second largest country in terms of economy.

An analyst on China from the International Crisis Group, Yanmei Xie, said China's ambitions to achieve a greater level of global diplomacy had become uncertain.

China is now at a point where it wants to emerge as a leader in international institutions. However, its credibility will be tarnished if it goes against international law and international institutions. With its latest stance of denouncing the South China Sea territorial claims, the country will be seen as showing a lack of impartiality.

Firmly rejected

The Chinese government has strongly rejected the decision of the International Court of Arbitration. In fact, China's ambassador to the UN, Cui Tiankai, said the ruling could lead to conflict. "It will clearly fuel the conflict and even confrontation," Cui said in Washington.

In Jakarta, the chairman of the Chinese government's Public Diplomacy Consultation, Chen Shiqiu, said that the International Court of Arbitration had not respected the facts and history as the essence of the dispute between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea. The court also hurt China's stance over its areas in the South China Sea.

Chen, who was China's ambassador to Indonesia from 1998-2002, said he was a little surprised by the Indonesian government's statement on the court ruling. Given the dispute was only between China and the Philippines and Indonesia was not a claimant state, he had hoped Indonesia's view of the problem would be more objective. When asked about the Natuna Sea, Chen referred to the meeting of China's and Indonesia's foreign ministers in 1995.

"At that time, China unveiled its sovereignty claim over the territory in the South China Sea. Indonesia did not express its opposition. That means Indonesia confirmed its position as a non-claimant country," Chen said.

China's deputy foreign minister, Liu Zhenmin, said in Beijing that his country could impose an air defense identification zone (ADIZ) over its territorial waters if it felt threatened. If the ADIZ was put in place, both civil and military aircraft would have to notify the Chinese military authorities of their identity and report a flight plan to obtain permission to cross over designated areas.

"Whether we need to impose this on the South China Sea depends on the level of threat that we receive," Liu said. As quoted by the BBC, Liu expected all countries to work with China to safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea and would not let the region become a source of war.

Like China, Taiwan also rejected the court's ruling. With its stance against the court's decision on China's claims, Taiwanese authorities will continue to send aircraft and patrol vessels to the South China Sea.

Meanwhile, Xinhua news agency reported that two of China's civil aircraft on Wednesday morning had landed on two new runways at Mischief Reef and Subi Reef. The two coral reef atolls in the Spratly Island, which had been reclaimed by China, are now controlled by Beijing.

Both aircraft were then flown back to Hainan province in southern China. However, Xinhua did not clarify whether the two planes had landed on the same island or on two islands.

Restraint

The Philippine government chose not to be too euphoric over the court's decision. Foreign Minister Perfecto Yasay Jr. asked all parties for restraint. "In matters such as this, we cannot make provocative statements. We ask all parties, including China, to exercise restraint and remain calm," Perfecto said.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte repeatedly stated his wish to improve diplomatic relations with China. He wants to encourage economic development, especially infrastructure, to develop the southern part of the country.

Source Kompas, Thursday, July 14, 2016