China’s Dominance of South China Sea Undisputable Now


Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte pose for photo during the ASEAN Plus Three Summit in Vientiane, Laos September 7, 2016. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte pose for photo during the ASEAN Plus Three Summit in Vientiane, Laos September 7, 2016. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

Reuters’ report “As Obama caps years of Asia ‘pivot’, regional tensions smolder” today says that US President Obama raised the Hague arbitration ruling at his summit with ASEAN leaders and insisted on its binding effect, but instead of supporting Obama’s stance in February summit with Obama, ASEAN leaders refused even to mention the ruling in their statement for fear of upsetting China.

I have just reposted the report on my blog for readers’ information.

According to Reuters’ another report today titled “Tensions over South China Sea belie summit cordiality”, the Philippines tried to raise concerns by the rumor that China was to build an artificial island on Scarborough Shoal but no one responded to its concerns in the summit.

The Philippines certainly has limited influence in Asia. The US, the only superpower in the world however, does not seem to fair better. Obama told CNN in an interview before he left for G20 summit in China that he would urge China to observe Hague arbitration ruling and says the US has indicated to China that if China does not, “there will be consequences.” (See my post “Obama urges China to stop flexing muscles over South China Sea: CNN” on September 3.)

What consequences?

Attack China, impose sanctions or help the Philippines take hardline stance against China?

No such things.

Instead, according to SCMP’s report titled “US president doesn’t mention South China Sea dispute when asked about Philippines at press conference” on September 6, when Obama met the press on September 6 after G20 summit, he utterly did not mention South China Sea.

It seems that China has succeeded in making not only ASEAN but also the US refrain from mentioning the Hague ruling.

However, that is not enough. In Routers’ another report today titled “China says wants to ‘dispel interference’ in South China Sea”, Reuters quotes Chinese Premier Li Keqiang as saying in his recent summit with ASEAN leaders in Vientiane that China wants to work with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to “dispel interference” in the disputed South China Sea.

Reuters says in the report, “In a statement released later on Wednesday by China’s Foreign Ministry about the meeting, Li was paraphrased as saying China was willing to work with ASEAN countries in ‘dispelling interference … and properly handling the South China Sea issue’”.

The US has no influence in ASEAN as proved by ASEAN’s refusal of Obama’s advice to mention the Hague ruling.

China has had full influence to make ASEAN refrain from upsetting it in spite of Philippines’ concerns. Moreover, its air force is conduction combat patrol of South China Sea in addition to its coast guards’ control of the waters there.

The US is a world hegemon though unable to control Russia, Iran and ISIS. However, now China has undisputable dominance of the South China Sea and will dispel US “interference” along with ASEAN.

Comment by Chan Kai Yee on SCMP’s and Reuters’ reports, full text of which can be viewed at http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2015350/obama-steers-clear-troubled-waters-comments-g20-summit,
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-asean-summit-southchinasea-idUSKCN11D08P and http://www.reuters.com/article/us-asean-summit-southchinasea-china-idUSKCN11E043


4 Comments on “China’s Dominance of South China Sea Undisputable Now”

  1. Joseph says:

    Obama came to the ASEAN summit with the hope of renewing the SCS. The American shamelessly reminded Phillipines that the SCS ‘is’ Philippines conflict, and the American was ‘only’ there to help them, so stop playing and get serious at making mess with China. Even in Western court, a lawyer no longer has a case if the client doesn’t want to be represented anymore. In the SCS, the Phillipines must have the case that the American can represent. No wonder Duterte made the outburst that he is president of sovereign country who has no master but his people in his ‘pinang ina’ slur. As common in other American-invaded countries such as Korea, Vietnam and Iraq, the American always used the high almighty slogan, ‘we are only here to help you’. But it is always the same, their troops were always killed by the people that ‘they are trying to help’ for indiscriminate killing of the people ‘they are trying to help. Who ask for American help anyway? In the case of South Korea, where the collaborator president Park Chung-hee decided to stop collaborating, the American would just murder him. The American found that his intention of peaceful reunification with North Korea would produce Korea did not need for American ‘help’. In the case of Philippines, it is interesting to see if the American would murder Duterte as well for refusing to collaborate. As the Philippines armed forces had close ties with the American, it is not hard to find some ‘Philippines CIA’ to murder their president the way Park Chung-hee was murdered by ‘Korean CIA’. Duterte is after all making it very tempting for the American to murder him. For a Philippines president who for the first time missed his meeting with US president, he was a very busy guy, meeting with American foes such as Putin and Li Keqiang. And he looked charming in all his non-American activities on the far cry of his stormy ‘putang ina’ business with his American ‘ally’.

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  2. T-50 says:

    “…Now that the dust have settled, China should take the opportunity to conduct business as usual with her neighbors, treating them as equal partners.”

    What dust has settled? Does China understand that this is a long fight and we are really just in the early stages of this South China sea thing? One good typhoon and these sandbar islands will be reclaimed by the sea erasing China’s claim forever.’.

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    • Steve says:

      Still Pissing in your head with jealousy…Better hope there is no category 5 Typhoon. Why.? It will cause thousands of death along Philippines coastal villages, diseases, organic and infrastructure destruction and into millions of financial aid. The last typhoon did exactly just that in PH. China’s Peace Ark, nurses and doctors are among the first to arrive and provided on board hospitalisation. The PH did not have the capacity to help it’s own people.

      Over centuries many of the SCS organic islands survived the onslaught of Typhoons with surface destruction because of it’s natural landscape of trees, bush, etc. China’s engineered islands are scientifically constructed with military steel, concrete, etc and the surface structures are designed to withstand strong categorical Typhoons compared to natural organic coastal and inland areas. Heavy rain and severe winds will erode and flood any part of a country, but will Never flood those engineered islands. Why.? Because the rainwater will just wash into the oceans. Even if high waves caused by Typhoons overrun those engineered islands, the structures and surface will remain. There maybe some broken seawalls due to battering but not the whole island because the seawater flows around it. It’s called an island built above the flood point and are scientifically designed and engineered accordingly. The engineered islands are built on natural foundations called reefs. These reefs are part of the ocean floor natural ‘grown’ with for thousands of years and much, much stronger than the foundation of the world’s tallest skyscraper. Only an underwater Tsunami earthquake can crack an ocean floor.

      If those islands are severely damaged by Typhoons, just imagine what will happen to All inland coastal countries. U should learn to appreciate China’s engineering prowess and island building capacity instead of slandering. Even Israel is now asking China to built islands for them. Go eat more curry spices, it’s good for your imagination.

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  3. Steve says:

    In the photo shoot, standing next to Premier Li Keqiang — President Duterte looks quite good for his grandfather status. In Philippines he should be known as the Godfather to his Filipinos and OrganGrinder to the Corrupt. So far bang! bang! 2400 dead and when it goes past 5000, he should be awarded the status of Godfather President. He has already downgraded the Pope and US President to bitch whoring siblings ……. But, should he in anyway downgrade China’s top authority, he will definitely lose an Island in the Shoal.

    China’s dominance of the SCS is indisputable and undisputed by way of economy, diplomacy and militarily within the littoral states. A comprehensive convention on the law of the sea e.g: ANCLOS – Asian Convention on the Law of the Sea or similar needed to be established to avoid future misunderstandings on delimitations of the maritime boundaries between the adjacent states. China’s economy is strongest in Asia and 2nd in the world now, but can China guarantee it’s top notch position, say, 50 years from now. With an ANCLOS or similar, there is conventional behaviour or conforming to acceptable standards to prevent interference from external powers or confrontations from within.

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