Why the South China Sea could be the next global flashpoint

Con Coughlin

When China earlier this week began operating the new lighthouse it has built on one of the artificial islands it has constructed in the South China Sea, it probably did not realise it would also illuminate the deepening tensions its policy of maritime expansion is creating in the region.

For, at a time when the world is mainly focused on the twin threats posed by Russia’s new spirit of military aggression and the rise of Islamic State (Isil), there is growing concern that not enough attention is being paid to a potentially far more worrying danger emerging from the South China Sea.

For more than a year China has been engaged in a massive military build up in the area, where it has turned what was formerly partially submerged reef into a network of artificial islands. By way of announcing the completion of what could prove to be an important strategic asset, China earlier this week began operating a newly-constructed lighthouse on one of these islands.

A statement issued by the Chinese foreign ministry tried to play down the significance of the lighthouse, arguing that it will provide a vital navigational tool for one of the world’s most important shipping arteries. A breathtaking $5 trillion in global trade is estimated to pass through the waters each year.

But turning on the 55-metre (189 foot) lighthouse has also refocused attention on the deepening tensions that have been created by China’s aggressive policy of expansionism in the region.

China’s island-building scheme is regarded as an unwelcome provocation by many of its neighbours, which see the programme as blatant bullying tactics aimed at consolidating Beijing’s claims over the energy-rich waters of the South China Sea.

This has resulted in both the US and several Asian allies making provocative gestures of their own as a means of signalling their own displeasure with Beijing’s actions. Last weekend a Japanese submarine made its first port call to the Philippines for 15 years to demonstrate increased military cooperation between the two countries, while Vietnam seized a Chinese ship for illegally entering its territorial waters.

Meanwhile, Washington has made its own displeasure known by sailing heavily-armed warships through the disputed waters and negotiating a deal with the Philippines to station weapons and troops for the first time in more than 20 years.

The question now is whether this dangerous escalation in military tensions will lead to open conflict, one that has the potential to be infinitely worse than the military challenges posed by Russia and Isil.

In an attempt to defuse the crisis US President Barack Obama left Chinese President Xi Jinping in doubt what he though about China’s tactics when the two leaders met last week.

But while Mr Xi insisted China had no interest in provoking “conflicts or confrontation”, the risk of serious military escalation will remain so long as Beijing refuses to resolve its maritime disputes by peaceful means.


Sumber - The Telegraph