Editorial Chinese Foot-Dragging By THE EDITORIAL BOARD Published: August 11, 2013 If there is ever going to be an end to tensions over the South China Sea, one of the world’s most strategically important waterways, countries in the region need to find a way to work out their volatile maritime disputes. China, more than any other nation, has fanned those hostilities with sweeping sovereignty claims and confrontations over disputed islands and even specks of rock. Last week, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China would be happy to discuss a code of conduct to help nations peacefully address competing claims, while suggesting that China was in no hurry to have this happen. In other words, to let the conflicts fester. The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations will discuss this topic next month. The overlapping claims are complicated, but China’s foot-dragging allows it to play for time and sow divisions among the smaller countries. The South China Sea has been contested for centuries. And while Vietnam, the Philippines, Japan, South Korea and Malaysia bear some responsibility for ratcheting up frictions, China’s assertive use of its navy and commercial vessels (on top of its economic power) has worried many of its smaller neighbors. The danger is that any miscalculation could spark a conflict. In addition to being a vital trade route, the South China Sea and the East China Sea are believed to be rich in oil, natural gas, fishing and mineral resources. China has asserted “indisputable sovereignty” over much of the maritime territory and has cut cables on survey ships working for Vietnam. There have been standoffs between Chinese and Philippine vessels, and with Japan as well. A confrontational approach is unwise for a country that prizes stability and development and needs to focus on its serious domestic problems, including an increasingly troubled economy. Instead of feeding a resurgent nationalism with mischief-making, Beijing should be working with its neighbors to ease competing claims and to pursue joint development of natural resources. The Obama administration, increasingly involved in Asia, has urged adoption of a code of conduct. The three officials who have visited the region since May — Secretary of State John Kerry, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Vice President Joseph Biden Jr. — have said that such a code is in everyone’s interest. Mr. Wang’s comments suggest that the Americans have more convincing to do. Meet The New York Times’s Editorial Board »
Posted on: Mon, 12 Aug 2013 05:33:38 +0000
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