Vol. 80/No. 28      August 1, 2016

 

US gov’t tries to use S. China Sea ruling against Beijing

 
A long-expected ruling by an international court in the Hague in favor of the Philippine government against Beijing over use of resources in the South China Sea will do nothing to end the tensions in one of the world’s busiest trade routes. But Washington is seeking to use the decision to bolster U.S. imperialism’s domination of the region.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration July 12 found that the Chinese government had violated the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea by interfering with Philippine fishing and petroleum exploration and by constructing artificial islands within Philippine territory.

Chinese officials declared that the ruling is “null and void and has no binding force.” Beijing argues the disputes should be solved by bilateral agreements between the nations involved, and that this is made more difficult by Washington’s high-profiled military presence in the waters.

Washington hypocritically has called on China to comply, something the U.S. rulers themselves have never done when an international court has ruled against their interests. In 1986, for example, the Nicaraguan government won a ruling in the International Court of Justice against the U.S. military mining Nicaraguan harbors. Washington refused to abide by the decision, and on six occasions vetoed resolutions in the United Nations Security Council demanding it comply with the verdict.

Daniel Kritenbrink, the top White House adviser on Asia, said Washington wants to uphold a “rules-based international order” in the South China Sea. “He said that the international legal order could unravel, threatening 70 years of regional stability,” the Associated Press reported July 12. Since the U.S. came out of World War II as the leading imperialist power, its rulers have imposed their “international legal order” in the Pacific. This is now challenged by China’s growing economic and military weight.

Washington is using the territorial disputes to strengthen its alliances against Beijing. The South Korean Defense Ministry announced July 8 that it had decided the location for a U.S. anti-ballistic missile system to be deployed “soon,” a move that has drawn fierce criticism from the Chinese government. Earlier this year Washington began permanently stationing U.S. warplanes in the Philippines. The Vietnamese government has also increased its military cooperation with Washington.

Meanwhile, European Union foreign spokesperson Federica Mogherini announced July 15 that the 28 member states couldn’t agree on a statement supporting the court’s findings. Diplomats involved in the discussions told the Wall Street Journal that representatives of Croatia, Hungary and Greece wouldn’t sign, worried about hurting their economic ties with China.  
 
 
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