It’s been two months since the International Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that China did not have any historic rights to coral reefs it is turning into islands to bolster its marine and territorial claims — and there has been little to suggest that that ruling has changed anything on the ground. Beijing is still pushing ahead with its construction of airfield and military facilities on the disputed islands in the South China Sea — a maritime area contested by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam and one through which more than $5 trillion (Dh18.39 trillion) in international trade passes through annually.
While Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has spoken in his usual brash and street-smart style about teaching Beijing a lesson, he has done little to press Manila’s claims further since The Hague panel sided with it and his foul-mouthed bluster at the recent gathering of Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Vientiane, Laos, merely antagonised his allies there.
There is also the reality that whatever the rival claims of the neighbouring nations are, there is now a far more serious threat that needs to be addressed in the region — North Korea and the regime’s dangerous obsession in obtaining nuclear weaponry, small enough to be mounted on its ballistic missiles.
Beijing is the only regional power capable of holding any sway over Kim Jung-il and his generals in Pyongyang and it has the ability to sway the young dictator from his very dangerous dalliance with an atomic arsenal.
There’s a fine line then for those with claims in the South China Sea to walk — relying on Beijing to counter Pyongyang, or vehemently opposing its territorial expansion.
