Jakarta (The Jakarta Post/ANN) – Last week China’s official media outlet said that nations involved in territorial disputes in the South China Sea should “mentally prepare for the sounds of cannons” if they remain at loggerheads with Beijing. This rhetoric has raised eyebrows and has prompted many to justify concerns that China is a real threat to regional security.
In its editorial, the Global Times accused countries such as Vietnam and the Philippines of taking advantage of China’s mild diplomatic stance to push their own agenda. “If these countries don’t want to change their ways with China, they will need to mentally prepare for the sound of cannons. We need to be ready for that, as it may be the only way for disputes at sea to be resolved.”
Haryadi Wirawan of the University of Indonesia questioned whether China was preparing for a new conflict in the region by issuing such a strong statement because it felt surrounded by nations with “western influence, ,given the latest reports that Taiwan has positioned missiles throughout the island and the Philippines and Vietnam had forged an alliance.
He urged Indonesia to play a bridging role by sending officials to visit China and ask China to clarify its statement.
“Indonesia should send envoys to Beijing, Moscow, Washington, etc, in trying to build a bridge of dialogue,” he said.
“What has been done by Indonesia in Myanmar right now could also be applied in China and other countries as well. Dialogue, not just statements, is more important.”
Maritime law expert Hasjim Djalal said he did not expect such a threat to materialize because it would destabilize the regional climate and would only generate new unwanted implications.
He brushed aside, however, any real threat from the latest Chinese rhetoric because leaders at the highest level are still maintaining contact.
“I think the threat is not coming from the highest level, but more from hard-line nationalists.”
Hasjim acknowledged that the territorial disputes in the South China Sea posed a potential conflict for the region. That is why, he said, Indonesia is actively facilitating a workshop that has been conducted to develop cooperation and confidence building measures.
“I hope that all parties obey the guidelines in declaration of conduct in the South China Sea.”
In the South China Sea disputes, China has overlapping territorial claims with four ASEAN countries – Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. The world’s second-largest economy wants bilateral negotiations and has rejected any role by non-claimant countries such as the United States. Four other claimants chose a regional mechanism in trying to resolve the dispute over the potentially resource-rich Spratly Islands.
Makmur Keliat of the University of Indonesia said that a regional mechanism might be seen by Beijing as a united front against China. “Even though China feels it has enough evidence to support its claims, Beijing will think twice about launching unilateral measures against its neighbors,” Makmur said.
With the rapid growth of its economy, China needs to built up its military. However, China has to be transparent in developing such military might. “We have to accept the reality that China is not static. But in this point, China needs to be transparent about its military capabilities,” Makmur said.
Legislator Budiman Sudjatmiko of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said Indonesia has to play a role in urging China to be more moderate in dealing with other nations in the region. “Indonesia should urge China not to use a hegemonic approach or a counter-hegemonic approach [toward the US] in dealing with this region.”
