Letter To Editor / Might Shouldn’t  Make Right

By Roger C. Kostmayer

There’s an emerging crisis in the South China Sea over China’s attempt to expand its boundaries by creating artificial islands and militarizing them.  China claims these “lands” and then warns other nations not to use the ambient maritime, sea and air space (or natural resources) without their permission.  Smaller and militarily weaker nations in the area that have legitimate territorial claims are then faced with a fait accompli, and their only immediate option is to appeal to international law and arbitration at The Hague.

The US responded by warning China, and reinforced international rights by sailing and flying directly through the contested areas without asking permission.  President Obama confronted China’s president and received assurances that China wouldn’t militarize the islands and would exercise increased restraint in the future.  Those promises were quickly proven false.

This serious situation needs to be handled intelligently, skillfully, multilaterally and with strength – and the solution should include the two following elements.  First, the TPP trade agreement is both an economic and national security compact of 12 Pacific nations, representing 25% of the world’s GNP.  It should be signed ASAP to force China to play by our rules, or forfeit all of that market.

Second, if the diplomatic and economic pressures on China aren’t successful quickly in causing China to cease and desist its adventurism and bullying, the multilateral response by the Pacific alliance (including Australia, Japan, Philippines and India) led by the US, should be to beat China at its own game.  That means creating, building and claiming ownership of manufactured islands located strategically all over the South China Sea.  Our highly motivated coalition could produce many more islands, much faster, than China is capable of, making international law and arbitration more attractive options for China than either military confrontation or losing the land rush.

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