Trump’s South China Sea Message He laid down some important markers on his Asia tour.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/trumps-south-china-sea-messagetrumps-south-china-sea-message-1510791502
An underreported theme of President Trump’s Asia tour was his attention to a regional flashpoint overshadowed by North Korea: the South China Sea. While Mr. Trump avoided public statements on the issue in China, he laid down important markers in Vietnam and the Philippines.
For five years China has escalated tensions by building military bases on artificial islands. Last year a United Nations tribunal found that China’s claim to territorial waters violated international law, but Beijing dismissed the judgment. Chinese vessels continue to harass the ships of the other six nations that claim territory and economic rights in the area.
In his Nov. 10 speech to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Danang, Mr. Trump cited territorial expansion as a threat to regional stability. “We must uphold principles that have benefitted all of us, like respect for the rule of law, individual rights, and freedom of navigation and overflight, including open shipping lanes. These principles create stability and build trust, security, and prosperity among like-minded nations,” he said.
The remarks are a direct challenge to China, which warns away ships and planes that pass near the land features it controls. Beijing reacted with outrage after the U.S. Navy conducted four “freedom of navigation operations” this year to assert the right to use waters claimed by China. An estimated $4.5 trillion in trade transits the South China Sea annually.
U.S.-Vietnam relations continue to warm as a result of China’s pressure. In July Vietnam abandoned oil exploration in its exclusive economic zone after threats from Beijing. Mr. Trump urged the Vietnamese to buy Patriot missiles, and the relationship could deepen into a strategic partnership.
In Manila, Mr. Trump and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte issued a joint statement that stressed “the importance of peacefully resolving disputes in the South China Sea, in accordance with international law, as reflected in the Law of the Sea Convention.” Last year’s tribunal decision was based on the convention.
This is significant because Mr. Duterte previously offered to put the verdict aside and sought to cooperate with Beijing on oil-and-gas exploration. But China’s aggressive behavior is creating political pressure on Mr. Duterte to defend Philippine claims.
In August, Manila announced that a commercial deal with China was in the works and Beijing agreed not to occupy more land in the Spratly Islands or build on Scarborough Shoal, which it seized from the Philippines in 2012. But that same day Chinese ships surrounded the Philippine-occupied island of Thitu, causing a political backlash in Manila. Last year Mr. Duterte called for American troops to leave the Philippines, but now the two allies are in talks to expand the U.S. presence on Philippine bases near the South China Sea.
While Beijing has agreed Monday to work with Southeast Asian nations on a code of conduct for the South China Sea, that hardly means it will stop its encroachment and base-building. Chinese negotiators have strung along this process for more than 15 years and still insist that the code should be nonbinding.
Last week a Chinese shipyard unveiled a new dredger capable of dredging 6,000 cubic meters of sand per hour. China continues to reclaim land in the Paracel Islands, which are also claimed by Vietnam.
In a meeting with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang on Sunday, Mr. Trump offered to mediate between China and the other claimants. That brought a predictable rebuke from China’s Foreign Ministry, but quiet cheers in Southeast Asia. This presidential trip sent the welcome message that the U.S. has a vital national interest in keeping shipping lanes open and deterring Chinese territorial expansion.
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