On January 24th Reuters reported that in response to Vietnam’s claim of sovereignty over the Spratly and Paracel islands (Hoang Sa and Trong Sa islands in Vietnamese) the Chinese Foreign Ministry released a statement in opposition, using a historical argument to buttress their claim against Vietnam and other surrounding nations who received similar opposition from the Chinese government regarding claims of sovereignty in the South China Sea. This quarrel is not an isolated event and stems from China’s decision to release a self-authored map of its territories which included the Paracel islands (seized by China from Vietnam in 1974) and the vast expanse of maritime natural features known as the Spratly Islands which occupies a large part of the South China Sea.

Experts on the region are not convinced by China’s historical claims nor by the sincerity of the intentions which motivate them. In the Asian affairs magazine The Diplomat, academics Mark Raymond and David Welch state that they are skeptical of China’s claims, both as a legal and historical matter, but also as a matter of honesty. They say that China knows that these claims cannot withstand scrutiny and that the reason behind such claims lies in the aversion of the Chinese government to admit its errors to a nationalistic populace and the international community. 

 The stance taken by the Chinese government has increased tensions in this region by disregarding international jurisprudence and precedent which its neighboring countries have agreed upon as a legitimate means to establishing rights to territorial sovereignty. China’s use of military force and other techniques meant to menace surrounding nations presents a threat to global security and international peace as speculation grows around whether or not China’s aggressive tactics are meant to provoke retaliation as a means of justifying further acts of military aggression. While this line of reasoning is worrisome; the response to China’s actions has been for global and regional military powers to coordinate their forces. The Philippines recently held a military exercise with the United States, Japan, and Australia; and the Member States of the Association of Southeast Member Nations held a joint military exercise. The increased coordination of regional and global military forces could create a strong deterrent as China alienates itself from the international community. 

The relationship between these recent events is China’s larger project of expansion into the South China Sea, using its territorial claims to almost all of the region as a justification for its further encroachment upon neighboring countries’ territorial claims in the maritime region. An article published in the Economist titled China’s claim to the South China Sea gets even odder explains how China rationalizes these claims with its nine-dash line; a territorial marker that was judged to have no foundation in international law according to The Hague in 2016. 

Vietnam rejects China’s historical claims in similar fashion by citing the 1994 decision by UNCLOS (the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) which asserts Vietnam’s control over the two island territories and the right to adjudicate legal disputes within the legal framework of the UNCLOS. Chinese officials have released statements trying to ease these tensions but their efforts are overshadowed by the use of coercion such as the Chinese coast guard using military lasers to attack Philippine military logistics. 

The actions of the Chinese Government in relation to countries such as Vietnam is raising concerns about how China can be contained and prevented from exercising further military force. The coordination of global powers with countries in this region is both a sign of escalation and a potential deterrent to their expansion. While China has immense resources at its disposal, the continued coordination against their efforts by western countries and their allies could cause enough inconveniences leading China to realize that cooperation is better than conflict.