A US carrier strike group. (Photo/US Navy)
Before the US secretary of state, John Kerry, begins his second visit to China and his fifth to Asia, the China Youth Daily — the official newspaper of the Communist Youth League of China — stated that the Freedom of Navigation program announced by Jimmy Carter in 1979 stands in the way of Beijing's attempts to "reclaim" its territories in the disputed East and South China seas.
As about 50% of all world maritime transport goes through the South China Sea, maritime security is among the issues that Kerry will discuss with the Chinese authorities, said Jennifer Psaki, spokesperson for the State Department. Daniel Russel, US assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific Affairs, said on Feb. 5 that there were "growing concerns" that China is trying to gradually assert control over the area in the face of objections from its neighbors.
"This includes continued restrictions on access to Scarborough Shoal, pressure on the longstanding Philippine presence at the Second Thomas Shoal and the recent updating of fishing regulations covering disputed areas in the South China Sea," said Russel. "Our view is that these actions have raised tensions in the region and have exacerbated concerns about China's long-term strategic objectives." For this reason, he suggested Beijing refrain from establishing an air defense identification zone (ADIZ) over the region as it did with the East China Sea late last year.
"Any use of the 'nine-dash line' to claim maritime rights must be based on land features, such as a nation's coastline or its islands," said Russel, "Any Chinese claim to maritime rights not based on claimed land features would be inconsistent with international law. China could highlight its respect for international law by clarifying or adjusting its claim to bring it into accordance with international law of the sea," Russel said.
The China Youth Daily, however, accused the United States of being a hegemonic power. While the Freedom of Navigation program issued by the US government insists that all nations must obey the international law of the sea as stated by the United Nations Law of the Sea Convention, Washington itself did not ratify the UN treaty, the paper said. Since the 1980s, US armed forces have conducted several Freedom of Navigation operations in the waters claimed by other countries including the Gulf of Sidra, the Straits of Gibraltar, the Strait of Hormuz and the Straits of Malacca.
The Freedom of Navigation program would also give the United States the legitimate rights it claims to intervene in potential territorial conflicts in the East and South China seas as Beijing asserts its sovereignty over the disputed Diaoyutai (Senkaku or Diaoyu) islands and Spratly islands — claimed variously by China, Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei — in the future. If the United States were to decide to involve itself in these territorial disputes, the newspaper stated, things will become more complicated and dangerous in the region.
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