Image source,Getty Images
Fiery Cross Reef (Fiery Cross Reef) is part of the Spratly Islands (called the Spratly Islands in China). Some of the countries and regions that claim sovereignty over Fiery Cross Reef also include the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei. American think tanks claim that China has built runways and hangars here.
The U.S. Democratic and Republican parties are fighting each other fiercely on many internal affairs issues. But attitudes towards China issues have gradually converged.
This week, the U.S. Senator’s Foreign Affairs Committee passed the South China Sea and East China Sea Sanctions Act (South China Sea and East China Sea Sanctions Act), which once again pointed at China, but how its effectiveness has sparked discussion.
Zhang Yiwei, a senior researcher at the Global Taiwan Center (GTI), a Washington think tank, analyzed to the BBC Chinese that the frequent free navigation of the United States and other allies in the South China Sea has not hit Beijing’s expansionist strategy in the Indo-Pacific region. She explained that the previous US sanctions on human rights violations including Hong Kong or Xinjiang have not changed China’s behavior in relevant regions: “In fact, Beijing has not been deterred by the more significant international military power display in this region.”
After the proposal is passed by the Foreign Affairs Committee, it will be signed by the Senate and House of Representatives and the President before it can become law.
So far, Beijing has not yet made an official response to this matter, but earlier it has alleged that the bill violates international law and the basic norms of international relations.
Image source,Reuters
The disputed islands and reefs of the Spratly Islands are reclaimed and expanded
New sanctions bill
In the face of the confrontation between the United States and China, the South China Sea has always been a key area of āāthe United Statesā Asian strategy.
The cross-party bill proposed by Republican Senator Marco Rubio (also known as Rubio) and Democrat Senator Ben Cardin requires the President of the United States to impose sanctions on land reclamation in the South China Sea and the East China Sea 60 days after the bill enters into force. Island or Chinese people who endanger regional peace and stability.
The bill mentions that any Chinese individual who participates in Chinaās land reclamation, reef-building, mobile communication service base station construction, power or civil infrastructure construction in the area, or any Chinese individual who continues to provide assistance is within the scope of sanctions. “Any Chinese individuals and entities involved in Beijing aggressively promoting its maritime and territorial claims in the South China Sea and the East China Sea will be sanctioned.”
The bill describes the sanctions in detail, requiring the President of the United States to sanction Chinese persons involved in the South China Sea or East China Sea reclamation and islanding or endangering regional peace and stability 60 days after the bill takes effect, and authorizes the President to use such measures as freezing assets in the United States, denying entry and revocation Existing visa sanctions and other means.
In terms of internal affairs, the bill explicitly prohibits the US government from publishing any documents that refer to the South China Sea and the East China Sea as part of China, and prohibits facilitation of certain investments in these waters.
It is worth noting that the scope of the bill also includes the East China Sea. Therefore, some analysts believe that the controversial Senkaku Islands (also known as Diaoyutai) are particularly eye-catching.
BBC reporters boarded a US military plane and flew over the controversial South China Sea.
The United States loses its advantage in the South China Sea?
The United States began to implement the strategy of “returning to Asia” in the late years of Barack Obama’s administration, and aimed its sword at China. After that, the Trump and Biden administrations continued to adopt a tough strategy against China. However, during this period, China’s military expansion in the South China Sea continued, and there is no sign of stopping.
Therefore, although the bill is considered to have a high chance of being passed, the outside world still has doubts about its effectiveness. Many commentators believe that the United States has fallen behind in the race against China in the South China Sea.
Chen Liangzhi, an associate researcher at the National Defense Security Research Institute of Taiwan’s think tank, analyzed to the BBC in Chinese that there were also relevant administrative orders in the Trump era, which believed that Chinese companies that assisted and contracted to carry out land reclamation projects for China in the South China Sea should be sanctioned. Even if this similar bill is passed in the future, there are still doubts about the effectiveness of China’s South China Sea strategy.
“I think the United States has long lost its strategic advantage in the South China Sea.” Chen Liangzhi believes that Taiwan is more important than Yongshu Reef, Zhubi Reef and other islands and is worthy of US attention.
BBC reporters came to Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Island) to observe closely how China maintains its strength and influence in the South China Sea.
Beijing opened a comprehensive research center on the South Island and Reefs last year, including Yongshu Station and Zhubi Station, which have become two sub-stations of the Meiji Park of the Island Reef Comprehensive Research Center. “The purpose is to realize the deep sea ecology, geology, Environmental observation and experiment capabilities.”
Zhang Yiwei judged that even if the bill may be passed, it is unlikely that Beijing will pay too much to stop what it calls aggressive behavior in the United States. “But the passage of this bill will continue to intensify tensions between the United States and China in the Indo-Pacific region.”
China response
After the bill was passed by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the U.S. Senate, Beijing has not yet made a formal response. However, the state media “Global Times” and others fierce the bill. Chinese scholars generally believe that the current Sino-US relations are slowing down, so the actions of the United States “against China’s hawks” senators are making waves and are not helpful.
Qian Feng, a researcher at the National Institute of Strategic Studies at Tsinghua University in Beijing, told Huan Shi that the proposal was passed at a time when the fierce Sino-US confrontation showed signs of easing. The Sino-US confrontation slowed down, which allowed the anti-China forces in the United States. They are very dissatisfied. They think this is a compromise of the Biden administration, so they stepped up the pace of various anti-China actions.”
Xu Liping of the Southeast Asian Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences pointed out that it can be observed that some countries are hoping to cooperate with the United States to compete with China in the South China Sea. “Perhaps a few countries may want to use US intervention to serve their own interests when negotiating with China, but easing the tension in the South China Sea has become a consensus in the region.”
He pointed out that despite external interference, the negotiation on the “South China Sea Code of Conduct” that China has pushed forward will proceed smoothly.
Xu Liping added that the ASEAN (ASEAN) will hold a summit next month, so “American politicians are likely to use this opportunity to further spread the’China threat theory’ and find new ways to interfere in regional issues.”
China and the United States in the South China Sea: Why the South China Sea is a battleground for military strategists