The South China Sea debacle is getting more heated

Chinese diplomats have stepped up their rhetoric amid criticism of Beijing’s assertive policies in the South China Sea disputes ahead of a high-stakes court ruling.

While China was open to “constructive comments and criticism by the relevant countries”, it also had the right to fight back, Ouyang Yujing, director general of the foreign ministry’s Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs, said.

“If [criticisms] are aimed at putting pressure on China or blackening its name, then you can view it like a spring, which has an applied force and a counterforce. The more the pressure, the greater the reaction,” he said yesterday.

Beijing has been widely criticized for island-building in the sea, where China has overlapping claims with the Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam and Malaysia, and for rejecting the authority of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague over the disputes. The court is expected to rule against China in a case brought by the Philippines in the next few weeks.

Beijing has been scrambling to fend off criticism and shore up support from allies to limit the fallout from an unfavorable ruling.

Ouyang accused the Philippines of ignoring China’s historical rights to the territory and “illegally occupying” Chinese islands from the 1960s.

REUTERS/Ritchie B. Tongo

In London’s The Times on Wednesday, Chinese ambassador Liu Xiaoming accused the United States and Britain of meddling in the disputes and escalating tensions in the region.

“Some countries outside the South China Sea claim to be taking no side in sovereignty disputes, but they are actually doing all they can to get involved. The military vessels and planes they send to the region and the accusations they throw at China only encourage certain countries in the region to behave even more recklessly, increasing the tension,” he said.

He also rejected Washington’s accusation that Beijing’s assertive moves were a threat to freedom of navigation. “[Is] it the ‘freedom’ of certain countries to flex military muscle and moor warships on other nations’ doorsteps and fly military jets over other countries’ territorial airspace?” he asked.

The developments came as Beijing confirmed it had proposed a joint statement with 10 nations from the Association of Southeast Asian nations (Asean).

Deputy Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin said last week the draft statement, which reiterates Beijing’s position on resolving the disputes, was aimed at ensuring peace and stability in the region. The joint statement will be discussed at the China-Asean foreign ministers’ meeting in July.

Ashley Townshend, an expert at the University of Sydney, said the statement was aimed at managing China’s diplomatic reputation and strained ties with Asean.

“[China and Asean] may issue a joint statement, but it’s unlikely Asean will agree to a unified statement in the way China wants.”

Additional reporting by Teddy Ng and Reuters

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