Quad Group In South China Sea- Will The Sailing Ship Trouble China’s Wavy Identity?

By Mehak Kulaar

In the first week of August, India sent a fleet of four warships into the South China Sea on a two-month deployment that will incorporate exercises with Quad partners- United States, Japan and Australia. These naval exercises are being done to broaden the friendly ties between countries as well as a diplomatic move to call on China bullying and offending adjoining nations. 

The Indian military has been traditionally careful about alienating China but the mood has hardened after conflicts between troops on the disputed land border last year. The Indian Government has since moved closer to the United States in endeavours to stand up against China. 

The South China Sea has become one of the numerous flashpoints in the testy connection between China and the United States, with Washington dismissing what it calls unlawful territorial claims by Beijing in the resource-rich waters.

What is the South China Sea issue?

In 1982, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea was signed, formalizing maritime resource claims in international law. Instead of this, 6 countries had laid a claim on Paracel and Spratly islands in the South China Sea. From that point forward, there has been constant militarisation of the waters by nations trying to get extended maritime resource zones. 

In 2009, Vietnam started recovering land around a portion of the 48 small islands it had occupied since the 1970s. Accordingly, China started its larger reclamations on submerged areas it occupied during the 1980s. 

By 2016, these reclamations had sprung about three military-grade, mid-sea airfields that sent shockwaves throughout the globe, incited by China that broke its own promise not to mobilize the islands.

China asserted its’ 9 dash line (2000 km from mainland China) on the South China Sea, rejecting the 12 nautical mile rule. In 2016, the international tribunal in The Hague ruled against part of China’s claims to the sea in a case brought by the Philippines. China rejected the authority of the tribunal and its finding in the case.

In its ruling, the tribunal considered the South China Sea to be a “semi-enclosed sea” as defined by the Law of the Sea Convention – a body of water tightly or largely surrounded by land features.

This status carries with it the expectation that coastal states should cooperate on everything from conservation issues to commercial exploitation. This concept is important: it means that by definition, the South China Sea is a shared maritime space.

What is going on in the South China Sea, at present?

“These maritime initiatives enhance synergy and coordination between the Indian Navy and friendly countries, based on common maritime interests and commitment towards Freedom of Navigation at sea,” –Indian Navy 

The Indo-Pacific region has become the geopolitical focus of the world for which a few leaders are fighting about. The area is crucial because it is the consolidating point of two seas, that is, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. The geographic district has become the greatest maritime flashpoint in the world. China claims practically the whole of the South China Sea, which is very rich in resources. The nation has been blamed by the United States for efforts to “intimidate, coerce and threaten other nations” to control it. 

As far as India is concerned, New Delhi has as of late moved its foreign policy focus eastward. Almost 200 billion dollars worth of Indian trade goes through the South China Sea. Free and open navigation is to India’s greatest advantage, however, Chinese dominance would be disastrous. Recently the Philippines asked China to call back 200 Chinese boats it said had been spotted at a reef in the South China Sea, saying the presence of the vessels abused its maritime rights as it claims ownership of the region.

The leaders of the United States, India, Australia and Japan – nations together known as the Quad – held the first summit and discussed the South China Sea exercises in January 2021 promising to cooperate for a free and open Indo-Pacific and to cooperate on maritime and cybersecurity despite challenges from China. India has been cultivating its ties in the region as a part of the ”act east” policy. Its significant spotlight is on the ASEAN Board. The ASEAN has 10 member nations. It is among the fastest developing political associations in the world. India is mulling a preferential trade arrangement with the Philippines, the third-largest economy in ASEAN.

Regardless of more than 70 years of diplomatic ties India and the Philippines don’t have close ties. However, in December 2020, India and Vietnam took part in a two-day military drill. An Indian warship was dispatched to Vietnam to convey humanitarian aid and the naval drills were coordinated on its return voyage. Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that the area is ”India’s Sphere Of Influence.”Indians have cruised these waters for over 1,500 years. Monetarily and politically India has a lot at stake in the South China Sea. Over the most recent 40 years, the Indo-Pacific succeeded as a centre point of free navigation. Discouraging China’s hostility in the district is vital and India could be the defence against Beijing. New Delhi has the financial force, the political clout and the military solidarity to handle China on the high seas.

How can this end for the better of all?

The dispute on the South China Sea can be solved with measures that have been used in the successful settlement of other disputes. For example, a legal solution will be quick and lasting. By adopting a legal solution, all claimants will agree to submit the dispute for arbitration to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) who will judge the dispute according to the international laws applicable. A political solution which is also called a one-track approach will be time-consuming but lasting. By adopting a political solution, all parties will discuss the dispute on formal occasions, either at bilateral or multilateral levels.

In the case of the South China Sea dispute, since most of the claimants are reluctant to resolve the sovereignty issue through any of the approaches, permanent peace is unlikely to be achieved for the time being. However, temporary peace is possible. Compared to the interest of the sovereignty, the other two interests are comparatively easier to accomplish, namely security of sea lanes and exploration of natural resources. First, stability and security of the South China Sea are necessary for the economic development of all claimants. Second, previous efforts of all claimants have laid the foundation to further carry on negotiations and cooperation on issues except territorial claims.

Due to the complexity of the dispute, no single approach can achieve permanent peace but negotiation and cooperation are the bedrock of international diplomacy and peaceful geopolitical coexistence.