51吃瓜

While China has been gaining territory in the South China Sea, it has been losing amity among its allies in Southeast Asia.

Territorial spats between China and its Southeast Asian neighbors over Beijing鈥檚 infamous 鈥溾�� dotted across the South China Sea have substantially soured the mood of its allies.

China鈥檚 insistence to play by its own rules, especially in the case of the Spratly, Paracel and Senkaku/Diaoyu islands, has put Beijing at loggerheads with virtually all littoral countries in the region and, farther afield, with the United States. As a result, the fact that China has chosen to go its own way regarding territorial claims has become a burr under the saddle of many of its once loyal allies.

Turning Tide in Malaysia

Malaysia provides a particularly good example of China鈥檚 alienation of its friends over the South China Sea. China鈥檚 incursions in Malaysia鈥檚 territorial waters have increased in frequency since 2009, when it began to more stringently adhere to the informal 鈥渘ine-dash-line鈥� area established in 1947. For many years, Malaysia considered itself in a 鈥渟pecial relationship鈥� with China and had chosen to handle such issues privately with Beijing, as it has done with other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) when the South China Sea issue arose.

However, over the past two years, the incursions into Malaysia鈥檚 territorial waters have become more frequent, more open and notorious. One particularly egregious example is听the vessel currently anchored at Luconia Shoals. Situated 84 nautical miles from Sarawak, which is well-within Malaysia鈥檚 territorial waters, the vessel has been anchored for two years and counting, possibly in an attempt to establish a territorial claim on a new island forming in the area.

Rather than handling the encroachment privately as before,听the has been forced to become more public and more confrontational in its approach. High-level officials from Malaysia have had emergency meetings with their own government, Malaysian vessels have been dispatched to the area to reinforce its claim to the territory and to monitor China鈥檚 movements in the area, and the issue was on the agenda at a meeting between听heads of state this summer.

China鈥檚 actions have clearly alarmed Malaysia and threatened the 鈥渟pecial relationship鈥� the two parties claim to have. It has also begun to drive Malaysia into the arms of the other power in the region: the United States.

The US has already done a great deal to woo Malaysia away from China. As China鈥檚 economy experiences a slowdown, the听US is finalizing the (TPP) with Malaysia听(among others). The TPP, a paradigm-shifting agreement to which China is not a party, stands to open American听markets to Malaysia鈥檚 electronics, rubber and palm oil industries, which are expected to help make up for the recent decline of Malaysian products exported to the US, and then some.

Washington and Kuala Lumpur听have taken steps to increase the level of their security partnership as well. Malaysia has joined the US and other states in establishing the Global Coalition to Counter Islamic State. As part of this, Malaysia has pledged to establish听a 听to counter messaging from the Islamic State (IS)听by the end of 2015 with the help of Washington. Additionally, Malaysia has听听with the US in the fight against IS.

Vietnam and the US

Meanwhile, another example of a close relationship gone south comes from Vietnam. After China听 an oil rig in Vietnam鈥檚 territorial waters in 2014, tensions escalated to the point that President Truong Tan Sang seemed to forgive Washington for imprisoning him during the Vietnam War, and instead lashed out at China.

In a September interview to Associated Press, he unambiguously declared that Beijing鈥檚 large-scale reclamation of submerged islands in the South China Sea 鈥�.鈥� During the same interview, Sang talked warmly about the US, lauding the steps made by US President Barack Obama toward normalizing bilateral relations and lifting an embargo on armament sales.

While Beijing has been making overtures recently in a bid to pacify Hanoi, the damage will not be reversed easily. The two candidates vying for the top position of secretary general in the Communist Party of Vietnam are both听听as having strong intentions of听deepening ties with the US. Coupled with the recent signing of the TPP, Hanoi seems set to pursue its core national interests by playing the powers against one another, in the hope of restraining China鈥檚 aggressive actions in the South China Sea.

That strategy has already borne fruit. During Xi Jinping鈥檚 two-day visit to Vietnam, the two communist countries听听to solve their maritime disputes peacefully by helping each other and proceeding 鈥渉and in hand鈥� on a path to building a 鈥渢ruly trustworthy鈥� bond.

China鈥檚 assertion of its non-existent and unrecognized claims in the South China Sea, especially as it relates to Malaysia and Vietnam, is positioning the razor of fruitless aggression over the special relationships鈥� face. China鈥檚 incursions are making international recognition of its claims in the area even less likely. Continuing down this road will likely find many more of China鈥檚 relationships in ruins.

The views expressed in this article are the author鈥檚 own and do not necessarily reflect 51吃瓜鈥檚 editorial policy.听

Photo Credit:听听/听

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