Under cover of the coronavirus pandemic, China has ramped up its aggressive expansionism both in the South China Sea as well as raising concern not only among its smaller neighbours but India and US as well

by Indrani Bagchi

NEW DELHI: Under cover of the coronavirus pandemic, China has ramped up its aggressive expansionism both in the South China Sea as well as the Indian Ocean Region, raising concern not only among its smaller neighbours but India and US as well.

Last Sunday, China renamed 80 geographical features in the South China Sea — standard names for 25 islands and reefs and 55 undersea geographic entities in a move that has worried the region, signalling that China was establishing sovereignty over parts of the South China Sea covered by a 9-dash line that is deemed illegal according to international law. The listed islands included Sanzhizai, an islet north of Yongxing Island in Sansha city, South China's Hainan Province.

The pandemic, according to sources here monitoring these movements, has not stopped China from pursuing its longer term strategic goals in the region. Indian security officials said on condition of anonymity, “We are one step away from it all but China’s double standards with regard to its aggressive posture towards its smaller and weaker neighbours and an insistence that other countries remain sensitive to its concerns (like Taiwan, Tibet, etc) is becoming more evident.”

This comes after Chinese ships rammed and sank a Vietnamese ship three days after Vietnam protested to the UN against China’s sovereignty claims in the South China Sea. The Chinese action triggered protests from the Philippines to the US. Manila, going against Beijing in a move that raised eyebrows issued a statement saying, “our own similar experience revealed how much trust in a friendship is lost by it and how much trust was created by Vietnam’s humanitarian act of directly saving the lives of our Filipino fishermen.” US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo raised “Chinese “bullying” activities in the South China Sea that distract from current efforts to deal with the pandemic.”

The Philippines, unusually, lodged two protests against China over violations of international law and Philippine sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea.

Last week, Japanese foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi lodged a protest against China for sending its ships into Japanese territorial waters near the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. Japan contends that Chinese ships have intruded into Japanese waters, including on one occasion filing through the area for about 90 minutes.

In response, a US warship has sailed through the Taiwan Straits for the second time in a month. Last week, US warships even sailed through disputed waters off Malaysia, to deter Chinese ships which have been intimidating a Malaysian oil vessel for weeks. This was in response to Chinese aircraft carrier moving near Taiwan.

Abhijit Singh of ORF observed, “For three reasons, the crisis unfolding in the South China Sea has implications for India. First, Chinese militia operations have focused on the region’s western end close to the Indian Ocean Region, targeting countries like Vietnam and Indonesia that India has a close political and military relationship with. Second, China’s expanding presence in littoral coincides with a rise in Chinese activity in the eastern Indian Ocean, particularly the presence of Chinese research and survey vessels in India’s EEZs. Thirdly, growing operations by China’s deep-sea mining vessels, fishing fleets and intelligence ships in the Indian Ocean, an indication of Beijing’s expanding economic and strategic footprint in India’s natural sphere of influence. The bottom-line for Delhi is this: once China firms its grip over the South China Sea, it will use island outposts to power greater military power in the eastern Indian Ocean.”