QUESTION: How many border disputes is China involved in?
Answer: 17.
I got this piece of information from the Caspian Report, a YouTube channel that specializes in geo-politics.
So when you think about the West Philippine Sea issue, try to look at the situation from China’s perspective. As far as the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is concerned, their territorial spat with the Philippines is just one front in a much larger campaign.
China has disputes with India, Japan, Mongolia, Russia and, of course, Southeast Asia to name a few. Some of these disputes are based on biased historical narratives, such as China’s claim to the Mongolian territory, while others are based on vague legal issues, such as issues regarding the maritime territory. In any case, these disputes have one thing in common: China’s national security interests.
China does not want to be isolated. That’s the reason why the country is involved in so many territorial disputes. China needs global trade for food, energy and markets. If China is cut off from the world’s trade routes then it’s going to be in a lot of pain.
Xi Jin Ping’s One Belt and Road initiative is not enough. For China to be secure, it needs to control its access to existing global networks, most of them on the sea.
Further, it will also need to forge closer ties with its neighbors, which it has largely failed. President Rodrigo Duterte, a long time pro-Chinese leader, recently did a 180-degree turn, and there was also the recent spat between India.
Some might claim that these are growing pains and that China will eventually find a way to peacefully resolve these issues.
Personally, I think that’s optimism. Historically, China has always been aggressive when it comes to its interests, and in the short term, it’s unlikely to let go of those ambitions./PN
