US expert: China violates both DOC and UNCLOS

The remark was made by Gregory Poling, a fellow from the US Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a world leading research center on security and international issues, in response to a Washington-based Radio Voice of Vietnam (VOV) correspondent.

Regarding China’s recent deployment of an oil rig along with military vessels to Vietnam’s waters, Mr Gregory Poling declared this is a clear political intention of China, not to increase profits from its National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) through oil and gas activities.

China’s actions aimed to provoke and test the reaction of Vietnam as well as send a message to neighboring Philippines and Malaysia. It's hard to deny that the message was also aimed at the US, when it coincided with the end of President Obama’s Asian trip.

Gregory Poling, a fellow from the US Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Considering China's actions in terms of the DOC and UNCLOS which China had already signed, the US expert stated that China can argue if they control Hoang Sa archipelago (Paracel), then waters here also belong to them. However, Paracel is currently a place of sovereignty disputes so this is also a disputed area.

The UNCLOS 1982 clearly stipulates that in the case of a dispute, the parties need to refrain from conducting provocative and unilateral actions. In 2002, China signed the DOC with ASEAN, in which concerned parties pledged to refrain from provocative actions. Therefore, China has violated both the spirit and the content of the two agreements.

Poling added, disputes over the East Sea are the most dangerous problem in this region.

China bringing more than 80 ships to the waters of Vietnam and Vietnam mobilizing more than 20 ships in response have really exacerbated the situation.

Unlike the Philippines, Vietnam’s armed forces are capable of creating a deterrence against China, which helps prevent it from conducting further aggressive behavior.

Vietnam’s deployment of coast guard and fishery surveillance vessels to counteract China’s advances is a wise decision. It is clear that Vietnam wants to send a message to China that the country neither accepts its actions nor wishes to trigger conflict with them.

The US is very concerned about how to comply with the law in settling disputes and identifying boundaries of a disputed area. All parties concerned must refrain from carrying out provocative and unilateral actions in the disputed area.

The US is not expecting a war relating to the Paracel issue and will make efforts to build a united front not only between ASEAN but also the European Union, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Australia. This model is quite successful as most major countries have publicly condemned China's actions in the East Sea over the past few years, he noted.

Concerning the consequences caused by China’s actions for the region and for China itself, Polling said in the short-term, the worst scenario is violence, damaging economic ties in the region as well as China's position. But the biggest concern for Beijing is the long-term consequences. With every step like this, China has destroyed the goodwill they built in South East Asia, pushing its closest neighbors away.

The country will lose confidence in its commitment to other agreements and WTO obligations. Whether or not Beijing has taken into account such consequences of its provocation will be evident in 10 or 20 years? Poling concluded.