Feds fumble for response to China on South China Sea
By
PETE KASPEROWICZ (
@PETEKDCNEWS) • 7/13/16 12:01 AM
China's rejection of a ruling that stripped away its claim to the South China Sea left Obama administration officials struggling on Tuesday to explain what the U.S. should do about it, if anything.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague issued a
unanimous ruling against China's claim to resources in the South China Sea. The five-judge panel said China's historical claim was invalidated by a United Nations treaty.
China immediately denounced the ruling. "China will never accept any claim or action based on those awards," said Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Those comments weren't a surprise. China boycotted the proceedings, and stakeholders knew China wasn't ready to simply accept the tribunal's decision.
But on Tuesday, the Obama administration made it clear that for now, it's first step is to simply hope that China changes its mind. When pressed on the issue, White House spokesman Josh Earnest repeated that the U.S. has no claim to the South China Sea, and that it wants parties to the dispute comply with the ruling.
"[W]e certainly would encourage all parties to acknowledge the final and binding nature of this tribunal," Earnest said. "We certainly would urge all parties not to use this as an opportunity to engage in escalatory or provocative actions."
Over at the State Department, spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. doesn't want any party making "provocative" statements. And despite Xi's comments, which seemed provocative enough, Kirby said the U.S. continues to expect China to comply.
"That they have made these unhelpful comments doesn't mean that our expectations should change," he said. "It is a legally binding tribunal decision, and our expectation was before it was made and is now after it's made that all claimants are going to abide by it."
Kirby made it clear that for now, there is no Plan B.
For example, he said there were no immediate plans for the State Department to deploy the only real tool at its disposal: diplomacy. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Chinese counterpart, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, are in frequent contact, but Kirby said there were no specific plans in place for Kerry to make a diplomatic effort with China.
"[H]e did speak to Foreign Minister Wang Yi before, obviously a few days ago, before the decision," Kirby said of Kerry. "I don't have any future phone calls to announce today or to speak to, but he routinely speaks to his Chinese counterpart on a range of issues, and I suspect those conversations are going to continue."
If Kerry does try, it will likely be an uphill climb. Wang on Tuesday seemed dead-set against the tribunal's decision.
He called it a "
political farce," and warned that it threatens stability in the region. The Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam all have competing claims to parts of the South China Sea.
"The arbitration and the out-of-bad-faith dramatization and political manipulation that ensued have put the South China Sea issue to a dangerous situation, with growing tension and confrontation," he said. "It is detrimental to peace and stability in the region, and it does not serve the common interests of China and the Philippines, countries in the region or the wider international community."
While there are no immediate plans for diplomacy, Kirby also refused to comment on whether rising tensions in the region might prompt the U.S. to realign its forces in the region to put pressure on China.
Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, said China's reaction means the U.S. should review its force posture in the region, but Kirby declined to talk about that option.
"I'm certainly not going to speak to hypothetical military movements one way or the other," he said.
With the U.S. still searching for a more substantive response, China in the meantime indicated that it might offer a possible path to a new negotiation. However, it's not clear whether the Philippines and other parties are willing to essentially abandon their victory in the Hague and start over.
"China has noted the latest statements by the new government of the Philippines, including its readiness to re-open consultation and dialogue with China on the South China Sea issue," Wang said Tuesday. "China hopes that the goodwill of the new Philippine government for improving relations with China will be accompanied with real actions..."