China still loudly refuses to bow to international arbitration with claims of support from 60 countries as analysts speculate that it is silently working its “mobile national sovereignty” in the disputed South China Sea waters.
On Friday, The Wall Street Journal revealed the countries that actually declared support for China in its claims over the contested waters.
As it happens, independent geopolitical analyst Pepe Escobar notes that China's strategy was far from what meets the eye, pointing out clues as to what the Asian giant is really after, in his analysis posted on RT.
Which Supports Which
A recent report from the WSJ notes that Beijing's claims in the South China Sea "may not hold water" as only eight out of the 60 countries China said was supporting its stance against the international tribunal actually made a statement about it.
According to the report, China claims that the African kingdom of Lesotho supports its cause, even though the landlocked nation did not have obvious stakes in the matter.
Surprisingly, Lesotho is among the eight that the WSJ confirmed to have made declarations of support for China in boycotting the proceedings in The Hague, together with Afghanistan, Gambia, Niger, Kenya, Vanuatu, Sudan and Togo.
Of course, the surprise ends there, as the WSJ and Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) review on the nations' statements reveal no other supporters of China.
Among the 60, there are five nations that downright denied China's claims that they support it, including Poland, Slovenia, Cambodia, Fiji, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"This looks more like a coalition of the equivocal, or the simply unaware," said Euan Graham of the Sydney-based Lowy Institute.
China Goes Mobile
Amid the fuss of which supports which, however, Escobar explained that China might be going "mobile" in claiming resources in the disputed territories.
Many are aware of China's reclamations at sea, something other claimant countries like Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines had been conducting far longer.
The only difference between them is that China conducted its reclamations "in full force," leaving the other countries crying out for help from the United States.
For its part, the U.S. does not actually have any say on the matter, since it has yet to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Up to this point, China remains confident at performing its so-called "mobile national sovereignty," especifically because of its "strategic weapon" known as the HYSY 981 mobile deepwater drilling rig, which the Global Times described to be able to provide power for a medium-sized city.