A Lowy Institute for International Policy report says that China's island-building program in the South China Sea should be stopped. (Photo : Getty Images)
Australia’s security think tank strongly recommends that China be prevented from building more outposts in the South China Sea.
According to a report published in Sydney's Lowy Institute for International Policy, China's current course of actions should be impeded right away to prevent it from conquering all of the contested territories along the region.
Rules of the Road
"Beijing's newly acquired taste for maritime 'rules of the road' is lowering the risk of accidental conflict. In turning away from tactical aggression, Beijing has refocused on passive assertive actions to consolidate a new status quo in maritime Asia," authors Ashley Townshend and Rory Medcalf wrote in the report as cited by Bloomberg.
According to the outlet, China's current thread of actions, which particularly involve creating man-made islands along the South China Sea, is successfully expanding the country's reach and jurisdiction over the contested territories.
Bloomberg was referring to China's sland-building program, which has already established over 3,000 acres or 1,214 hectares of land along the Spratly Islands.
"Though its actions have sparked tensions with other claimants including the Philippines and Vietnam, and prompted the U.S. to carry out naval transits to defend freedom of navigation in the waters, China has still managed to expand its maritime influence," Bloomberg noted.
What Should Be Done
Because of this, the Australian think tank highly recommends deterring the country from proceeding further with their current course since it is "virtually impossible to compel China to roll back its outposts."
"The current policy imperative--aside from defending freedom of navigation--is to deter further militarization or the creation of a new air defense identification zone, particularly in relation to the Spratly Islands," the authors wrote.
With this recommendation, the Philippines, Vietnam and other claimant countries should double time in preventing China from lifting another finger.
While an international court is close to having a ruling on the case filed by the Philippines against China, U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker is not very confident that this will have any effect.
"Neither the rhetoric nor the freedom of navigation operations have deterred or slowed down China's land reclamation activities, including the stationing of military-related assets on these artificial islands," he said on Wednesday as reported by the Voice of America.
Corker further noted that an international court ruling might have the opposite effect on China than what the Obama administration had anticipated, which could place American interest at risk.
