South China Sea: Beijing’s imperialism worries Vietnamese
Hanoi (AsiaNews)
- In August, more than 9 thousand trawlers and 350 thousand fishermen from the
Chinese province Hainan "spill out" of their specific areas for
fisheries, invading the territorial waters of Vietnam and the Philippines in
the South China Sea. A
few days ago in fact the ban imposed by the Beijing government, in force May 16
to August 1, 2013 expired. It had prohibited
fishing vessels venturing into the waters surrounding the Paracel and Spratlys
islands. Moreover,
according to the recent agreement between Hanoi and Beijing, China will take over
larger portions of the sea according to a increasingly "imperialist" policy.
The area is the center of a fierce dispute between the Philippines, Vietnam and
China with the exploitation of underground natural resources (oil and natural
gas) at stake is, as well as the control of a focal point for international
maritime trade in the Asia-Pacific region.
Manila
has often accused China of incursions into its waters and illegal exploration
activities. It
has even sought international arbitration at the United Nations, drawing the
Chinese government's ire, given that it wishes to address the unresolved issues
through bilateral negotiations. The
tensions have also concerned Hanoi, although the Vietnamese communist
authorities did not want to take the same diplomatic initiative as the
Philippines. Indeed,
recently they arrived at a basic agreement between for the joint exploration
and exploitation of resources.
Under
this 10 point agreement signed on June 21 amid general silence - the vast
majority of the Vietnamese public does not know the deals contents - China will
operate in seven different border areas belonging to Vietnam, for a total area
of 4 thousand km2. The
pact signed between the two communist governments is opposed by the Vietnamese
nationalist fringe, economic experts and intellectuals who consider it a
serious "invasion" by Beijing. The
pact signed by Hanoi with the slogan "16 golden words and 4 good
things" could start a process that will, in the future, lead to a progressive
loss of territory for Vietnam.
Hanoi
historians claim possession of the disputed islands "since the seventeenth
century", but an attack by the Chinese navy between 17 and 19 January 1974
led to the conquest - and control - of the Paracels. In
1988, following an assault on the Spratly, Beijing's vessels opened fire
killing at least 64 border guards (now considered "heroes" at home)
and occupied seven small portions of land. In
the recent past there have been several cases of assaults, shootings and
trespassing involving Chinese ships and fishing boats. Even
ASEAN - an association that brings together 10 countries of Southeast Asia - is
getting worried, given that China might soon control up to 80% of the
territory.
This
is why Vietnamese intellectuals, politicians and bloggers demand greater
attention and respect for internal interests within the framework of the
agreements signed with Beijing. If
the government continues its policy of subjugation, the risk is that Vietnam will
progressively lose its territorial identity. And
it is widely believed that China in the coming years "will continue this
policy of invasion."
Among
Asia-Pacific nations, China has the largest territorial claims in the South
China Sea, including the Spratly and Paracel Islands, which have no permanent
population but are resource rich. Regional hegemony would be strategically
important for Beijing because it would enable it to control the region's trade
and natural resources, such as oil and natural gas. Vietnam, Philippines,
Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have challenged China's expansionist aims. As well
as the United States who are moving behind the scenes to counter the imperialism of
Beijing in a strategic area of control for two-thirds of the world's maritime
trade.
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12/02/2016 15:14
