Earlier this month, China declared new “baselines” around Scarborough Reef, a large coral atoll topped by a handful of rocks barely above sea level in the South China Sea.

By doing so, China reaffirmed its sovereignty claim over what has become a global flashpoint in the disputed waters.

This was a pre-calculated response to the Philippines’ enactment of new maritime laws two days earlier that aimed to safeguard its own claims over the reef and other contested parts of the sea.

This legal tit-for-tat is a continuation of the ongoing sovereignty and maritime dispute between China and the Philippines (and others) in a vital ocean area through which one-third of global trade travels.

The Philippines rejected China’s declaration as a violation of its “long-established sovereignty over the shoal”. Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said:

What we see is an increasing demand by Beijing for us to concede our sovereign rights in the area.

As the tensions continue to worsen over these claims, there is an ever-increasing risk of an at-sea conflict between the two countries.

What is the Scarborough Reef?

Scarborough Reef is called Huangyan Dao in Chinese and Bajo de Masinloc by the Philippines. It is located in the northeast of the South China Sea, about 116 nautical miles (215km) west of the Philippine island of Luzon and 448 nautical miles (830km) south of the Chinese mainland.

At high tide it is reduced to a few tiny islets, the tallest of which is just 3 metres above the water. However, at low tide, it is the largest coral atoll in the South China Sea.

China asserts sovereignty over all of the waters, islands, rocks and other features in the South China Sea, as well as unspecified “historic rights” within its claimed nine-dash line. This includes Scarborough Reef.

In recent years, the reef has been the scene of repeated clashes between China and the Philippines. Since 2012, China has blocked Filipino fishing vessels from accessing the valuable lagoon here. This prompted the Philippines to take China to international arbitration under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in 2013.

Three years later, an arbitration tribunal ruled that China has no historic rights to maritime areas where this would conflict with UNCLOS. The tribunal also concluded China had “unlawfully prevented Filipino fishermen from engaging in traditional fishing at Scarborough Shoal.”

China refused to participate in the arbitration case and has strongly rejected its ruling as being “null and void” and having “no binding force”.

What did China do this month?

China declared the exact location of the base points of its territorial claim around Scarborough Reef with geographical coordinates (longitude and latitude), joined up by straight lines.

The declaration of so-called “baselines” is standard practice for countries that want to claim maritime zones along their coasts. Baselines provide the starting point for measuring these zones.

A country’s “territorial sea” is measured from this baseline outward to as far as 12 nautical miles (22km). Under the UNCLOS treaty, a country then has full sovereignty rights over this zone, covering the seabed, water, airspace and any resources located there.

Countries want their baselines to be as far out to sea as possible so they can maximise the ocean areas over which they can reap economic benefits and enforce their own laws.

China is no exception. Along with other countries (especially in Asia), it draws the most generous baselines of all – straight baselines. These can connect distant headlands or other coastal outcrops with a simple straight line, or even enclose nearshore islands.

China is especially fond of straight baselines. In 1996, it drew them along most of its mainland coast and around the Paracel Islands, a disputed archipelago in the South China Sea. China defined additional straight baselines this March in the Gulf of Tonkin up to its land border with Vietnam.

China says these actions comply with UNCLOS. However, its use of straight baselines around Scarborough Reef conflicts with international law. This is because UNCLOS provides a specific rule for baselines around reefs, which China did not follow.

Based on our review of satellite imagery, however, China has only advanced the outer limit of its territorial sea by a few hundred metres in two directions. This is because its straight baselines largely hug the edge of the reef.

These new baselines around Scarborough Reef are therefore fairly conservative and enclose a dramatically smaller area than the US had feared.

NEW: The PRC Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) released coordinates demarcating the PRC’s claimed territorial sea baseline around Scarborough Shoal on November 10.

The PRC’s announcement of a territorial sea baseline around Scarborough Shoal likely aims to legitimize its… pic.twitter.com/2VrI8Dqf6z

— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) November 13, 2024

China’s declaration signals that it may have abandoned its much larger “offshore archipelago” claim to what it calls the Zhongsha Islands.

China has long asserted that Scarborough Reef is part of this larger island group, which includes the Macclesfield Bank, a totally underwater feature 180 nautical miles (333 km) to the west. This led to concern that Beijing might draw a baseline around this entire island group, claiming all the waters within exclusively for its use.

The South China Sea arbitration tribunal ruled that international law prohibits such claims. There will be a collective sigh of relief among many countries that China decided to make a much smaller claim over Scarborough Reef.

Significance and future steps?

However, China’s clarification of its baselines around the reef signals it may be more assertive in its law enforcement here.

The China Coast Guard has said it will step up patrols in the South China Sea to “firmly uphold order, protect the local ecosystem and biological resources and safeguard national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights”.

Given the long history of clashes related to fishing access around Scarborough Reef, this sets the scene for more confrontation.

And what about the biggest prize of all in the South China Sea – the Spratly Islands?

We can now expect China will continue its long straight baselines march to this island group to the south. The Spratlys are an archipelago of more than 150 small islands, reefs and atolls spread out over around 240,000 square kilometres of lucrative fishing grounds. They are claimed by China, as well as the Philippines and several other countries.

These countries can be expected to protest any attempted encirclement of the Spratly Islands by new Chinese baselines.

(Authors: Yucong Wang, Lecturer, University of Newcastle; Clive Schofield, Professor, Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS), University of Wollongong, and Warwick Gullett, Professor of Law, University of Wollongong)

(Disclosure Statement: Clive Schofield served as an independent expert witness appointed by the Philippines in the South China Sea arbitration case. Warwick Gullett and Yucong Wang do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment)

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Underlining the need to protect freedom of navigation amid assertiveness of Beijing in the South China Sea, Pedro Sanchez, Prime Minister of Spain, on Tuesday (October 29, 2024) said his country and India must contribute in building an Indo-Pacific region that is open and secure.

Speaking at an event organised by the Spain-India Forum and the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in Mumbai, Mr. Sanchez maintained that the rules-based international order is at stake and hence Madrid and New Delhi must defend and work towards strengthening multilateral institutions.

He said the world’s centre of power has shifted towards Asia where India plays a key role.

Mr. Sanchez announced that Spain is working to launch a new strategy for Asia which will revitalize his country’s relations with the largest continent in the world.

The central Indo-Pacific region accounts for 36 per cent of the world’s GDP, pointed out the Spanish leader who is on an official visit to India.

He said the vital region accounts for 60 per cent of world population and 50 per cent of global maritime trade which faces security challenges such as piracy, terrorism, natural disasters, arms and drug trafficking and illegal fishing.

As this region has significant strategic natural resources such as oil, fisheries, and critical mineral reserves, security challenges are more significant here, Mr. Sanchez pointed out.

“We must, therefore, protect freedom of navigation and overflight. India and Spain must contribute to a secure Indo-Pacific,” he said.

Mr. Sanchez maintained that to ensure peaceful existence among countries, principles like territorial integrity and sovereignty of nations must be abided by.

He said India and Spain must work together in areas like the protection of civilians and delivery of humanitarian aid to those in need, and defence of human rights and democracy.

Mr. Sanchez said Artificial Intelligence (AI) has extraordinary potential, but stressed the need to calculate the risk of misuse of this transformative technology.

“As our countries improve their technological capabilities, AI cooperation can transform key sectors. It can also help address challenges related to the spread of false information that threaten our democracies,” Sanchez noted.

International cooperation in AI is essential for a safer, more egalitarian and open world, emphasised the visiting Spanish leader.

“AI must be ethical. We must establish strong ethical standards and accountability mechanisms to ensure that it respects human rights and promotes social good,” he added.

“We should all participate in the establishment of this comprehensive framework for the global governance of digital technology and AI,” Sanchez said.

In order to do so, building AI capacity in the Global South is critical. This involves creating a global network of AI research and development centres, providing targeted training programmes and ensuring access to high performing computing resources, he observed.

Tokyo:

Canada is in discussions about joining an expanded AUKUS deal between the US, Britain, and Australia formed to counter China’s growing military influence in the Indo-Pacific region, Canadian Defence Minister Bill Blair said.

Canada has said it wants to join a second pillar of AUKUS that will collaborate on new military technologies, including artificial intelligence and quantum computing, but has not so far revealed any details of those talks.

The military alliance AUKUS stands for Australia, United Kingdom, United States.

“There have been important discussions about processes and platforms on a project-specific basis on where other nations, including Japan and ourselves, might participate,” Blair said in an interview in Tokyo where he met his Japanese counterpart Minoru Kihara.

“I would respectfully wait until they’ve come to their determination, but I’m very optimistic,” he said.

Blair said he and Kihara discussed AUKUS, which is already considering working with Japan. The initial phase of AUKUS involves the three founding members working on nuclear submarine technology for Australia.

Blair, who was on his first trip to Japan as defence minister, arrived in Tokyo from South Korea, which is also in talks about a role in AUKUS.

Canada is looking for a bigger security role in Asia and has made forging deeper ties with Japan and South Korea a priority. As its defence commitments expand at home and overseas the country is expanding military spending.

“Next year, my defence budget will rise by 27% over this year, and, frankly, in the next three or four years, our defence spending will triple,” Blair said.

He and Kihara also discussed Chinese incursions into Japanese territory that last month prompted Tokyo to lodge protests with Beijing.

Concerns about that Chinese military activity may be discussed at a meeting of the Group of Seven defence ministers in Italy next month, Blair said.

“It’s an important opportunity for us to have a conversation among the G7 partners about some of the activities that are deeply concerning to Japan and to Canada and to the United States and others,” he said.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

India and Vietnam today adopted an action plan to expand their strategic ties with Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowing to work jointly for a rules-based Indo-Pacific and asserting that New Delhi supports development and “not expansionism” in remarks that came amid concerns over China’s military posturing in the region.

The two sides signed six memorandums of understanding (MoUs) and finalised three other documents to broadbase cooperation in a range of areas following wide-ranging talks between PM Modi and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

It was also decided that India will provide USD 300 million credit line to Vietnam primarily to strengthen the Southeast Asian nation’s maritime security.

An agreement was sealed between the central banks of the two countries for rolling out digital payment connectivity.

Prime Minister Chinh arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday night on a three-day visit that is aimed at further expanding the comprehensive strategic ties between the two countries.

“In our Act East policy and our Indo-Pacific vision, Vietnam is our important partner… We support development, not expansionism (Hum vistarbad nahi, vikasvad ka samarthan karte hei),” PM Modi said in Hindi in his media statement.

“We will continue our cooperation for a free, open, rules-based and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” he said.

PM Modi said that both sides decided that cooperation will be strengthened to deal with terrorism and cyber security issues.

“We believe that ‘Developed India 2047’ and Vietnam’s ‘Vision 2045’ have accelerated development in both countries. This is opening up many new areas of mutual cooperation,” PM Modi said.

“And therefore, to further strengthen our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, today we have adopted a new plan of action,” he said.

PM Modi said new steps have been taken for cooperation in the field of defence and security.

The two prime ministers also remotely inaugurated an Army Software Park at Telecommunications University Nha Trang. It has been built with New Delhi’s development assistance.

“The agreed USD 300 million credit line will strengthen Vietnam’s maritime security,” PM Modi said.

“We agree that, to realise the mutual trade potential, the review of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement should be concluded as early as possible,” he said.

Vietnam is a key member of 10-nation ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations).

“We have decided to focus on the areas of green economy and new emerging technologies. Each other’s capabilities in energy and port development will be harnessed for mutual benefit,” PM Modi said.

The prime minister also invited people from Vietnam to the Buddhist circuit in India. “And we want the youth of Vietnam to also take advantage of Nalanda University.” In his remarks, Modi said India-Vietnam relations have both “expanded and deepened” over the past decade.

“In the last 10 years, we have transformed our relations into a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Our bilateral trade has increased by more than 85 percent,” he said.

“Mutual cooperation has expanded in energy, technology, and development partnership. Mutual cooperation in defence and security areas has gained new momentum,” he said.

“Over the past decade, connectivity has increased. And today we have more than 50 direct flights between us. Along with this, tourism is continuously increasing, and people have also been given the facility of e-visa,” PM Modi said.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

India and Vietnam today adopted an action plan to expand their strategic ties with Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowing to work jointly for a rules-based Indo-Pacific and asserting that New Delhi supports development and “not expansionism” in remarks that came amid concerns over China’s military posturing in the region.

The two sides signed six memorandums of understanding (MoUs) and finalised three other documents to broadbase cooperation in a range of areas following wide-ranging talks between PM Modi and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

It was also decided that India will provide USD 300 million credit line to Vietnam primarily to strengthen the Southeast Asian nation’s maritime security.

An agreement was sealed between the central banks of the two countries for rolling out digital payment connectivity.

Prime Minister Chinh arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday night on a three-day visit that is aimed at further expanding the comprehensive strategic ties between the two countries.

“In our Act East policy and our Indo-Pacific vision, Vietnam is our important partner… We support development, not expansionism (Hum vistarbad nahi, vikasvad ka samarthan karte hei),” PM Modi said in Hindi in his media statement.

“We will continue our cooperation for a free, open, rules-based and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” he said.

PM Modi said that both sides decided that cooperation will be strengthened to deal with terrorism and cyber security issues.

“We believe that ‘Developed India 2047’ and Vietnam’s ‘Vision 2045’ have accelerated development in both countries. This is opening up many new areas of mutual cooperation,” PM Modi said.

“And therefore, to further strengthen our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, today we have adopted a new plan of action,” he said.

PM Modi said new steps have been taken for cooperation in the field of defence and security.

The two prime ministers also remotely inaugurated an Army Software Park at Telecommunications University Nha Trang. It has been built with New Delhi’s development assistance.

“The agreed USD 300 million credit line will strengthen Vietnam’s maritime security,” PM Modi said.

“We agree that, to realise the mutual trade potential, the review of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement should be concluded as early as possible,” he said.

Vietnam is a key member of 10-nation ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations).

“We have decided to focus on the areas of green economy and new emerging technologies. Each other’s capabilities in energy and port development will be harnessed for mutual benefit,” PM Modi said.

The prime minister also invited people from Vietnam to the Buddhist circuit in India. “And we want the youth of Vietnam to also take advantage of Nalanda University.” In his remarks, Modi said India-Vietnam relations have both “expanded and deepened” over the past decade.

“In the last 10 years, we have transformed our relations into a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Our bilateral trade has increased by more than 85 percent,” he said.

“Mutual cooperation has expanded in energy, technology, and development partnership. Mutual cooperation in defence and security areas has gained new momentum,” he said.

“Over the past decade, connectivity has increased. And today we have more than 50 direct flights between us. Along with this, tourism is continuously increasing, and people have also been given the facility of e-visa,” PM Modi said.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak deliver remarks on the Australia – United Kingdom – U.S. (AUKUS) partnership. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

The AUKUS trilateral cooperation between Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom will ensure safety, security and peace in the Indo-Pacific, said Bonnie Denise Jenkins, U.S. Undersecretary for arms control and international security. Ms. Jenkins stressed that AUKUS does not violate the non-proliferation treaty and Australia will remain a non-nuclear state that does not acquire nuclear weapons.

To a question from The Hindu on the conversations with India on arms control and non-proliferation in a virtual briefing, Ms. Jenkins said, “India’s been engaged with us on many issues from many years. We haven’t been able to have extensive discussions right now on particular issues on arms control but I can say that we have traditionally had discussions with them. We are looking forward to having more regular conversations with India on these issues.”

“When I have my bilateral with colleagues from India, I have an opportunity to have some discussions on arms control. So, there are forums where India plays a role and we have opportunities at multilateral forums. We are looking to have more bilateral conversations outside those as well. We talk about these issues with India on a regular basis. We look forward to have more in-depth conversation bilaterally in the future,” Ms. Jenkins said.

Under AUKUS, the U.S. and U.K. partners announced the implementation plan to equip Australia with Nuclear Attack Submarines (SSN). As per this, Australia will get at least three second hand SSNs from the US in the 2030s as an interim measure while Canberra would receive five new SSNs to be designed and developed by UK from early 2040s to late 2050s.

Also read: Explained | The AUKUS deal to get nuclear-powered submarines for Australia

Talking of AUKUS, the Undersecretary said, “We see this [AUKUS] in a way in which will help ensure safety, security, and peace in the Indo-Pacific. All three countries are committed to make sure that this happens. AUKUS does not violate the non-proliferation treaty. Australia will remain a non-nuclear State that does not acquire a nuclear weapon, not developing any nuclear weapon. We are daily or weekly in fact, are in contact with International Atomic Energy Agency.”

Elaborating, she said the importance of AUKUS itself is to ensure that we have a safe Indo-Pacific region where countries can make their own sovereign decisions from coercion and and this is an example demonstrating their firm commitment to international partnership.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar with his Vietnamese counterpart Bui Thanh Son during a meeting of the 18th India-Vietnam Joint Commission, in Hanoi on October 16, 2023. Photo: X/@DrSJaishankar

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met his Vietnamese counterpart Bui Thanh Son on October 16 and discussed ways to boost cooperation in areas like trade, energy, defence and maritime security while also sharing perspectives on the Indo-Pacific, amidst China’s aggressive behaviour in the region.

Mr. Jaishankar and Mr. Son also jointly unveiled commemorative stamps celebrating 50 years of establishment of diplomatic ties between India and Vietnam.

“Stamps depicting Kalaripayattu and Vovinam capture our shared affinity for sports and celebrate the strong cultural, social & people-to-people links between India and Vietnam,” he posted on X.

Mr. Jaishankar, who arrived on a four-day official visit to Vietnam on Oct. 15, also attended a meeting of the 18th India-Vietnam Joint Commission in Hanoi on Oct. 16.

“Thank my co-chair @FMBuiThanhSon. Our discussions covered cooperation in political, defence & maritime security, judicial, trade & investment, energy, development, education & training, science & technology, cultural domains,” he said.

“Convinced that our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership will only further strengthen over the coming years. Also shared perspectives on the Indo-Pacific region, our commitment to global issues and our collaboration in various multilateral groupings,” he said.

The Indo-Pacific is a biogeographic region, comprising the Indian Ocean and the western and central Pacific Ocean, including the South China Sea.

The U.S., India and several other world powers have been discussing the need to ensure a free, open and thriving Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of China’s rising military manoeuvring in the resource-rich region.