China can help guard lifeline through Strait of Malacca
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[By Liu Rui/Global Times] |
The 10th Shangri-La Dialogue just ended in Singapore, which, for the first time, was attended by Liang Guanglie, China's minister of defence. But China needs to take a more active role over the management of the Strait of Malacca.
For a long time, the Strait has been co-managed by such three countries as Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. They always refused other countries' direct participation in the management of the Strait's voyage security. Only Thailand was invited in 2005 to participate in a joint air patrol code named "Eyes in the Air."
After the 9/11 attacks, Singapore said that it could accept a US role in the anti-terrorism affairs of the Strait. However, this suggestion was not adopted by other coastal countries. As of now, the non-coastal countries could indirectly participate in the management of the Strait by providing funds, technology and transportation vehicles.
Is it true that the pirate problems could only be handled by coastal countries? According to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982), the seas of coastal countries could be classified into different sea areas, from near to far, including internal waters, territorial waters, adjacent zones, exclusive economic zones, continental shelves and the high seas.
All the organized theft and robberies in internal waters and territorial waters and a few crimes inside the adjacent zones are normal criminal cases that follow the domestic laws of coastal countries. Meanwhile, the high seas, continental shelves, exclusive economic zones and most of the adjacent zones are jointly managed by surrounding countries.
The area on the east side of the One Fathom Bank of the Strait is exclusively managed by coastal countries, while non-coastal countries are entitled to manage the west side of the One Fathom Bank. So if pirates appear in this region, China has the right to dispatch vessels to fight against them. The current position of the coastal countries isn't supported by international law.
At present, 80 percent of China's imported oil has to pass through the Strait. In recent years, domestic scholars have also been probing other potential lines which could replace the Strait.
Two possibilities are cooperating with Thailand to launch the Kela Canal project and breaking a new overland freight from the part of Gwadar in Pakistan to China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
From my point of view, neither of these could be achieved within the next few decades. The cost on the construction of Kela Canal is expected to reach more than $20 billion, which is too high for Thailand.
China, Japan and South Korea have the ability to launch the canal project but their conflicts of interest hamper cooperation.
Besides, the separatist forces in southern Thailand are also a concern for the Thai government.
As to the land route, it's too far and the security issues inside Pakistan pose a huge obstacle. The US couldn't control terrorism in Pakistan with a decade of efforts; can China do any better?
As a result, the most realistic way for China to defend the security of its oceanic lifeline is to increase its participation in the management of the Strait. In recent years, US and Japan expressed their active stances on this region. Although the Southeastern Asian countries are wary of the two powers, they support their proposals to some degree. The Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force repeatedly held joint naval exercises with the coastal countries on "fighting against pirates." The US obtained usage rights for Changgi Naval Base in Singapore and strengthened intelligence cooperation over the Strait with coastal countries.
Right now it is difficult for China to demand direct participation in the management of the Strait. But it could learn from Japan's experience. What Japan has done is nothing but to offer some economic aid, including erecting beacons and buoys in the Strait, helping coastal countries undertake geographical exploration, as well as offering some patrol ships and help with training related staff. China is as capable of this as Japan, and needs to take on more responsibilities as a regional power.
At present, the only cooperative mechanism joined by China in the Strait is the Information Sharing Centre in Singapore. Both Malaysia and Indonesia refused to participate in the anti-pirate mechanisms shared by Asia's 16 countries. In the future, we could even establish more comprehensive anti-piracy measures led by China, thus China could gain the upper hand to master the issues in the Strait.
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