Opinion | To win over Asean, Beijing should open up its small South China Sea islands for cooperation

As befits a major power in Southeast Asia, China should take the initiative to put into practice what it has repeatedly pledged – to use its land features in the contested regional waters to tackle non-traditional security challenges, alongside its Asean partners

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This undated handout photo released in 2014 by the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs shows alleged reclamation by China on the Johnson South Reef in the South China Sea. China may decide to open up one or two islands in the Spratlys, for instance Johnson South Reef, to facilitate China-Asean cooperation and turn these features into a hub for maritime cooperation. Photo: Handout via AFP

Published: 10:15am, 31 Dec 2021

The Indo-Pacific geostrategic landscape continues to evolve, most notably with the recent consolidation of the Aukus alliance. India now appears to be more inclined to join various Indo-Pacific security activities, particularly the Quad, while European countries are also coming on board to build their presence in the region.

These developments are contrary to China’s erstwhile expectation that the Indo-Pacific vision would dissipate like “ocean foam”. Beijing perceives it as part of the US-led containment strategy.

In response to the challenges posed by the Indo-Pacific initiative, China has made strenuous efforts to improve relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and its member states, in the hope that they would not support the Indo-Pacific strategic alignment.

The launch of the Asean-China comprehensive strategic partnership, announced in November at a summit marking the 30th anniversary of dialogue relations, can be seen as a major move by China to try to ensure Asean’s neutrality amid growing Sino-US rivalry.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen attends a virtual meeting with leaders from China and Asean, excluding Myanmar, during the Asean-China summit, at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on November 22. Photo: Handout via EPA-EFE

Notably at the summit, China expressed its belated high-level official support for the Asean outlook on the Indo-Pacific, a policy document unveiled in 2019 that shares many fundamental Chinese views on the regional order.

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