Navigating the seas of turmoil amid China’s threat

President Xi Jinping’s aggressive actions in the South and East China Seas threaten the “status quo” in the Asia-Pacific region.

In the past four years, the Chinese Communist Party elite has ramped up its “bullying and coercion” strategy. This has exposed the myth of China’s peaceful rise on the world stage.

Against this background, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quad has pushed back.

“We are seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas,” foreign ministers from the Quad counties of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States said in a communique after the Tokyo summit on Monday.

“[We also] reiterate our strong opposition to any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion,” it added. 

[China’s] destabilising behaviour … endangers peace in the region

Australia’s foreign ministry

Beneath the seas of turmoil:

• Beijing has alarmed Asia-Pacific nations with its sweeping illegal claims “over the entire South China Sea.”
• It has used force to “bully” the Philippines over the “Spratly Islands, which possess rich natural resources.”
• China also claims self-governing Taiwan as its territory and has vowed to annex the democratic island by force if necessary. 

Delve deeper: Beijing has built a propaganda narrative of being “bullied” by Washington, as well as playing the “victim” card at every opportunity.

Between the lines: In response to the Quad communique, China has accused the group of “creating tension, inciting confrontation, and containing the development of other countries,” Agence France-Presse news agency reported.

Big picture: Last month, Australia’s Foreign Ministry warned of China’s “destabilising  behaviour,” adding that “this conduct endangers peace and security in the region.”

China Factor comment: Comrade Xi feels he can throw his substantial weight around to influence global public opinion. Instead, all they see is an autocrat dressed in a suit.