By Jason Miks
Can China broaden its network of close allies from the current line-up of “problem” states (North Korea, Iran) to some of its neighbors? It’s hard to see how if Beijing also feels compelled to get tougher with its neighbors over disputes such as in the South China Sea. The obvious way for Beijing to win some friends would be to either submit to an international ruling or even abandon any pretensions to the nine-dash line that’s at the center of so much criticism. This sounds unlikely, but the latter route was suggested by one of our panelists last week at Harvard University as one of the best ways for China to improve its international standing.
He’s right – the territory at stake around the Paracel and Spratlys is more strategically important to Southeast Asian nations like Vietnam and the Philippines. But Mu Chunshan, one of our China-based writers, had some interesting observations yesterday on one of the reasons why this is so unlikely. The fact is that China’s policy makers appear to be caught between a rock and a hard place – its public is increasingly aware of the dubious company the country keeps diplomatically, but at the same time, many seem to want a much tougher response to territorial disputes.
Read the full story at The Diplomat