By James R. Holmes
U.S. and allied forces should film Chinese assertiveness and let the whole world see it firsthand.
Sunlight is the best disinfectant when dealing with people who take certain, er, liberties with the truth. If a picture is worth a thousand words; a video clip speaks volumes. Pick your favorite expression for deploying factual evidence to debunk mythmaking. In a war of conflicting narratives such as the one raging across the China seas, the spokesman who produces hard evidence commands an edge over one who can only resort to bluster. Video placed in context beats a shouting match any day.
Which is why the Naval Diplomat advises any sea or air force that operates at close quarters with Chinese ships, aircraft, or personnel to take video — and display it when need be. Record all encounters with People’s Liberation Army units, sure. But also record run-ins with the China Coast Guard, Chinese shipping or energy firms, even the fishing fleet. Together these military and non-military, official and unofficial organizations constitute the long arm of Chinese sea power.
They’re also political implements whereby Beijing prosecutes “three warfares“ — legal, media, psychological — against its Asian rivals and extraregional powers such as the United States. For example, Beijing stakes its claim to “indisputable sovereignty” in the South China Sea, deploys non-military (and sometimes military) assets to police sea areas it claims, and acts put-upon if, say, Manila has the temerity to dispatch coast-guard assets of its own or file a case with the Law of the Sea Tribunal. If successful, three-warfares tactics dishearten or overawe opponents into submission.
Read the full story at The Diplomat