Editorial: The Truth About China’s New South China Sea Drill Proposal with ASEAN

By Prashanth Parameswaran

The initiative is less revolutionary than some are making it seem.

China used its inaugural meeting with ASEAN defense chiefs to propose a joint exercise in the South China Sea with Southeast Asian states, the Chinese foreign ministry confirmed Friday.

“The Chinese side and ASEAN countries will hold a joint training on the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea as well as a joint exercise for maritime search and disaster relief in 2016 in the South China Sea,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hua Chunying said October 16.

Few specifics were provided about the new drills beyond what Hua said, which was based off of Chinese defense minister Chang Wanquan’s remarks delivered at the first-ever ASEAN-China Defense Ministers’ Informal Meeting in Beijing (See: “China to Hold First Meeting with ASEAN Defense Ministers in Beijing”).

China would like for the moves to make it appear like a responsible actor in the South China Sea, quelling ASEAN fears of instability amid Beijing’s artificial-island building campaign there and restricting external intervention in the disputes as the United States moves closer towards conducting freedom of navigation operations near certain Chinese features (See: “How Would the US Challenge China in the South China Sea?”). As Hua put it, these were efforts “made to properly address disputes and manage risks.”

Yet there are a few things to keep in mind as the idea takes off. First, in general, this looks like yet another manifestation of China’s South China Sea strategy of “incremental assertiveness,” where small conciliatory gestures are periodically rolled out as part of a calibrated effort to offset far more destabilizing actions (See: “Will China Change its South China Sea Approach in 2015?”). For instance, even while proposing joint drills, China still looks set to continue its plan to build military facilities on its artificial islands, thereby violating the spirit of the non-militarization pledge that President Xi Jinping appeared to make during his recent visit to the United States as well as the letter of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea it signed back in 2002 (See: “Does ASEAN Have a South China Sea Position?”).

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Editorial: China Reveals New Proposal to Boost Defense Ties With ASEAN

By Prashanth Parameswaran

Beijing floats 5-point proposal at inaugural ASEAN-China Defense Ministers’ Informal Meeting.

On October 16, China hosted ASEAN defense ministers for the first-ever informal meeting of this kind in Beijing.

The holding of the inaugural ASEAN-China Defense Ministers’ Informal Meeting (ACDMIM) is itself an achievement for China and ASEAN.

For China, it is the realization of a proposal it has been floating for years to boost defense ties with Southeast Asian states (See: “China to Hold First Meeting with ASEAN Defense Ministers in Beijing”).

For ASEAN, it is another step in the deepening of the regional grouping’s security relations with major powers. Despite the singular focus on China, a point often missed amidst sensationalist headlines is that this comes after the holding of similar ‘first’ defense ministerials with the United States and Japan in 2014. The timing and sequence of these events is not insignificant.

But beyond this general significance, what did China aim to achieve at this inaugural meeting? Close observers of ASEAN-China relations know that China is fond of making proposals in numerical terms – with the “2 + 7 cooperation framework” in 2013 and the “ten point proposal” in 2015 being just two recent examples of this (See: “Beijing Unveils New Strategy for ASEAN-China Relations”).

Things were no different at the first ACDMIM. Chinese defense minister Chang Wanquan, who chaired the meeting, put forth a “five point proposal” for boosting security and defense cooperation between China and ASEAN. The first two points essentially lay out the link between defense cooperation and the broader ASEAN-China strategic partnership as well as the Asian Security outlook respectively. The first point is fairly boilerplate – Beijing is fond of emphasizing that security ties are just one part of the overall ASEAN-China relationship.

Read the full story at The Diplomat