A few days ago, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) maliciously invaded the waters of Whitson Reef in the Spratly Islands with more than 200 fishing boats, triggering fierce protests from the Philippines. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China strongly stated that China does not accept the result of the South China Sea Arbitration. Almost at the same time, China’s aircraft carrier Liaoning crossed the waters of Miyako Islands and went south to the Pacific Ocean, putting countries like Japan and Australia on full alert. China also pointed out that such military exercises at sea will be the norm in the future. Coupled with the wolf warrior diplomacy full of intimidating words, this kind of hegemony with fists shows that China has never given up on the ambition to establish regional hegemony in the Asia-Pacific, and it has also inspired a populist attitude of a powerful nation among the people of China.

The dispute over the sovereignty of islands and reefs in the South China Sea has a long history. China, Vietnam, the Philippines and even Taiwan have their own positions and propositions on different islands and reefs. A few days ago, the CCP sent a large number of fishing boats to surround Whitson Reef. The Chinese argued that the fishing boats were taking shelter from the wind, although there wasn’t any drastic change in the weather condition. However, the boats stayed there for days in stable sea weather. After the Philippines protested, Zhao Lijian, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, assumed the posture of a wolf warrior as usual, not only reprimanding the Philippines for political gimmicks but also blaming the Philippines for endangering peace and stability in the South China Sea. Observing the whole process, we can see that the CCP is the one with political gimmicks, and it is the CCP that overthrows international arbitration.

China wishing to become the hegemony in the Asia-Pacific region

The CCP not only showed its mentality to become regional hegemony in the South China Sea Islands, but also in the Asia-Pacific region. It sent the Liaoning aircraft carrier fleet to pass through Okinawa and Miyako Islands to the Pacific Ocean and conducted military exercises around Taiwan. Not only at sea, but also in air, as a number of military aircrafts were sent to cooperate with the drill, entering the air defense identification zone of Taiwan with the intention to intimidate and flex muscles. After Taiwan and Japan issued warnings, the Chinese navy spokesperson responded strongly, saying that this is a demonstration of safeguarding the national sovereignty and interests of China, and similar naval exercises will be held on a regular basis in the future. This kind of direct use of force to intimidate and harass neighboring countries before counter-accusing them with words of wolf warrior diplomacy is already the standard process for China to establish their hegemony.

A few days ago, Taiwan and the U.S. signed the “Memorandum of Understanding on Coast Cooperation” to strengthen the maritime cooperation on projects between the two countries in combating crime and offering humanitarian assistance. At this time, the CCP once again launched a major move in the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean, which was clearly aimed at the maritime cooperation between Taiwan and the U.S. Not only that, the U.S., Japan, India, and Australia have continuously strengthened their military cooperation in the Pacific, and even the U.K., Germany, and France have joined from Europe. The purpose of the military exercises by the CCP in the Pacific at this time is specifically against this development.

Ironically, when the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China faced pressure from the U.S., it protested against unilateralism loudly, calling for multilateralism and opposing the world order of major powers. At the same time, it ignored the feelings and opposition of neighboring countries and discarded the international arbitration based on multilateralism as a loner. It seeks to unilaterally establish a regional hegemony centering on China’s interests in the Asia-Pacific and the South China Sea regions.

Not only externally, but the CCP has also set off a populist trend based on nationalism in the society of China. The atmosphere created is nothing more than that China has become strong, that in the past it only had lamb diplomacy that relied on others, and that now the time has come for it to flex its muscles and impose sanctions on Western countries that bully China but also wish to make money in China. Several incidents of irrational boycotts, coupled with the accumulation of wolf warrior diplomacy, have greatly damaged the image of China in the eyes of the people of many countries and their friendship with China. China and Western democracies may have seen confrontations and frictions in democratic values and human rights in the past, but now China expanded the dimensions to base these confrontations with a populist vibe established on nationalism.

In the past, such a tactic of oppression with violence and words of wolf warriors only targeted Taiwan, but now China has gradually expanded its scope to replicate this tactic in countries like the Philippines, Australia, and Japan. In the past, it was Taiwan that suffered the most, and now it is the countries in the Asia-Pacific region that are feeling the pressure. If Western democracies still stay with their diplomatic rhetoric of concerns and condemnation and allow the CCP to establish an order in the Asia-Pacific that centers on one hegemony, democracy and freedom in the world will definitely suffer in the future.

Click <a href="https://tw.appledaily.com/headline/20210409/BMK5R3NC5NDGJPTAFB2ZIGBFR4/" target=_blank>here</a> for Chinese version

Apple Daily’s all-new English Edition is now available on the mobile app: <a href="https://bit.ly/2yMMfQE" target=_blank>bit.ly/2yMMfQE</a>

<a href="https://bit.ly/2yMMfQE">bit.ly/2yMMfQE</a>

iOS: <a href="https://hk.adai.ly/e/Ty5Z1dvpi8" target=_blank>bit.ly/AD_iOS</a>

Android: <a href="https://hk.adai.ly/e/l54AS9Cpi8">bit.ly/AD_android</a>

Or search <i>Appledaily</i><b> </b>in App Store or Google Play

當年今日