America took this big step against China for the first time
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said that China’s efforts to find wealth in the South China Sea are completely illegal.
Pompeo said that he wanted to make it clear that China’s aggressive campaign to control the disputed water area is completely wrong.
China has been asserting its claim over a large part of the South China Sea and is setting up military bases on man-made islands here.
But Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam have also been claiming their claims on these Diu and Samandri rocks.
Controversy between these countries over control of areas of South China Sea has been going on for centuries, but tensions have increased in recent years.
China has asserted its claim to the area known as the Nine-Dash-Line, and to bolster its claims, China is building artificial islands in the region, increasing its naval presence and patrolling.
In a statement released on Monday, Pompeo also opposed China’s claims on the disputed Spartly Island in the South China Sea.
Pompeo said that the US, which has been saying that it does not favor anyone in regional disputes, denies China’s claims in the waters near Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Pompeo said, “Any step in this water zone which is disturbing the activities related to fishing or hydrocarbon development of other countries or doing such activities unilaterally – is illegal.”
‘The world will not allow the South China Sea to become China’s water empire.’
Pompeo has said that the United States is committed to protecting the rights of its allies in Southeast Asia and the protection of resources off the coast in the sea.
Pompeo also said that Umrika’s side is reasonable in terms of international laws and responsibilities.
What does it mean for America to oppose China?
According to BBC Chinese Service correspondent Zhaoyin Feng in Washington, America had not yet taken sides in the South China Sea dispute.
Four years after the international court in the Hague declared China’s claims on the South China Sea as legally unfounded, the US has now officially clarified its position in the area dispute.
But the question is, why has America taken this step now?
Last week, the US and Chinese navies conducted maneuvers at the same time in the South China Sea. This was a rare incident which shows that tensions are increasing between China and America.
But in the larger scenario, the Trump administration is going to change the policies of America which has been taking place in China for the last four decades. The Trump administration believes that US policy towards China has failed.
Recently America has openly criticized China on many issues. These include China’s efforts to combat the Corona virus, human rights violations of minority Weigar Muslims and China’s attitude towards pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.
The creation of China’s artificial islands in the South China Sea has given the world a chance to try to re-understand China’s ambitions.
And now a lot is at stake in the tension created in this watershed. Although these sea cliffs and groups of islands do not appear to be of any special importance, but now the danger of military confrontation has arisen in two powerful countries of the world.
What is the dispute of South China Sea
This part of the sea, which lies between Indonesia and Vietnam, is spread over about 3.5 million square kilometers. China, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei have been claiming this. Hundreds of species of organisms are found in this sea area, inhabited by natural treasures.
There was not much tension about this area for a decade. But then China reached the South China Sea with a large number of digging vessels, bricks, sand and gravel in the sea. He started a large-scale construction around a small sea strip with the help of sand, gravel, bricks and concrete.
First a port was built. Then the runway to land the planes. Soon after, China prepared an artificial island in the South China Sea and built a military base on it.
China refused to accept the decision of an international arbitration of ownership on this small ocean.
