Berlin (EAST SEA) Monday, May 21st, 2018 / 05:23 AM

The EU and the South China Sea: from principled position to pragmatic action

The EU has always paid great attention to the developments in the South China Sea (SCS). The world’s largest trading block has a strategic interest in safeguarding free, safe and stable shipping lanes, especially those connecting it to its economic powerhouses in East Asia. As a signatory of the treaty of amity and cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) and a member of Asia’s multilateral security architecture, it also has diplomatic and legal commitments vis-à-vis its regional partners. Most importantly, it is the rationale behind the SCS disputes and the threat it represents for a rules-based international system that keeps Brussels on it toes.

The official statement issued in the aftermath of the Permanent court of arbitration (PCA) ruling in July 2016 was weakened by divergences among European Member States wary of jeopardizing their good relationships with Beijing, bringing, in a way, a taste of the side effects of the SCS conflict closer to home. The failure to form a strong united front was viewed as a disappointment by many observers, who considered it a test of Brussels’s ability to play a greater security role in Asia. However, this impediment did not thwart its long-term to reduce regional tensions: through normative power and practical actions.

The EU Global Strategy, released in June 2016, takes a firm stand on the respect of international law, the freedom of navigation, and the importance of settling disputes through peaceful means. In November 2016, the EU pledged to step up its role as the leader of international ocean governance, part of its engagement in the implementation of the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Agenda and the Millennium Development Goals 14 in particular. Its Joint Communication called ‘An agenda foe the future of our oceans’ commits Brussels to work with its foreign partners in both bilateral and multilateral settings for the improvement of ocean governance frameworks, the creation of sustainable blue economy and strengthening marine research cooperation.

A holistic approach to maritime management, focused on sea-basin strategies and ecosystem-based solutions, is not only in line with the Union’s own principles (as reflected in the 2014 EU Maritime Security Strategy); it is what is most needed in the SCS. Collaborative management of living and non-living marine resources, joint research and data collection, as well as cooperation for the protection of the Sea’s rich marine environment, increasingly gain attention for their potential to preserve the SCS, as well as the most prospective tool for appeasing regional tensions. The EU’s rich experience in joint development of resources, environmental security and crisis prevention is regularly put to work in its cooperation with ASEAN and individual stakeholders of the SCS conundrum as a capacity and confidence building measure. Whether or not these efforts will bear fruit in the future will testify, to a large extent, of its value as a global ocean governance leader, as well of its contribution to Asia’s security./.

Dr. Eva Pejsova, EU Institute of Strategic Studies

 

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