NATO Flotilla Show of Force in South China Sea
NATO operates in Europe, North America and in a number of conflict areas involving member states.
Amid the ongoing war in several countries against the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic with the ferocious Delta variant, another "battle" is taking place in the South China Sea.
A British Navy aircraft carrier, the HMS Queen Elizabeth, conducted a show of force in this impulsive water with a range of fighter ships of all types, including 250 marine troops. Surely, China, which claims to be the ruler of the South China Sea, welcomed them with a military exercise there.
The British Navy flotilla, led by HMS Queen Elizabeth with 18 fighter jets on its deck, can be referred to as the North Atlantic Defense Pact (NATO) naval fleet, considering that in the row of ships there are warships from the Netherlands, Italy and the United States (US).
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They were there to conduct freedom of navigation and operation (FONOP), a concept so far used by the US as an excuse to sail in the South China Sea, ignoring China\'s objections and anger. Now, the reason is used by Britain, the main US ally, to sail in the South China Sea.
NATO interests
NATO operates in Europe, North America and in a number of conflict areas involving member states. The formation of the pact in 1949 was inseparable from the dynamics of the Cold War after the end of World War II and the emergence of the Western and Eastern Blocs. However, after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, NATO, which now has 30 members, no longer played a central role because there is no longer a threat of a major war.
They are sailing to East Asia to the hot spot in the South China Sea.
Britain also practically never deploys its combat fleet across the ocean, as it often did during the 19th-century colonial era — except for 1982 when it fought against Argentina in the two-month Falkland War (Malvinas) in the South Atlantic. Now, the British Navy is starting to leave its base and has reinvigorated the motto “British Rules the Waves”, exploring the oceans since May. They are sailing to East Asia to the hot spot in the South China Sea.
Back to global stage
The HMS Queen Elizabeth will be in the Indo-Pacific region until December and during that time will show off its might and conduct military exercises with allies, namely Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, New Zealand and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) countries consisting of Japan, the US, India and Australia.
Britain has also assigned two frigates to permanently be in the Indo-Pacific region starting at the end of 2021. This is a new face for Britain, who wants to return to the global stage, accompanying the US in stemming China\'s efforts to become a superpower.
The presence of the British fleet in the Indo-Pacific region is also part of the United Kingdom’s efforts to play a role in the global arena. This is also in line with the efforts made by France and other European countries, turning their attention to the South China Sea in view of China\'s economic growth and its increasingly unstoppable military power.
In this March 31, 2021, file photo provided by the National Task Force-West Philippine Sea, Chinese vessels are moored at Whitsun Reef, South China Sea. The Philippine government has summoned the Chinese ambassador to press a demand for Chinese vessels to immediately leave the reef claimed by Manila in the disputed South China Sea and said the illegal presence was stoking regional tension, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday, April 13, 2021.
The British fighter fleet has not carried out duties at the world level for a long time. Practically, after the end of the Pacific War in 1945, the Britain that used to rule the waves slowly receded. The global supremacy shifted to the US, which after World War II emerged as the sole superpower, following the collapse of the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact.
On the other hand, China with its economic power has emerged on the world stage, becoming a challenger to the US. Great economic and military power makes China able to exert influence and “grab the hearts” of several countries. The country has invested with infrastructure funds in 150 countries through the Belt and Road Initiative. China is also building its navy into a Blue Water Navy with two aircraft carriers, the Liaoning and the Shandong, as well as supporting military bases on Fierry Cross Island, Sri Lanka and Djibouti.
Tension in SCS
China\'s superiority, with a strong economy and military, makes the country unilaterally confident in declaring 90 percent of the South China Sea waters as its sovereign territory.
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Ignoring Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam and Taiwan as claimant countries, China enforces the “nine-dash line” as its maritime border, arguing that it is a traditional fishing area. China also built artificial islands there as a full military base on Fiery Cross and Scarborough Islands, which are only 220 kilometers from the Philippine coast.
The East Asian country also rejected a ruling of the permanent court of arbitration on a lawsuit filed by the Philippines. The International Court of Justice in The Hague said that China\'s nine-dash line claim has no legal basis. However, China did not care and made the nine-dash line its maritime boundaries with countries around the South China Sea.
China also uses the concept of gray zone operations, forming and dispatching hundreds of civilian fishing vessels as a maritime militia with a Coast Guard escort to the disputed waters. The Philippines has reported the presence of 220 Chinese militia vessels in waters also claimed by the Philippines. Chinese fishing militia vessels are an element of surprise in the form of military infiltration, as well as a way to strengthen China\'s historical claim to the disputed waters.
China\'s Coast Guard has the same authority as its navy in protecting China\'s sovereignty.
China’s superiority has faced a fierce challenge from the US, which is not a claimant country in the South China Sea conflict. With the FONOP reason, US warships and their allies have repeatedly been present in the South China Sea, despite strong protests from China.
ASEAN Diplomacy
The South China Sea has become a magnet for conflict because these waters have oil reserves estimated at 213 billion barrels and huge natural gas. The South China Sea waters are also very strategic as international trade routes and shipping lanes for warships. That is why it is in the interest of the US to be there to support the country\'s mobility in carrying out its global domination role.
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In such a context, Britain\'s presence in the South China Sea can be interpreted as a signal of NATO\'s readiness with its allies in the Indo-Pacific to strengthen security and freedom in South China Sea. The risk that may arise is the occurrence of armed conflict, which is detrimental to regional stability.
In this regard, Indonesia and other ASEAN countries must continue to take an active role in diplomacy to resolve South China Sea problems. In such conditions, ASEAN\'s role as a bridge and balancer based on the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific can be used to reduce the escalation of conflicts.
Marsetio
Marsetio, Professor at Defense University, Navy Chief of Staff 2012-2015
(This article was translated by Kurniawan Siswoko).
