China’s military diplomacy in SE Asia

China’s military diplomacy in SE Asia

Subject: International Relations

Section: Neighboring countries

Context: Due to its intensifying geopolitical competition with the U.S. and its own security interests in the region, China is expanding its military outreach to Southeast Asian countries.

Content:

• Firstly, China has put excessive emphasis on defence diplomacy under his flagship Global Security Initiative (GSI). 
• Further, due to the increasing proximity of the U.S. with the Philippines, with whom China shares a disputed maritime border in the Luzon Strait in the South China Sea, and Philippines’ decision to provide the U.S. with access to four military bases in addition to the five bases the U.S. already had access to, under the 2014 Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement between the two sides are worrisome for China.
• Bases are advantageous for the U.S. during offensive against China, as they help fulfil purposes such as refuel and resupply for warships, intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance (ISR), and blocking Chinese trade through critical chokepoints in the South China Sea.
• To defend its claims and interests in the region, China is likely to pursue both aggressive military posturing and diplomacy in Southeast Asia. Examples include:
• Friendship Shield:  bilateral military exercise between People’s Liberation (PLA) and Laotian People’s Armed Forces (LPAF)
• ‘Golden Dragon’ drills: PLA with Cambodia
• PLA STC conducted a joint exercise with the Singaporean Navy.

Global Security Initiative:

• The Global Security Initiative (GSI), a China-led frameworkaiming to restore stability and security in Asia, appears to be more of a counter-narrative to U.S. leadership rather than a genuine attempt to establish a sustainable security order.
• It was stated that the five major pillars to implement GSI would be: Mutual respect, Openness and inclusion, Multilateralism, Mutual benefit, Holistic approach.
• Key Principles of GSI:
• China held that the Global security initiative is envisaged to uphold the principle of “indivisible security”. The principle of “indivisible security” means that no country can strengthen its own security at the expense of others.
• This initiative would build an Asian security model of mutual respect, openness and integration.
• It would oppose the destruction of the international order under the banner of so-called rules.
• It will also oppose the dragging of the world under the cloud of the new cold war.
• This initiative will oppose the use of the Indo-Pacific strategy to divide the region and create a new Cold War, and the use of military alliances to put together an Asian version of NATO.