China drills for defending territorial interest: Analyst

This photo taken on July 14, 2016 shows Chinese ships putting out a fire on a mock cargo vessel during an emergency drill in the South China Sea near Sansha, in south China. (AFP photo)

Press TV has conducted an interview with James Jatras, a former US Senate foreign policy analyst from Washington, about China’s naval drills in the Sea of Japan.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: I would imagine that you are in Washington where there are many very nervous people looking at these and hearing news about these drills.

Jatras: That’s right. You mentioned these drills in the Sea of Japan and that China doesn’t even have a shore on the Sea of Japan. Earlier this month they held similar drills in the East China Sea. Of course, that’s the area where there is a very sharp dispute between Japan and China over the control of the islands that the Japanese call the Senkaku, when the Chinese call the Diaoyu. But I think the real action here is the focus on the South China Sea. The Chinese are trying to send a message here that they are capable and willing to defend what they see as their territorial interest even if those who are disputed by the United States and countries like the Philippines and Singapore and so forth. So, I think this is just a demonstration of seriousness on the part of Beijing.

Press TV: Is Beijing expecting almost a drawdown on the part of the United States and is there any sign because since this is a pivot to Asia is because it seems that the United States is ever more involved in that region?

Jatras: No, I don’t think they’re expecting a drawdown. I think they’re expecting something where the United States or maybe through some of our allies try to challenge the Chinese claims either through passage through waters that the Chinese claim are territorial waters, not giving notifications that the Chinese say they would expect because they regard them as a sovereign territory and what action they would be willing to take the challenge, US or allied ships or aircraft moving through these areas. I think the Chinese response we measured but they’re very clear that they don’t want to back down.

Press TV: We’re seeing the beginning of ever more tensions in the region. I know there have been tensions as you said over the South China Sea for a while now, but do you believe that the allies in the region because there was some talk of negotiations at some point, that coming to the fore at any point?

Jatras: I’m afraid I don’t see a whole lot of prospect that negotiations are going to solve this and at some level when you have a state in this case China that does have a preponderance of power in the region saying, “We consider this Chinese territory. What are you going to do about it.” And the other powers they can make legal arguments and so forth but unless they’re willing to challenge that I’m not sure how negotiations are going to solve it.


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