{"id":24848,"date":"2016-02-25T17:34:30","date_gmt":"2016-02-25T06:34:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?p=24848"},"modified":"2016-02-25T17:34:30","modified_gmt":"2016-02-25T06:34:30","slug":"the-2016-defence-white-paper-china-and-east-asia-the-end-of-an-illusion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/the-2016-defence-white-paper-china-and-east-asia-the-end-of-an-illusion\/","title":{"rendered":"The 2016 Defence White Paper, China and East Asia: the end of an illusion"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Chinese<\/a><\/p>\n

The strategic narrative of Australia\u2019s<\/span> new Defence White Paper<\/span><\/a> contains some interesting new aspects. One is the expression of much greater concern about the emerging maritime order in East Asia and China\u2019s growing willingness to alter the status quo. In fact, the document reflects the end of the illusion in Canberra that somehow China will continue to accept the (predominantly) Western rules-based maritime order.<\/span><\/p>\n

The previous two Defence White Papers had quite different things to say about China. The Rudd government\u2019s<\/span> 2009 version<\/span><\/a> used fairly strong language on China\u2019s evolving security challenge for the regional order. The Chinese reportedly weren\u2019t amused.<\/span> Four years later<\/span><\/a>, the Gillard government markedly toned down the rhetoric, noting that China\u2019s military modernisation was to be expected of a growing major power. It\u2019s reasonable to assume that just like the US-administration of Barack Obama, the Australian government at the time still had hopes that China would emerge as a \u2018responsible stakeholder\u2019 in maritime Asia.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, since then China has made abundantly clear that it doesn\u2019t accept the established rules in maritime East Asia. Evidence for a growing assertiveness includes Beijing\u2019s unilateral declaration of an East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone in November 2013 which drew a strong response from the Abbott government; the creation and militarisation of artificial structures and disputed islands in the South China Sea (SCS); and attempts to coerce its smaller Southeast Asian neighbours into accepting its massive claims within its so-called \u2018nine-dash line\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

Australia\u2019s response has been to demand the freedom of navigation in the air and sea in and around the disputed territories, to call for stop of all land reclamation activities, and to support US Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPs). It has also continued its own patrols in the SCS and has supported the Philippine arbitration case against China.<\/span><\/p>\n

As a consequence, the new Defence White Paper reflects the reality in maritime East Asia that China has moved to re-write the rules to fit its strategic preferences and historical narratives. As<\/span> Peter Jennings points out<\/span><\/a>, the document overall is \u2018measured and restrained\u2019 when addressing China directly, stressing repeatedly that Beijing still has an opportunity to play a constructive role in regional peace and stability. However, not only does the White Paper criticise China directly in some places; it also contains some strong messages on China without using the \u2018C\u2019 word, making it unmistakably clear that Canberra\u2019s assessment about Beijing\u2019s strategic trajectory has become more pessimistic.<\/span><\/p>\n

Central to this assessment is the White Paper\u2019s strong emphasis on the profound challenges to the rules-based global order:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018The framework of the rules-based global order is under increasing pressure and has shown signs of fragility\u2026newly powerful countries want greater influence and to challenge some of the rules in the global architecture established some 70 years ago\u2026some countries\u2026have sought to challenge the rules that govern actions in the global commons of the high seas, cyberspace and space in unhelpful ways, leading to uncertainty and tensions.\u2019<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

No genius is required to figure out that China is one of those \u2018newly powerful countries\u2019. While Russia\u2019s actions have destabilised Europe, China has started to undermine the regional rules-based order in maritime Asia\u2014and the white paper points this out unequivocally. It states that Australia \u2018opposes the use of artificial structures in the South China Sea for military purposes\u2019. While theoretically that includes other claimants such as Vietnam or the Philippines, the document goes on to specify that Australia is \u2018particularly concerned by the unprecedented pace and scale of China\u2019s land reclamation activities\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

When it comes to the East China Sea, the White Paper also leaves little doubt, pointing out that \u2018China\u2019s 2013 unilateral declaration of an Air Defence Identification Zone in the East China Sea\u2026caused tension to rise. Australia is opposed to any coercive or unilateral actions to change the status quo in the East China Sea\u2019. Moreover, the document stresses that these challenges to the rules-based regional order are by no means trivial:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018The coercive use of economic or military power can diminish the freedom of countries such as Australia to take independent action in our national interest. The Government is committed to working with the United States and like-minded partners to maintain the rules-based order by making practical and meaningful military contributions where it is in our interest to do so.\u2019<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The 2016 Defence White Paper is thus much more specific about the nature of China\u2019s security challenge to regional and Australia\u2019s security than any of its predecessors, without labelling China explicitly as a threat. Yet, that was never the purpose of the document and reading between the lines is more than sufficient.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The strategic narrative of Australia\u2019s new Defence White Paper contains some interesting new aspects. One is the expression of much greater concern about the emerging maritime order in East Asia and China\u2019s growing willingness to …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":24851,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[143,52,1636,71,471],"class_list":["post-24848","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-asia-pacific","tag-china","tag-defence-white-paper-2016","tag-maritime-security","tag-south-china-sea"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe 2016 Defence White Paper, China and East Asia: the end of an illusion | The Strategist<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/the-2016-defence-white-paper-china-and-east-asia-the-end-of-an-illusion\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The 2016 Defence White Paper, China and East Asia: the end of an illusion | The Strategist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The strategic narrative of Australia\u2019s new Defence White Paper contains some interesting new aspects. 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