Link to article: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/28/us-backs-philippines-against-chinas-maritime-pressure
Analysis: Top US diplomat and Secretary of State Antony Blinken has reaffirmed the United States commitment to support the Southeast Asian states in a long running dispute with China over sovereignty in the South China Sea.
The new top diplomat for the US made the commitment in a phone call with his Filipino counterpart, Teodoro Locsin. Locsin has previously lodged a formal diplomatic protest over Beijing’s decision to allow its Coast Guard, which is active in the disputed waters, to open fire on foreign vessels.
The State Department said in a statement following the call, referring to China by its formal name, that Blinken “pledged to stand with the Southeast Asian claimants in the face of PRC pressure”.
Both Blinken and Locsin agreed that an alliance between the US and the Philippines was “vital to a free and open Indo-Pacific region”.
Blinken “stressed the importance of the Mutual Defense Treaty for the security of both nations, and it’s clear application to armed attacks against the Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft in the Pacific, which includes the South China Sea”.
The US has sent a carrier group through the waterway to promote “freedom of seas”. China is planning its own military drills this week.
As tensions rise in the South China Sea, so does the threat to our Unipolar system and the US’s status as a hegemon. Both the US and China seem to have made their claim and are sticking by them. Beijing has decided to allow its Coast Guard to open fire on foreign vessels. While the US has pledged to stand with the Southeast Asian claimants. Conflicts between the two powers may erupt due to the region’s significance. The South China Sea is a region of tremendous economic and geostrategic importance. Laying claim and fostering control over this region would be advantageous. Furthermore, Chinese control in the South China Sea region could pose a major threat to the US’s friends and allies. With the deployment of carriers, under the guise of promoting freedom of the seas, and China’s preemptive military drills, conflict seems to be on the horizon.
When examining Geopolitics and Geopolitical situations in the US, the current events playing out in the South China Sea region could be attributed to Rimland Theory. Rimland Theory, built off the concept of sea power theory, states that the maritime world is the key to global dominance as it keeps the Eurasian powers from accessing the world’s economic trade routes. China sits at the gate of the heartland and the South China Sea is an excellent access point. With these key components of power, along with China’s regional supremacy. China is in a strong position for global dominance. For the US to maintain its power and status as Hegemon it must control the South China Sea.