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Beijing learning the wrong lessons
BY DEAN CHENG ¦¨Ùy
Japanese prosecutors decided over the weekend to release Chinese fishing boat
captain Zhan Qixiong (¸â¨ä¶¯), whom they arrested after he allegedly rammed two
Japanese coast guard vessels in the waters around the Diaoyutai Islands (³¨³½¥x).
The decision, a Japanese deputy public prosecutor said, was made ¡§taking into
account the impact on our citizens and Japan-China relations, [so] our judgment
was that it would have been excessive to prolong the investigation and his
detention.¡¨
The Japanese government¡¦s comments make it even clearer that this decision was
made because of the impact of the case on Sino¡VJapanese relations.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku stated explicitly: ¡§It is a
fact that there was the possibility that Japan¡VChina relations might worsen or
that there were signs of that happening.¡¨
While this decision may resolve the immediate issue of Zhan, it is likely to
generate far more problems in the future.
The situation first erupted on Sept. 7, when Japanese coast guard vessels
intercepted Zhan¡¦s fishing boat in the waters around the disputed islands. The
captain tried to flee and apparently collided with two of the coast guard
vessels, for which he was arrested.
In the immediate aftermath of the incident, Beijing demanded the Japanese
government ¡§immediately and unconditionally¡¨ release the captain. Such an
aggressive response was unusual, given that the situation was far from critical.
Of even greater concern, however, was the fact that Beijing escalated both the
rhetoric and its responses over the following two weeks, to the point of Chinese
Premier Wen Jiabao (·Å®aÄ_) publicly snubbing Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan
last week at the UN and China suspending the sale of rare earth minerals
(essential for the production of electronics) to Japanese customers. For Tokyo
to decide to release the Chinese captain in the face of such overreaction only
teaches Beijing that its policies worked.
This is an extremely dangerous precedent not only for Japan, but also for the
larger East Asian region and, ultimately, even for the US.
It was Beijing, not Tokyo, which decided that this relatively minor incident
should escalate. Some recent reports even suggest that the People¡¦s Liberation
Army was responsible for the harder line pursued by the Chinese in this crisis.
Regardless of whether it was ultimately the military that pushed this position
or simply hardliners writ large, they have now been handed a victory by Tokyo.
Chinese demands for immediate and unconditional release have been met.
More to the point, from Beijing¡¦s perspective, the combination of diplomatic
paroxysm and economic blackmail have led to a desired outcome. This would
suggest the successful application of weishe.
While commonly translated as ¡§deterrence,¡¨ the Chinese phrase weishe embodies
not only dissuasion (commonly associated with the term deterrence), but also
coercion. That is, whereas Western concepts of deterrence tend to focus on
persuading a rival not to do something they would otherwise do, the Chinese
concept of deterrence also includes persuading a rival to do something they
would otherwise not do.
It would therefore be logical for Beijing to pursue a similar approach over
future territorial disputes ¡X use weishe to coerce neighbors into making
concessions. And there are many such disputes looming if not already underway,
including with Japan and most of Southeast Asia, as well as India. Consequently,
the Japanese decision makes it more likely that there will be increasing
confrontations all along China¡¦s disputed periphery.
What will Japan do the next time a Chinese fishing boat is found around the
Senkakus/Diaoyutais? Or if Chinese vessels challenge Japanese survey operations
in disputed waters?
Worse, this incident is also likely to persuade Chinese officials that their
current approach to crises is a successful one. A review of recent crises ¡X such
as the 2001 EP-3 incident and the 2007 shooting down of a Chinese satellite, as
well as the case of Zhan ¡X reveals that Chinese responses are consistently
delayed and fragmented ¡X and initially nearly incoherent. Yet there are few
downsides for the Chinese aside from a demarche or two.
For the US, which is often allied with parties that have territorial disputes
with China, this situation will become ever more dangerous. Chinese
miscalculations (which are essentially being encouraged) will inevitably draw in
the US if the situation starts to spiral out of control. Washington needs to
engage in a two-pronged approach.
First, the US needs to make clear to its allies that their policy of pre-emptive
concession and non-response to Chinese irascibility is ultimately
self-defeating. Not only does it encourage the Chinese to be more belligerent
and less conciliatory, but it is also more likely to escalate future crises. And
Washington has no intention to help those who will not help themselves.
Simultaneously, the US, in its own policies, needs to be more coherent and
coordinated. China resorting so promptly to the economic threat of curtailing
rare earth exports, for example, should be a clear signal to US decision-makers
that it is time to re-examine its decisions influencing domestic exploration and
exploitation of said materials. Similarly, Chinese efforts to exclude the US
Navy from operating in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea should be met with the
US¡¦ recommitment to uphold its treaty and legal obligations to allies and
friends in the Pacific.
If the US is going to argue that it is ¡§returning¡¨ to Asia, it needs to make
clear that, this time, it is here to stay. Such a commitment requires not only
maintaining a strong military presence, but also deepening its diplomatic and
trade ties to the region. The US presence has always been multifaceted and its
¡§return¡¨ should reflect all those aspects.
Dean Cheng is research fellow in Chinese political and security affairs at the
Heritage Foundation¡¦s Asian Studies Center.
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