China Flexes Again

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright March 11, 2009
All Rights Reserved.                    

          Reminiscent of an April 2, 2001 incident where a U.S. spy plane was forced down on Hainan Island, China flexed its muscles again in the South China Sea, harassing U.S.N.S Impeccable while performing routine surveillance operations in international waters.  Several unmarked civilian patrol boats got dangerously close to the U.S. spy-ship, performing “aggressive” maneuvers.  Chinese vessels “aggressively maneuvered” “in an apparent coordinated effort to harass the U.S. surveillance ship while which conducting routine operations in international waters,” said a Pentagon report.  Spraying one Chinese vessel with water cannons, the boat came within 25 ft., prompting the Chinese crews to strip down to their underwear.  When U.S.N.S. requested safe passage, two Chinese vessels dropped wood into the path of the U.S. surveillance ship, causing an awkward evasive action.

            Pentagon spokesman Marine Maj. Stewart Upton called Chinese actions March 9 “unprofessional” and “provocative,” leading the Navy to launch a formal protest.  “The unprofessional maneuvers by Chinese vessels violated the requirement under international law to operate with due regard for the rights and safety of other lawful uses of the ocean,” said Upton, putting China on notice.  April 1, 2001, Chinese J-8 fighter jets aggressively forced down a U.S. EP-3E Aires II spy plane, incarcerating its 24-member crew and systematically dismantling the plane.  It took 10 days of intense diplomacy before the crew and wreckage were finally released.  China blamed the U.S. spy plane for colliding with the J-8 interceptor jet, causing the pilot’s death, justifying actions that forced down the plane on Hainan Island.  “The U.S. should bear full responsibility,” declared Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao.

            China’s March 9 harassment of the U.S. surveillance ship signals Beijing’s bravado in its own backyard.  “We expect Chinese ships to act responsibly and refrain from provocative activities that could lead to miscalculation or a collision on the open sea,” said Upton, seeking Beijing’s apology.  But like the 2001 spy plane incident, the latest mishap indicates that China enjoys backing down the world’s last superpower.  To end the 2001 stalemate, the U.S. promised to stop spying in China’s neighborhood.  Like the Iranians who frequently harass foreign ships in the Persian Gulf, the Chinese like to flex their muscle.  “Our ships operate fairly frequently in international waters where these incidents took place,” said White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, admitting the U.S. broke its word to China.  Whether the U.S. has a right to patrol international waters, China wants the U.S. to show restraint.

            Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton visited Beijing last week, asking the Chinese to continue buying U.S. treasuries.  Gibbs offered no apologies for the U.S. spy ship, insisting the Chinese back off from harassing the U.S. Navy.  “We are going to continue to operate in these waters and we expect the Chinese to observe the international laws,” offering the Chinese no face-saving way out.  Gibbs remarks don’t play well in Beijing where they expect Americans to show more respect for China’s territorial integrity.  Escalating rhetoric does little to assuage a bad situation.  Hillary sought to tamp down heated rhetoric, insisting that both sides should do everything possible to avoid future confrontations.  Unlike the 2001 incident, no Chinese military personnel lost their lives.  Hillary did a good job of playing down White House rhetoric, opening the door to better communication.

            Hillary defused a growing crisis by reminding the China about a host of cooperative ventures with the U.S.  No one’s economies are more linked by mutual trade than the U.S. and China.  Both suffer from a global credit meltdown, shuttering Chinese factories and hurting U.S. retail trade.  Neither country can afford counterproductive provocation.  Gibbs needs to tone down the rhetoric and strike a more conciliatory tone.  “We both agreed that we should work to ensure that such incidents do not happen again,” said Hillary, after meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiachi.  As the U.S. found out in 2001, there’s no better way to avoid similar events than to patrol further away from Chinese territorial waters.  Whether it’s legal or not, U.S. authorities wouldn’t be too happy if the Navy routinely ran into Chinese spy ships off the coast of Los Angeles or San Francisco.   

            China continues to flex its muscles reminding the U.S. that it’s no longer the only superpower.  Playing hardball on the open seas sends a shot across the bow, reminding the U.S. there are limits to its surveillance operations.  Unless there’s a compelling national security reason to patrol so closely in China’s territorial waters, the U.S. should not provoke Beijing.  Before White House officials make Hillary’s job more difficult, they should consult more closely with the State Department.  Gibbs’ public remarks only made a bad situation worse by blaming China for violating international shipping rules.  Hillary was forced into some heavy-duty damage control, watching the U.S. betray a prior promise to tone down the spying near China’s coast.  Whether or not Gibbs makes a good argument about U.S. shipping rights, the 2001 spy-plane mishap should remind the U.S. to act less provocatively. 

.John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analysing spin in national and global news.  He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.