The U.S. imposes sanctions on firms militarizing islands.
By The Editorial Board
An MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter launches during flight operations aboard the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan in the South China Sea, July 17. / PHOTO: US NAVY/REUTERS
It’s been a whirlwind summer for American policy in the Western Pacific. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper this week is the second U.S. cabinet member to travel to the region in a matter of weeks, visiting Hawaii, Guam and Palau shortly after Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar made a politically significant visit to Taiwan.
In July the U.S. declared Beijing’s maritime claims in the South China Sea unlawful for the first time, and on Wednesday it backed up this finding with sanctions aimed at Chinese firms.
China began aggressively militarizing islands in the South China Sea during the Obama Administration, making vast claims to the waterway that it said overrode those of its neighbors like Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia.
In 2016 the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague said China was violating international law, but Beijing rejected the ruling.
China has since grown more assertive, using militia boats to harass fishing and oil exploration vessels from smaller countries.
Wednesday’s sanctions aim to make Beijing bear costs for this illegal behavior. Of the 24 companies targeted, the most significant is China Communications Construction Co. and its subsidiaries, which work closely with the People’s Liberation Army to build artificial islands and bases in the South China Sea.
Unlike telecom giant Huawei, CCCC does not rely on U.S. technology, so its placement on the Commerce Department’s “entity list” doesn’t threaten the company’s existence. Yet the State Department’s new visa restrictions against top executives, many of whom travel to the U.S., are a real blow.
The U.S. hopes the announcement will raise the profile of military-affiliated Chinese firms so countries in Southeast Asia scrutinize their activities.
For a decade, the U.S. has protested China’s slow-motion military dominance over one of the world’s most important waterways. The Trump Administration is trying to move beyond protestations and orchestrate resistance, signaling to Beijing that the costs of its coercive regional policies outweigh the benefits. The goal isn’t to create conflict but to deter China from reckless actions that could start one.
As the election approaches, debate is intensifying about how a Joe Biden administration would address the challenge from authoritarian China’s increasing disregard of international law.
These sanctions are the latest in a series of policies that will put the next President, no matter who he is, in a stronger position.
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