The Pacific is a big chessboard for the Chinese and its neighbors. The tension is very real and not a day goes by without an incident being reported. Particularly with the Filipino women, allies of Australia, where Catherine Colonna was on Monday. This warns of a “new crisis”, “which the world does not need”.
Published
Reading time: 2 min
:quality(50)/2023/12/04/000-346w2ly-656e06c212eb9144112473.jpg)
Faced with the conflicts in Ukraine and Israel, “the world does not need a new crisis”, declared Monday, December 4, the head of French diplomacy, Catherine Colonna. This alarming, even alarmist, statement was made from Canberra, where the Minister of Foreign Affairs is on the road until Tuesday. A new crisis which therefore concerns Australia, that is to say one of China’s great rivals, in this vast area called the Indo-Pacific.
An arms race
This immense maritime area, which encompasses the Indian and Pacific Oceans, is the scene of numerous rivalries. We hear very little about it, however, because of the distance and other closer conflicts which monopolize attention, in Ukraine and the Middle East. However, part of global security also plays out off China. Many archipelagos are claimed by both Beijing and neighboring countries. All this gives rise to territorial conflicts, with numerous demonstrations of maritime force. Just this weekend, more than 130 Chinese boats massed near an island claimed by the Philippines. A show of force following the announcement, Friday 1er December, the construction of a Philippine military base on the island of Thitu. A month ago, ships from the two countries even clashed near an atoll, in an area which is full of fish resources, but also potentially hydrocarbon reserves.
This South China Sea is also a very valuable observation post for almost half of the world’s maritime trade. Hence a form of arms race. China steps up coast guard patrols. Opposite, the Philippines, allied with Australia and Japan, is increasing joint military exercises. For its part, China gets its hands on reefs, simple pieces of rocks in the sea, which it then transforms into artificial islands. Even though they are located much closer to Philippine lands, Beijing asserts a historic right to these islands, which its fishermen have always frequented. The claim was nevertheless invalidated in 2016 by an international court.
Taiwan’s Great Fear
But China continues to advance its pawns, no doubt convinced that the West has its sights turned elsewhere. This is also Taiwan’s great fear. The island threatened by Beijing fears that its fate will take second place to European and American diplomats, too busy with the situation in Ukraine and Gaza. A Taiwanese minister states this in the newspaper Le Figaro: “If China thinks we are isolated, then it will be tempted to act quickly.” He fears that China will decide to plan an invasion of Taiwan, a strategic island, which supplies a large part of the chips for our computers and our phones.
We are not there. But three weeks ago, the American and Chinese presidents met. This meeting has sometimes been interpreted as a gesture of détente between the two superpowers. However, Xi Jinping, the Chinese leader, has made no secret of his intentions. He judges “inevitable” for Taiwan to join Beijing. This is why we probably haven’t heard the last of the Indo-Pacific.