Chinese patrol vessel, the Haixun 31, prepares to leave for search and rescue operations
In the aftermath of the March 8 disappearance of a Malaysia Airlines plane with 239 people on board, 153 of them Chinese nationals, Beijing is flexing its muscles. The Chinese government has dispatched two warships, 10 satellites, over 50 marines to the South China Sea, and – although the Malaysian government didn’t formally invite them – a 13-member delegation to advise search and rescue efforts from Kuala Lumpur.
The assertive response marks a new stage in China’s ascension as a regional power, a role the country hasn’t fully embraced despite its expanding military and trade power in East Asia. While China has made claims over disputed territory (in the air, the sea, and in passports), it has rarely deployed its military and officials in such a public way.
On March 10, Chinese officials said they had “a responsibility to demand and urge the Malaysia side to step up search efforts…and provide relevant information to China correctly and in a timely manner.” In response, the Malaysian government re-issued its pledge to fly Chinese relatives of the passengers on board to Malaysia.
China’s show of strength may simply be an effort to show angry Chinese families that their government is actively pushing for answers and participating in, if not leading, search operations. Chinese officials have already been pelted with water bottles thrown by the frustrated relatives of passengers. But the crisis is also an occasion for Beijing to continue what has been a decade-long expansion (pdf) of militarily and diplomatic engagement in Southeast Asia, a region that’s traditionally been part of the United States’ realm of influence.
Some observers have hailed the last few days of cooperation between the countries more accustomed to arguing over islands and shoals as a hopeful sign for future negotiations. But it’s not likely that China’s stance toward its neighbours has softened much over that time.
Just last week, Chinese officials said that peace in the region could only be “maintained by strength.” Part of that strength, it seems, involves an aggressive Chinese response when disaster strikes.
Source: Quartz – China tries a new role in the missing plane saga – Asia’s policemanRelated articles
- China and Malaysia hint at Uighur terrorist attack on missing plane (chinadailymail.com)
- Malaysia joins forces with Philippines and Vietnam against China in sea dispute (chinadailymail.com)
- China leads mission to explore South China Sea for oil – 1800 kms from China (chinadailymail.com)
- China’s continued aggression is a windfall for United States (chinadailymail.com)
- China insults Philippines with $100,000 in aid (chinadailymail.com)
- China, unhappy with search for missing plane, dispatches officials to Malaysia (thestate.com)
- Officials Say Search for Missing Plane Could Be ‘Long-Drawn’ Mission – Wall Street Journal (online.wsj.com)
- Report says missing airliner flew hundreds of miles off course (wwltv.com)
- Search For Missing Malaysia Air Plane Widens (spyghana.com)
- No Trace Found of Missing Malaysia Airliner (voanews.com)
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Reblogged this on pundit from another planet.
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“Asia’s policeman” huh ? This is a really ridiculous accusation.
The majority of the passengers are from China and it’s wrong to send Chinese team to Malaysia huh ?
You’re nothing but some anti-China loser.
This website is yet another crappy, fact-distorting anti-China website !
Editor’s Note: Nobody said it was wrong for China to send a team to be part of a bigger team; a team led by Malaysia, as per international protocol. In fact, the world welcomed the additional resources China had to offer. After the Sichuan earthquake, many countries offered to come and assist China, with China maintaining control of the operation. It should be noted, though, that not one single country just barged in uninvited and tried to take over.
The concern lies in the fact that China botched it’s own internal rescue mission after the Sichuan earthquake, and has no experience being part of an international search and rescue team. Given it’s inexperience on the international stage, and proven lack of expertise in search and rescue, the world had justified concerns over China’s inability to take a leadership role in such a mission, with so many lives at stake.
This is not just the opinion of China Daily Mail. It is international opinion, as shown by the following ABC article. China just isn’t ready for an international leadership role yet. Malaysia’s Handling of Lost Plane Irritates China
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Reblogged this on Embakasi Reloaded.
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