An op-ed at Global Times argues that China should prevent matters in the South China Sea from getting out of hand by launching “punitive” military strikes against Vietnam and the Philippines:
The tension of war is escalating second by second but the initiative is not in our hand. China should take part in the exploitation of oil and gas in South China Sea.
For those who infringe upon our sovereignty to steal the oil, we need to warn them politely, and then take action if they don’t respond.
We shouldn’t waste the opportunity to launch some tiny-scale battles that could deter provocateurs from going further ….
The Afghanistan and Iraq Wars have already set some bad examples for us in terms of the scale of potential battles, but the minnows will get a reality check by the art of our move ….
Russia’s decisive move on Caspian Sea issues in 2008 proved that actions from bigger countries might cause a shockwave for a little while but will provide its region with long-term peace.
The author is an analyst at the China Energy Fund Committee, “a nonprofit, non-governmental think tank devoted to public diplomacy and researches on strategic issues with emphasis on energy and culture.”
