SPARK

JUNE 2020
R
Quarterly
Publication
of the
ADRInstitute
the key link between IDEAS and ACTION

CHINA’S STRATEGIC
OPPORTUNISM:
SOUTH
CHINA SEA
DISPUTES
IN THE
TIME OF CORONA

adrinstitute.org
 CHINA’S STRATEGIC OPPORTUNISM:
SOUTH CHINA SEA DISPUTES
IN THE
TIME OF CORONA
The Wuhan-originated COVID-19 pandemic has not only exposed shared vulnerability in a highly
globalized system, but also the enduring appeal of zero-sum geopolitics. Rather than ushering in an
era of sincere cooperation and strategic benevolence, the world has instead witnessed China’s brazen
remorselessness (for the rapid spread of the pandemic amid blatant lack of international travel
restrictions in December and through January) and, even worse, unabashed opportunism in the adjacent
waters. As soon as Beijing contained the crisis at home, it ruthlessly exploited distracted neighbors and
rivals, who were now desperately scrambling for humanitarian assistance amid massive outbreaks at
home. Beginning in March, China doubled down on its excessive and expansive claims in the South
China Sea in violation of international law and regional principles: launching large-scale naval drills,
deploying coast guard and para-military vessels to disputed areas, challenging US military assets, and
harassing smaller claimant states, particularly Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines. With the pandemic
hammering their economies, many regional governments will look to China for economic relief as the
region slides into coronavirus-driven recession. China may soon move from Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)
projects to all-out ‘bargain hunting’ among besieged neighbors, who are desperate to shore up their
coffers and may, accordingly, consider opening up strategic state assets. While the recent geopolitical
episode has punctured any illusion about China’s supposed ‘peaceful rise’, it has also underscored the
need for greater cooperation among likeminded regional players to preserve and protect a rules-based
international order. Individual nations should also ensure that their strategic sectors are protected from
predatory purchases during the crisis. Otherwise, China will shape the emerging post-pandemic order to
the exclusion of smaller nations as well as external powers.

02 SPARK 2ND QUARTER 2020

 The Offensive-Charming
With a vicious pandemic posing the gravest
threat to humanity in recent memory, one would
have imagined that zero-sum geopolitics will be
pushed to the backburner.1 After all, the world
is facing nothing short of what scientists call
“existential risk”,2 a direct and planetary threat
to the very viability of the human species. By
April of this year, at least a third of the world’s
population was placed under one kind of
collective ‘lockdown’ or the other.3 No less than
the United Nations’ Secretary-General, Antonio
Guterres, warned that the (COVID-19) plague
is “threatening the whole of humanity - and the
whole of humanity must fight back.”4 And with
the shuttering of many sectors of the global
economy, we are increasingly facing the prospect
of a Global Depression, the worst economic
contraction in more than century.

In fact, the prominent economist Nouriel

Image credit: wired.com
Roubini has warned of a ‘Greater Depression,’
with “every component of aggregate demand…
in unprecedented free fall.” Worst of it all is the
human tragedy unfolding across continents.5
As the pandemic tightens its grip on the world,
legitimate calls for accountability and inquiry
into alleged cover up in the initial stages of the
crisis have gone hand-in-hand with incendiary
rhetoric against the disturbing backdrop of
rising xenophobia in the West. The upshot is a
suboptimal tit-for-tat exchange of blame and
threats among major powers, which is depriving
the world of much-needed time and
coordination against a common enemy.6

Eager to seize the strategic initiative and keep

scrutiny of its massive mishandling of the
pandemic’s global spread, however, Beijing has
launched its own “Health Silk Road”, providing
masks, test kits, and Personal Protective
Equipment (PPE) to countries around the world.7
Under a so-called “face mask diplomacy”,
countless nations across Southeast Asia
and beyond became beneficiaries of medical
Image credit: nytimes.com
assistance from China, which successfully

2ND QUARTER 2020 SPARK 03

JUNE 2020 VOLUME 13 ISSUE 2

FEATURES

03
THE OFFENSIVE-CHARMING
With a vicious pandemic posing the gravest

12
threat to humanity in recent memory, one would
have imagined that zero-sum geopolitics
will be pushed to the backburner

ON THE COVER
DRAWING THE LINE
Cover, title page, content page,

06
While current developments have punctured any
pages 6,8, and 11:
illusion about China’s supposed ‘peaceful rise’, it also
images from news.cgtn.com/
underscores the need for robust strategic cooperation
news/2020-04-18/China-s-Sansha-City-
among like-minded regional players to preserve and
establishes-Xisha-Nansha-districts-
protect a rules-based international order
PN5hyJkgFy/index.html, usnews.
com/news/world/articles/2020-06-10/ NAKED OPPORTUNISM
philippine-officials-visit-disputed-south-
china-sea-island, rfa.org/english/news/ Cognizant of China’s strategic opportunism and its
vietnam/protests-06052011165059.html, own role as the post-war guarantor of regional liberal
thediplomat.com/2020/01/recent-develop- order, the US accused its Asian rival of “exploiting the
ments-surrounding-the-south-china-sea, distraction or vulnerability of other states to expand
abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/ its unlawful claims in the South China Sea”
philippines-protests-chinas-sea-claim-
weapon-pointing-70286561, aljazeera.com/
news/2020/04/philippines-backs-vietnam-

09
china-sinks-fishing-boat-200409022328432.
html and militarynews.com/norfolk-
navy-flagship/news/quarterdeck/
uss-theodore-roosevelt-completes-
seven-month-deployment/article_2f5a2ee4-
f712-5b4d-83cc-7507a7c2ea4d.html
POWER VACUUM
Historically, China has exhibited its penchant for
ABOUT THE AUTHOR opportunism, whenever it sensed a power
Richard Javad Heydarian vacuum in adjacent waters

is a non-resident fellow at Stratbase

ADR Institute, and a columnist for
the Philippine Daily Inquirer, and a
resident political analyst at GMA
Network. He has authored close to 1000
articles on regional security issues, three
authored books on geopolitics,
and writes widely for regional and
international publications. Parts of
this paper were drawn from his
earlier works for the US-China
Focus and Straits Times, where
he is a regular contributor.

CONTENTS
 disputed
territory
contained the epidemic at home. From Jakarta to Manila, Chinese donations
and medical experts were warmly welcomed by senior officials amid much fanfare.
In late March, Beijing delivered 40 tons of medical equipment to Indonesia,
Southeast Asia’s largest and among the region’s worst Covid-19 impacted nations.
Media reports characterized China’s delivery of masks, swabs and test
kits with boxes emblazoned with China’s flag, more as a public
relations exercise than an emergency aid intervention.8

Similar scenes have played out across the region, as Southeast Asian governments
graciously participated in Chinese embassy-organized events to effectively celebrate
the delivery of desperately-needed medical assistance. With US President Donald
Trump’s administration still focused on containing its Covid-19 outbreak, the most
lethal worldwide, and the virus-hit Pentagon suspending deployments to the region,
China effectively used the provision of medical assistance to seize the post-Covid-19
high ground. The Philippine government applauded China’s provision of medical
aid, with President Rodrigo Duterte twice personally thanking Chinese President Xi
Jinping for his support in nationally televised addresses. China has donated 100,000
testing kits, 10,000 personal protective equipment suits (PPEs), 10,000 N95 grade
masks, 100,000 surgical masks and deployed a team of 12 Chinese medical experts
to assist the Philippines, which is struggling with one of the region’s worst outbreaks.9

“I don’t know if I have to say this but I have a sort of a note from President Xi Jinping
expressing his full support for us at this time…” Duterte said during a mid-April
national address. “It’s not their fault it came from [Wuhan] – who would really want
to invent a microbe to kill humankind, including your own [people]…So he says that
they are ready and I would like to thank President Xi Jinping for his support,” Duterte
added.10 It’s not immediately clear if that message was delivered at Beijing’s behest,
but it adheres to China’s narrative on the origins and trajectory of the pandemic as
it seeks to deflect responsibility for the global spread of the deadly virus.11 During
the early stages of the pandemic, many Southeast Asian countries, with the notable
exceptions of Singapore and Vietnam, kept their borders open to Chinese visitors
despite early reports of the epidemic. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen publicly
shunned imposing travel restrictions against China while playing down Covid-19’s
threat. Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha’s government was roundly criticized for
prioritizing economics over public health before finally closing the Kingdom’s borders.
This may reflect the region’s economic dependence on Chinese trade, investment
and tourism. China is the region’s largest trading partner, a relationship is bidding
to expand through its US$1 trillion Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).12

2ND QUARTER 2020 SPARK 05

The Trump administration, in contrast, come
under heavy criticism for its perceived as
paltry Covid-19 assistance to the region,
announced at US$18.3 million with earmarks
for lab-testing and infection control. The US
has also been criticized for competing with
allies for medical equipment and blocking
the export of US-made face masks. That low
aid figure stands in stark contrast to previous
US administrations which provided as much
as US$3.5 billion in health assistance to
Southeast Asia for various health causes and
research. Nonetheless, American officials have
gone on the offensive, questioning the true
intentions behind the ‘facemask diplomacy’.
Washington has openly warned regional
partners and allies to think twice before
welcoming Chinese assistance.13

R. Clarke Cooper, the State Department’s

evaluate the costs of this breakdown” in international collaboration and the effects of
Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs,
suppressing virus-related information. In a critical reference to China and its lack of
has described China’s assistance as a Trojan
remorse for the pandemic’ spread, he reiterated that “a government’s duty is to save
horse, which may undermine national security
lives, not save face.”16 While America’s criticism of China’s ‘face mask diplomacy’
interests: “On the surface, I think the question
were largely ignored, few could turn a blind eye to the developments elsewhere.
partners should ask is, ‘Is this an altruistic
measure?’ But we, as we’ve said on things like
infrastructure investment, foreign investment,
and arms sales, is caveat emptor—buyer
Naked Opportunism
beware.”14 The top Pentagon official raised
By March, when the Covid-19 pandemic was mostly contained in China but
alarm bells over potential security concessions
wreaking havoc on the United States, Beijing rapidly stepped up its military moves
by beneficiary nations, as China’s neighbors
in the hotly contested South China Sea. It first started with major naval drills,
scramble to contain epidemic outbreaks at
including anti-submarine warfare, and deployment of large-scale military assets
home. “There is a concern that we would not
to the area, while at the same time officially Chinese scientists began celebrating
want any significant U.S. defense articles or
strides made in exploiting disputed energy resources in the fossil fuel-rich sea.
sensitive systems to be at risk of exposure or
China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) flexed its naval muscles in the area
exploitation,” the Pentagon official said in an
through military exercises led by the country’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning.
interview with Foreign Policy magazine in April,
“Under difficult sea conditions in the early spring in the Bohai Strait, multiple J-15
trying to dissuade regional states from
fighter jets took off from the flight deck of the Liaoning and successfully landed
striking new defense agreements and
several hours later, indicating the success of the technique rehabilitation training
purchase advanced telecommunications
for instructors at Naval Aviation University,” announced the PLA Daily on March
equipment from China.15
23. “Training for war preparedness will not be stopped even in the middle of the
Covid-19 epidemic, and the training of carrier-based fighter pilots must continue.”17
Michael George DeSombre, US Ambassador
to Thailand, in turn, penned an op-ed critical of
China, warning “when the crisis finally abates,
we should take stock of the outcome and

06 SPARK 2ND QUARTER 2020

 While a degree of nationalistic posturing in a
bid to rally its people during difficult Covid-19
times was quite expected, what took many by
surprise is the sheer brazenness of Chinese
opportunism. Clearly on display was this:
China exploiting America’s weakened condition
to secure new advantage in the hot spot
theater, not to mention rival Southeast Asian
claimants’ compromised strategic position
as they contended with worsening Covid-19
outbreaks. By April, as the pandemic began to
claim tens of thousands of lives across Asia
and America, China keenly sought to build facts
on the ground. Its State Council, the country’s
chief administrative authority, announced
the establishment of two new administrative
districts in the South China Sea. In what
the Chinese media described as a “major
administrative move”, Beijing introduced
on April 18 the Xisha and Nansha districts
True to form, China’s state media tried to portray the sea exercises as part of
under the aegis of Sansha City, itself a new
fighting the pandemic. “[A]n aircraft carrier is a large warship with many people
prefecture-level unity first established in 2012
concentrated in its cabins, making it vulnerable to infectious diseases. Being able
on the Woody (Yongxing) Island in the sea’s
to successfully conduct related missions indicated that the Liaoning has done a
Paracel island chain that China contests with
great job in controlling the epidemic,” Beijing-based naval expert Li Jie told the
Vietnam. Host to 1,800 permanent residents,
state-sponsored news portal Global Times. Known for its jingoistic headlines and
Sansha covers around two million square
editorials, the Global Times proudly announced, “China’s second aircraft
kilometers of contested waters, rich maritime
carrier, the Shandong, also reported zero Covid-19 cases on February 17,”
resources and a host of low-tide elevations,
without specifying the latest situation.18 Then came announcements
atolls, islets, rocks and artificial islands.20
of major scientific strides in the disputed waters.

According to China’s state-run CGTN news

According to China’s Ministry of Natural Resources, China conducted its most
network, the city currently covers “only
successful extraction of natural gas from gas hydrates both in terms of volume
around 20 square kilometers of land area
and production within a single day in a contested northern region of the sea. The
now”, indicating to some analysts that China
ministry trumpeted its “solid technical foundation for commercial exploitation”
may have designs to expand and create new
to become the first country in the South China Sea to exploit gas hydrates,
artificial islands in the area, as it has done
mineral deposits at the bottom of oceans, by utilizing a horizontal well-drilling
elsewhere in the sea. The Nansha District
technique. The production process ran between February 17 to March 18, just as
will have jurisdiction over the Paracel Islands
the coronavirus epidemic began to ravage countries across the Western world.
(Nansha) and be located at the Fiery Cross
China’s strides in energy development technology will likely only reinforce its bid to
Reef, a feature China has militarized with an
dominate, if not monopolize, vast untapped oil and gas deposits within its so-called
early warning radar site that is also claimed
‘nine-dash’ line claim, which covers close to 85% of the South China Sea and
by the Philippines and Vietnam. The reef is
overlaps with waters off Indonesia’s northern Natuna Islands.19
widely viewed as China’s command-and-control
center for operations in the contested Spratly
Islands. The Xisha District, meanwhile, will
administer the Paracel Islands (Xisha) and

2ND QUARTER 2020 SPARK 07

Macclesfield Bank (Zhongsha). Chinese experts and propagandists alike were quick to underscore the importance of the
new administrative announcement.21 “Eight years after China set Sansha as a city-level administrative unit, it is now time
to subdivide it with different districts to further fulfill the responsibility of safeguarding our national sovereignty,” Zhang
Junshe, a researcher at the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Naval Military Studies Research Institute, told the state-
affiliated Global Times. Song Zhongping, another Chinese military expert, told the same Chinese news outlet that
“As a city that administers the largest territory among Chinese cities, it is also responsible for managing
islands, isles and waters – work that is complicated and sensitive. The newly established districts will
help detail the current administrative work in the area and build Sansha into a better city.”22

Following the April 7 visit by Jiang Chunlei, a psychology professor of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Naval Medical
University, to Fiery Cross, the Asian powerhouse said it is now considering building advanced mental healthcare facilities.
Chinese media and experts have largely portrayed the latest announcement as a logical progression of the country’s
sprawling network of civilian and military facilities in the area, which are hosting an ever-larger number of personnel and
seemingly permanent residents. If anything, China fortified its facilities in heavily-militarized and artificially-reclaimed
in the South China Sea. China announced that it’s also establishing mental health facilities for its troops and
personnel in the Spratly islands, where it has built three-kilometer-long airstrips and large military-civilian
complexes on artificially reclaimed islands also claimed by neighboring countries.23

Then came the harassment of smaller claimant states. In early-April, Vietnam accused China of sinking a fishing boat and
apprehending two others in the northern portions of the South China Sea.24 Despite Duterte’s lavish praise for China,
his country was not spared by the latter’s strategic opportunism. China deployed a giant coast guard ship to Philippine-
claimed Scarborough Shoal.25 Over the following weeks, top defense officials in the Philippines also revealed that a
Chinese warship harassed a Philippine frigate on routine mission earlier this year. The Philippine Navy’s BRP Conrado Yap
detected “a radar contact of a gray-colored vessel,” which was later identified as a Chinese warship with bow number 514,

08 SPARK 2ND QUARTER 2020

according to the Philippine military’s
West Command. It’s not clear whether
the Chinese vessel belongs to the
People’s Liberation Army (PLA) or,
more likely, the armada of militia
vessels operating in the area
under Beijing’s command.
The Chinese vessel was reportedly
equipped with a “gun control director”
which “track targets and makes all
the main guns ready to fire in under a
second,” the Philippine military said. A
Philippine official, speaking on condition
of anonymity with The Associated Press,
accused the Chinese warship of pointing
“fire control radar” at the Philippine
vessel, an aggressive maneuver which
locks weapons on a target prior to
firing shots.26 Another Filipino official
described the near-encounter as “very
hostile” and “unprovoked”, even though
there were no actual fire exchanges.
Sensing public outrage, Philippine
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin
stepped up criticism of China, lashing
out at what he described as “violations
of international law and Philippine
sovereignty.” The following day, the
Philippines’ diplomatic chief
adopted even harsher language by
warning China: “Well we passed the test;
I slapped them back. Don’t even
dream of pointing anything at my
country…unless you’re looking for
a fight. I know my soldiers.”
Malaysia, the other major claimant state,
was also not spared.27 China’s Haiyang
Dizhi 8 survey ship continued hounding
Malaysia’s Petronas company-operated
West Capella drillship, which has been
exploring for energy resources within
Malaysia’s continental shelf. According
to Malaysia’s The Star Online, a local
security expert with knowledge of the
situation claimed that China’s “Haiyang
Dizhi 8 was flanked at one point on April
17 by more than ten Chinese vessels,
IN EARLY-APRIL, VIETNAM ACCUSED CHINA OF SINKING A FISHING
BOAT AND APPREHENDING TWO OTHERS IN THE NORTHERN PORTIONS
OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA. DESPITE DUTERTE’S LAVISH PRAISE FOR
CHINA, HIS COUNTRY WAS NOT SPARED BY THE LATTER’S STRATEGIC
OPPORTUNISM. CHINA DEPLOYED A GIANT COAST GUARD SHIP
TO PHILIPPINE-CLAIMED SCARBOROUGH SHOAL
including those belonging to maritime
militia and the coast guard.” Vietnamese
militia forces have also reportedly been
operating in the area because
Malaysia’s western continental shelf
overlaps with Vietnam’s. Since last
December, the three rival claimant
states have stared down in the area,
but the Covid-19 pandemic has severely
hit smaller regional states which are
grappling with large-scale lockdowns
to contain their outbreaks. Malaysian
authorities initially sought to downplay
the situation, likely to prevent a further
escalation tensions during a period
of intense strategic uncertainty and
concerns China may leverage the
historic health crisis to consolidate
its position in the contested sea.28
“We do not know its purpose but it is
not carrying out any activities against
the law,” Zubil Mat Som, the head
of Malaysia’s maritime enforcement
agency, said in reference
to China’s surveying vessel, which has
been operating within Malaysia’s 200
nautical miles exclusive economic
zone in an interview with local
media outlet Harian Metro.29
Malaysia’s initially cautious diplomatic
response, if not total silence, was
understandable. Both Malaysia and
the Philippines were already bogged
down by a domestic crisis, and forced
to place month-long lockdown on their
administrative and commercial capitals
to battle a nationwide outbreak. The
Philippines’ situation was particularly
stark. To begin, the government had
to deploy large number of troops to
man countless checkpoints across
major cities, overstretching an already
overburdened military. President
Rodrigo Duterte and top security
officials including Defense Secretary
Delfin Lorenzana were soon forced
into self-imposed quarantines, when
it became clear that Armed Forces of
the Philippines (AFP) chief General
Felimon Santos Jr was infected with
the Covid-19. Shortly after, former
AFP chief and current Department of
Interior and Local Government (DILG)
secretary was also found
to be infected.30
For the past decade, the South China
Sea, in particular, has become a
precarious site of growing superpower
rivalry, putting into question decades-
long peace and security in the Asia-
Pacific region. Cognizant of China’s
strategic opportunism and its own role
as the post-war guarantor of regional
liberal order, the US accused its Asian
rival of “exploiting the distraction or
vulnerability of other states to expand
its unlawful claims in the South China
Sea”, calling upon Beijing to instead
“remain focused on supporting
international efforts to combat the
global pandemic.”31 But the US had to
put muscle behind its rhetoric lest
China would reshape the regional
order with strategic impunity.
Power Vacuum
Historically, China has exhibited its
penchant for opportunism, whenever
it sensed a power vacuum in adjacent
waters. Following the defeat of Imperial
Japan, China quickly seized control of
large number of contested islands in the
2ND QUARTER 2020 SPARK 09
area. During the Cold War, as soon as the Soviet Union wavered on its alliance with
Vietnam, China seized Vietnamese-claimed land features in the Spratlys following
violent clashes. Years earlier, it also consolidated its control over the Paracels, when
the then South Vietnam government was embroiled in a devastating war with the
communist north. America’s withdrawal of military bases in the Philippines in early
post-Cold War years was rapidly followed by China’s seizure of the Philippine-claimed
Mischief Reef. In 2012, just years following the Great Recession’s devastating
impact on America, China seized the Philippine-claimed Scarborough
Shoal.32 This pattern of opportunism is well-established.

No wonder then, the Wuhan-originated pandemic presented China an enticing power

vacuum to be exploited. As the Covid-19 pandemic ravaged America, the Pentagon’s
sudden vulnerability to the lethal disease led to grounding vessels, suspending
overseas deployments, locking down foreign military bases, and cancelling joint
drills with regional allies. Covid-19’s rapid transmission among American military
personnel raised hard new questions about the Pentagon’s readiness, including in
regard to joint exercises and activities with allies and partners in Asia that tacitly aim

“
to check and warn China through show of force. In late March, the total number of
infections among the Pentagon’s personnel breached 1,000, including 633 service
members. It marked a dramatic increase from a much lower number of 343 cases The Wuhan-originated
reported only days earlier. The rapid rise in infections forced US Defense Secretary
Mark Esper on March 27 to place restrictions on further public announcements
pandemic presented
regarding the precise number of infected US military personnel, due to concerns China an enticing
such transparency could compromise operational security and be exploited by
strategic adversaries, namely China, Russia and Iran. “Unit level readiness data for
power vacuum to
key military forces is information that is classified as a risk to operational security be exploited. As the
and could jeopardize operations and/or deterrence,” said Jonathan Hoffman, the
Pentagon’s chief spokesman, on March 30.“If a commander believes that [the
Covid-19 pandemic
coronavirus] could affect the readiness of our strategic deterrent or strategic ravaged America,
response forces, we understandably protect that information from public release and the Pentagon’s
falling into the hands of our adversaries — as we expect they would do the same.”33
sudden vulnerability
In a scramble to contain the outbreak among its armed forces, the Pentagon raised to the lethal disease
its health protection condition, or HPCON, to Charlie, its second highest level, a
designation which revealed sustained community transmission beyond targeted
led to grounding
contact tracing. “Our curve is not flattening and that’s why we went to HPCON vessels, suspending
Charlie today, which includes restrictions on large gatherings and includes additional
social distancing,” warned Air Force Brigadier General Paul Friedrichs, the joint staff
overseas deployments,
surgeon. Esper also announced in late-March major travel restrictions, including a locking down foreign
suspension of up to 60 days on overseas deployments, which includes both military military bases, and
and civilian personnel working for the Pentagon. That meant cancellation of dozens
of pre-scheduled joint military activities and drills with allies and partners across the
cancelling joint
world. The only exception, Esper clarified, would be the drawdown now underway in drills with
Afghanistan, where the US has committed to reduce the number of troops to 600
within 135 days of signing a February deal with the Taliban. “The purpose is to make
regional allies.

10 SPARK 2ND QUARTER 2020

sure that we’re not bringing the virus back home, infecting others, that we’re
not spreading it around the military,” Esper announced in an unprecedented
sweeping measure that is expected to heavily affect American
military operations across the world.34

In fact, the US Navy’s Indo-Pacific Command was particularly hard hit by the
pandemic. The most dramatic and desperate case of transmission was the US
Navy aircraft carrier, The USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier, which reported
more than 100 cases among its 4,000 personnel in early-April and was grounded in
Guam amid an outbreak scare for the following month. The San Francisco Chronicle
newspaper published a desperate plea by US Captain Brett Crozier, an officer
aboard the aircraft carrier who had alerted the authorities about the urgency of the
crisis. The then Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly admitted the severity of the
crisis: “We’re very engaged in this, we’re very concerned about it and we’re taking all
the appropriate steps.” And prospects ahead were at best uncertain, with Retired
Admiral James Stavridis, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe,
warning that “we should expect more such incidents because warships
are a perfect breeding ground for coronavirus.”35

At the same time a deteriorating public health emergency at home required the
Pentagon to divert personnel and resources to domestic containment operations,
potentially to the detriment of overseas commitments and power projection.
The Defense Production Act’s activation meant that US armed forces were now
involved in provision of desperately needed medical equipment and kits, including
ventilators36 and body bags,37 as overstretched US hospitals grappled with a steep
rise in cases and deaths.38 Meanwhile, an unrestrained China stepped up its
harassment of even American military assets in the Indo-Pacific. In April, a Chinese
vessel escorting the Liaoning aircraft carrier during “mock battles” in the South
China Sea reportedly maneuvered in an “unsafe and unprofessional way” against
the US Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin on a routine operation in the area,
according to the Pentagon. The last time the US and China came this close to a clash
on the high seas was in late 2018, when a Chinese warship maneuvered within
less than 50 yards of the US guided-missile destroyer USS Decatur, which
was conducting a routine Freedom of Navigation Operation (FONOP)
in the sea’s contested Spratly island chain.39

Between March and May, there were “at least nine” incidents of “unsafe” encounters
between the two sides’ armed forces in the South China Sea, according to Reed
Werner, the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Southeast Asia. “We do
find the current trend line very worrisome,” Werner told Fox News in May, warning
that “China continues to push forward” just “[a]s countries are focused inward” to
battle the Covid-19 pandemic. “We continue to see Chinese destabilizing behavior
in the South China Sea during the middle of the coronavirus pandemic,” the top
American official added, describing Beijing’s expanding military and para-military
activities in the area as part of a broader campaign to “intimidate and bully others.”
The Pentagon official said that US warnings are “definitely not overblown” while

2ND QUARTER 2020 SPARK 11

highlighting what he characterized as China’s “continued risky and escalatory
behavior” against US forces in the sea.40
told Stars and Stripes magazine. “There is
little doubt, however, that the pace of US Navy
Drawing the Line operations in China’s near abroad has picked
up in the Trump administration as part of its
Despite mounting public health crisis at home and onboard one of its most iconic overall signaling campaign to China.”45
aircraft carriers, the US could not remain on the sidelines for far too long. By middle
of April, it became clear that the Pentagon was preparing a pushback, deploying At the same time, the US also stepped up
evermore frequently smaller yet nimble warships to China’s adjacent waters. In an its lawfare against China. In a note verbale
indirect yet unmistakable support to China’s smaller rivals, the US Navy deployed (June 1) to the UN Secretary-General’s office,
two American warships, USS America and USS Bunker Hill, to the disputed areas in Kelly Craft, the U.S. ambassador to the United
unmistakable support for Malaysia, with Australian frigate HMAS Parramatta joining Nations reiterated that it “objects to China’s
along. The joint US-Australia maneuver was effectively a multilateral Freedom of claim to ‘historic rights’ in the South China
Navigation Operation (FONOPs), arguably among the first if not the most high-profile Sea to the extent that claim exceeds the
operations of its kind.41 In late April, the USS Barry guided-missile destroyer sailed maritime entitlements that China could assert
near the Paracel islands in a freedom of navigation operation. That was followed consistent with international law as reflected
by the deployment of the guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill, which conducted in the [United Nations Convention on the
a similar operation in the contested Spratly islands. That was followed by multiple Law of the Sea].” Describing China’s claims
muscular deployments in early May, part of what Pentagon planners say is a new as “inconsistent with international law”, the
integrated and flexible strategy, one that is clearly aimed at checking China’s US representative invoked the Philippines’
expansionist ambitions in the waterway. Specifically, the US Navy sent Littoral historic arbitration award in July 2016, where
Combat Ships USS Montgomery (LCS-8), USNS Cesar Chavez (T-AKE-14) and an arbitral tribunal at The Hague, formed
USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS-10), the latter of which is armed under the aegis of the UNCLOS, nullified
with 100 nautical-mile-range missiles.42 much of China’s claim. “The United States
notes in this regard that the [Arbitral] Tribunal
Despite the virus-caused suspension of multilateral exercises and foreign unanimously concluded in its ruling — which is
deployments due to Covid-19, the US Navy conducted drills in the Philippine Sea final and binding on China and the Philippines
from May 2 to 8 which focused on reconnaissance and surveillance exercises as under Article 296 of the Convention — that
well as surface, subsurface and amphibious operations. According to a statement China’s claim to historic rights is incompatible
by the US Navy’s 7th fleet, based in Yokosuka, Japan, the aim of the exercises was with the Convention to the extent it exceeds
to “develop warfighting concepts, improve maritime lethality, and enable real-world the limits of China’s possible maritime zones
proficiency and readiness.”43 On May 15, the Pentagon deployed the USS Rafael as specifically provided for in the Convention,”
Peralta Arleigh-Burke-class destroyer some 116 nautical miles off China’s coast near the U.S. noted in its formal letter to the UN.46
Shanghai, the second US destroyer to be seen in the more northernly Yellow Sea
in less than a month. Significantly, the ships are geared for anti-aircraft and strike The US’ pushback seems to have encouraged
operations. The US show of force nominally aimed to enhance integrated response its regional partners. In a strongly-worded
and interoperability among its surface and submarine forces but also clearly statement in late-April, Malaysia’s newly-
meant to send a muscular signal to China and reassure regional allies.44 installed foreign minister, and former defense
minister, Hishammuddin Hussein reiterated
Crucially the US Navy is not only increasing the frequency of warship deployments to “Malaysia remains firm in its commitment
the area, but also their coverage, with commanders and Pentagon outlets regularly to safeguard its interests and rights in the
publicizing the events and presenting them as a sign of its sustained commitment South China Sea.”47 The following month, in
to the region’s security. Case in point is the US Defense Department’s repeated a speech before the Malaysian Parliament,
publicizing of air-ground operations by the Marine Corps 31st Marine Expeditionary even the country’s King Al-Sultan Abdullah
Unit from the amphibious assault ship USS America during a mid-April mission in Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah chimed
the South China Sea. “It looks to me that the [US] Navy’s efforts to highlight these in (May 18), imploring the government to
operations has, in fact, picked up a bit,” Retired Navy Commander Bryan McGrath pay greater attention to the disputes and

12 SPARK 2ND QUARTER 2020

the necessity “to be always sensitive to the DESPITE MOUNTING PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS AT HOME AND ONBOARD
maritime domain, while crafting a strategy ONE OF ITS MOST ICONIC AIRCRAFT CARRIERS, THE US COULD NOT
that supports our geopolitical aspirations.”48 REMAIN ON THE SIDELINES FOR FAR TOO LONG. BY MIDDLE OF APRIL,
IT BECAME CLEAR THAT THE PENTAGON WAS PREPARING A
A month later, Indonesia submitted a note PUSHBACK, DEPLOYING EVERMORE FREQUENTLY SMALLER YET
verbale (May 26) addressed to U.N. Secretary NIMBLE WARSHIPS TO CHINA’S ADJACENT WATERS. IN AN INDIRECT
General Antonio Guterres, where it, for YET UNMISTAKABLE SUPPORT TO CHINA’S SMALLER RIVALS, THE US
the first time, openly questioned China’s NAVY DEPLOYED TWO AMERICAN WARSHIPS TO THE DISPUTED
expansive claims in the South China Sea by AREAS IN UNMISTAKABLE SUPPORT FOR MALAYSIA, WITH
invoking the Philippines’ arbitration award. AUSTRALIAN FRIGATE HMAS PARRAMATTA JOINING ALONG.
“Indonesia reiterates that the nine-dash line
The dramatic U-turn, however, should be seen as part of a wave of anxiety and anger
map implying historic rights claim clearly lacks
against Chinese aggression and opportunism among the Philippines’ defense and
international legal basis and is tantamount to
foreign policy establishment. That sense of alarm was poignantly on display when
upset UNCLOS 1982,” Indonesia’s Permanent
the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs issued a “statement of solidarity” with
Mission to the United Nations, a major
Vietnam following the sinking of a Vietnamese boat by Chinese forces in April,52
departure from the country’s decades-long
while in May the Philippine military establishment condemned a Chinese warship’s
studied ‘neutrality’ on the South China Sea
“unprovoked” and “very hostile” pointing of a “radar gun” on a Philippine frigate
disputes. “This view has also been affirmed
earlier this year.53 And to fortify the Philippines’ position on the ground, Philippine
by the Award of 12 July 2016 by the Tribunal
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana made a high-profile visit to the Spratlys in
that any historic rights that the People’s
early-June, where he inaugurated a new beaching ramp on the Thitu Island
Republic of China may have had to the living
and announced unprecedented efforts to repair and expand the
and non-living resources were superseded by
Philippines’ civilian and military facilities in the area.54
the limits of the maritime zones provided
for by UNCLOS 1982,” the Indonesia
Moving forward, however, there are huge challenges. To begin with, countries
note verbale added.49
should watch out for the possibility that China may shift from BRI projects to brazen
‘bargain hunting’ among troubled neighbors.55 With the pandemic hammering their
The most dramatic shift, however, took place
economies, many regional governments will look to China for economic relief as
in the Philippines. Duterte had to reconsider
the region slides into coronavirus-driven recession. In the Philippines, hundreds of
his earlier decision to terminate the Visiting
thousands of Chinese workers have boosted a shadowy multibillion dollar online
Forces Agreement (VFA) with the US, a
casino industry, which in recent years has flooded government coffers and spurred
process that was expected to be finalized
economic growth. That dependence is bound to increase in coming months and
by August of this year following a 180-days
years as the Duterte administration scrambles to shore up state resources. Shortly
termination window. In early June, Philippine
before imposing a month-long lockdown on Manila, Duterte openly called on China
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin
for assistance: “To the Chinese government, to the people, especially to President
Jr. announced that upon “the President’s
Xi Jinping, thank you for the consoling words and maybe, I hope that it would not
instruction,” the termination process will
reach to that point but maybe we will need your help.”56 Individual nations, especially
be suspended for the foreseeable future.50
those with territorial disputes with China, should ensure their strategic sectors are
Initially, the Philippine Department of Foreign
protected from predatory purchases during the crisis. There are also geopolitical
Affairs vaguely cited “political and other
challenges, namely the prospect of a Chinese Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ)
developments in the region” as a basis for
in the South China Sea as well as reclamation of the Scarborough Shoal.57 While
the dramatic policy turnabout. Soon, however,
current developments have punctured any illusion about China’s supposed ‘peaceful
Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel
rise’, it also underscores the need for robust strategic cooperation among like-
Romualdez clarified that “quite a number of
minded regional players to preserve and protect a rules-based international order.
things that are happening right now in the
To this end, American leadership is more vital than ever, especially since smaller
South China Sea” may have forced Duterte’s
partners and allies are struggling to resist Beijing on their own. Otherwise,
hands.51 Surely, China’s brazen opportunism
a resurgent China will shape the emerging post-pandemic order to the
forced Duterte’s hands.
exclusion of smaller nations as well as external powers.

2ND QUARTER 2020 SPARK 13

 1 UN News. 2020. Climate Change: An ‘Ex-
istential Threat’ To Humanity, UN Chief Warns Global
Summit. [online] Available at: <https://news.un.org/
en/story/2018/05/1009782>
2 Nickbostrom.com. 2020. Existential Risks:
Analyzing Human Extinction Scenarios. [online]
Available at: <https://www.nickbostrom.com/exis-
tential/risks.html
3 AFP.com. 2020. The News Hub. [online]
Available at: <https://www.afp.com/en/news-hub>
4 UN News. 2020. Climate Change: An ‘Ex-
istential Threat’ To Humanity, UN Chief Warns Global
Summit. [online] Available at: <https://news.un.org/
en/story/2018/05/1009782>
5 Roubini, N., 2020. A Greater Depression? |
By Nouriel Roubini - Project Syndicate. [online] Proj-
ect Syndicate. Available at: <https://www.project-
syndicate.org/commentary/coronavirus-greater-
great-depression-by-nouriel-roubini-2020-03>
6 Steven, M., 2020. China Spins Tale That
The U.S. Army Started The Coronavirus Epidemic.
[online] Nytimes.com. Available at: <https://www.
nytimes.com/2020/03/13/world/asia/coronavirus-
china-conspiracy-theory.html>
7 Lancaster, K., Rubin, M. and Rapp-Hooper,
M., 2020. Mapping China’s Health Silk Road. [online]
Council on Foreign Relations. Available at: <https://
www.cfr.org/blog/mapping-chinas-health-silk-
road>
8 Massola, J., 2020. China’s Face-Mask Di-
plomacy Could Reshape Power In South-East Asia.
[online] The Sydney Morning Herald. Available at:
<https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/china-s-face-
mask-diplomacy-could-reshape-power-in-south-
east-asia-20200402-p54gkv.html>
9 Tomacruz, S., 2020. 12 Chinese Experts
Tapped To Aid PH Coronavirus Response. [online]
Rappler. Available at: <https://www.rappler.com/
nation/256816-chinese-experts-tapped-aid-philip-
pines-coronavirus-response>
10 Tomacruz, S., 2020. Duterte Thanks Xi
Again During Coronavirus Briefing. [online] Rap-
pler. Available at: <https://www.rappler.com/
nation/257909-duterte-thanks-china-xi-again-coro-
navirus-briefing-april-13-2020>
11 Wadhams, N. and Jacobs, J., 2020. China
Concealed Extent Of Virus Outbreak, U.S. Intelligence
Says. [online] Bloomberg.com. Available at: <https://
www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-01/
china-concealed-extent-of-virus-outbreak-u-s-intel-
ligence-says>
12 Massola, J., 2020. China’s Face-Mask Di-
plomacy Could Reshape Power In South-East Asia.
[online] The Sydney Morning Herald. Available at:
<https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/china-s-face-
14 SPARK 2ND QUARTER 2020
references
mask-diplomacy-could-reshape-power-in-south-
east-asia-20200402-p54gkv.html>
13 Massola, J., 2020. China’s Face-Mask Di-
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[online] The Sydney Morning Herald. Available at:
<https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/china-s-face-
mask-diplomacy-could-reshape-power-in-south-
east-asia-20200402-p54gkv.html
14 Detsch, J., 2020. U.S. Official: Beware Of
Chinese Leaders Bearing Coronavirus Gifts. [online]
Foreign Policy. Available at: <https://foreignpolicy.
com/2020/04/13/us-official-interview-china-coro-
navirus-diplomacy-clarke-cooper/> [Accessed 12
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15 Ibid.
16 DeSombre, M., 2020. Op-Ed By Ambassa-
dor Michael George Desombre | U.S. Embassy & Con-
sulate In Thailand. [online] U.S. Embassy & Consul-
ate in Thailand. Available at: <https://th.usembassy.
gov/op- ed-by-ambassador-michael- george -
desombre/?fbclid=IwAR1SAY89J-DOWdo5PriEIGor-
SuPtBVlLV7rc_ckA9GvQcGpQEwnGXlIWcqs>
17 Liu, X., 2020. Aircraft Carrier Liaoning
Hosts Fighter Jet Drills Amid Epidemic - Global Times.
[online] Globaltimes.cn. Available at: <https://www.
globaltimes.cn/content/1183598.shtml> [Accessed
12 June 2020].
18 Ibid.
19 Xie, E., 2020. China Extracts 861,400 Cu-
bic Metres Of Natural Gas From ‘Flammable Ice’.
[online] South China Morning Post. Available at:
<https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/ar-
ticle/3077156/china-extracts-861400-cubic-metres-
natural-gas-flammable-ice> [Accessed 12 June
2020].
20 News.cgtn.com. 2020. China’s Sansha City
Establishes Xisha, Nansha Districts In Major Admin-
istrative Move. [online] Available at: <https://news.
cgtn.com/news/2020-04-18/China-s-Sansha-City-
establishes-Xisha-Nansha-districts-PN5hyJkgFy/in-
dex.html?fbclid=IwAR0pqAayWOlmLsXUVFaF3UZat
QuADA3fSYuj0ZZ4T06gi7jApFWC3DfqCy0>
21 Ibid.
22 Liu, X., 2020. Sansha City Establishes Two
Districts For Better Management - Global Times. [on-
line] Globaltimes.cn. Available at: <https://www.glo-
baltimes.cn/content/1186004.shtml>
23 See Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative.
2020. Island Tracker Archive | Asia Maritime Transpar-
ency Initiative. [online] Available at: <https://amti.
csis.org/island-tracker/>
24 South China Morning Post. 2020. Vietnam
Airs Video Of Chinese Ship Sinking Fishing Boat In
South China Sea. [online] Available at: <https://www.
scmp.com/news/china/article/1526701/vietnam-
airs-video-chinese-ship-sinking-fishing-boat-south-
china-sea>
25 Philippines News. 2020. China Sends
Coast Guard Ship To Scarborough Shoal. [online]
Available at: <https://www.philippinesnews.net/
news/264625057/china-sends-coast-guard-ship-to-
scarborough-shoal>
26 ABS CBN NEWS, A., 2020. Chinese Ship
Had ‘Hostile Intent’ In Pointing Radar Gun At PH
Vessel: Military. [online] ABS-CBN News. Available
at: <https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/23/20/
chinese-ship-had-hostile-intent-in-pointing-radar-
gun-at-ph-vessel-military> [Accessed 12 June 2020].
27 Ramos, C., 2020. Locsin On China Ship
Radar Gun Aiming Incident: Wanna Point Then Fire
Away. [online] INQUIRER.net. Available at: <https://
globalnation.inquirer.net/187313/locsin-on-china-
ship-radar-gun-aiming-incident-wanna-point-then-
fire-away>
28 The Star Online. 2020. Chinese, Malay-
sian Ships In South China Sea. [online] Available at:
<https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-
news/2020/04/18/chinese-and-malaysian-ships-in-
south-china-sea-standoff-near-oil-field> [Accessed
12 June 2020].
29 Ibid.
30 Rappler. 2020. Military Chief Santos
Recovers From Coronavirus. [online] Available at:
<https://www.rappler.com/nation/257048-military-
chief-santos-recovers-coronavirus> [Accessed 12
June 2020].
31 Beech, H., 2020. U.S. Warships Enter Dis-
puted Waters Of South China Sea As Tensions With
China Escalate. [online] Nytimes.com. Available at:
<https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/21/world/asia/
coronavirus-south-china-sea-warships.html> [Ac-
cessed 12 June 2020].
32 Heydarian, R., 2015. Asia’s New Battlefield:
US, China, And The Struggle For The Western Pacific.
1st ed. London: Zed Books.
33 Dickstein, C. 2020. Pentagon Orders In-
stallations To Stop Reporting Coronavirus Cases
As Military-Linked Infections Eclipse 1,000. [online]
Available at: <https://www.stripes.com/news/us/
pentagon-orders-installations-to-stop-reporting-
coronavirus-cases-as-military-linked-infections-
eclipse-1-000-1.624244> [
34 Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali, R., 2020. Pen-
tagon Halts Overseas Movement For US Forces Over
Coronavirus. [online] ABS-CBN News. Available at:
<https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/03/26/20/
pentagon-halts-overseas-movement-for-us-forces-
over-coronavirus>
35 Gafni, M. and Garofoli, J., 2020. Exclusive:
Captain Of Aircraft Carrier With Growing Corona-
virus Outbreak Pleads For Help From Navy. [online]
SFChronicle.com. Available at: <https://www.sf-
chronicle.com/bayarea/article/Exclusive-Captain-of-
aircraft-carrier-with-15167883.php>
36 Mitchel, E., 2020. Pentagon Has Not Yet
Sent 2,000 Ventilators Due To Lack Of Shipment Lo-
cation. [online] Thehill.com. Available at: <https://
thehill.com/policy/defense/490484-pentagon-has-
not-yet-sent-2000-ventilators-due-to-lack-of-ship-
ment-location>
37 GMA News Online. 2020. Pentagon
Looking To Provide Up To 100,000 Body Bags For
Civilians In Coronavirus Outbreak. [online] Available
at: <https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/
world/732313/pentagon-looking-to-provide-up-
to-100-000-body-bags-for-civilians-in-coronavirus-
outbreak/story/> [Accessed 12 June 2020].
38 Haltiwanger, J., 2020. Trump Finally Uses
A Wartime Law To Force General Motors To Help
With Coronavirus Response As The Pandemic Strains
Hospitals. [online] Business Insider. Available at:
<https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-uses-de-
fense-production-act-force-gm-help-with-coronavi-
rus-2020-3>
39 Lendon, B., 2020. Chinese Warship Made
US Destroyer ‘Slam On The Brakes,’ Expert Says.
[online] CNN. Available at: <https://edition.cnn.
com/2018/10/02/politics/us-china-destroyers-con-
frontation-south-china-sea-intl/index.html>
40 Pickrell, R., 2020. Pentagon Says China’s
Military Is Challenging The US With ‘Risky’ Run-Ins In
The South China Sea During The Pandemic. [online]
Business Insider. Available at: <https://www.busines-
sinsider.com/us-chinese-militaries-tension-south-
china-sea-during-pandemic-2020-5>
41 Smith, N., 2020. Australia Joins US War-
ship In South China Sea As Tensions Grow. [online]
The Telegraph. Available at: <https://www.telegraph.
co.uk/news/2020/04/22/australia-joins-us-warship-
south-china-sea-tensions-grow/>
42 Chatmas, L., 2020. U.S. Navy Maintains
Persistent Presence In South China Sea. [online]
Naval News. Available at: <https://www.navalnews.
com/naval-news/2020/05/u-s-navy-maintains-per-
sistent-presence-in-south-china-sea/>
43 Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet. 2020. U.S.
Navy Submarines Join Surface Ships And Aircraft
In Interoperability Exercise. [online] Available at:
<https://www.c7f.navy.mil/Media/News/Display/
Article/2182266/us-navy-submarines-join-surface-
ships-and-aircraft-in-interoperability-exercise/>
44 Huang, K., 2020. US Destroyer Seen Off
Coast Of Shanghai As PLA Navy Starts 11-Week Drill.
[online] South China Morning Post. Available at:
<https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/ar-
ticle/3084626/us-destroyer-spotted-coast-shanghai-
pla-navy-begins-11-week>
45 Olson, W., 2020. US Operations In South
China Sea Aimed At Quelling Doubts Over Post-Virus island-lorenzana-unveils-beaching-ramp> [Accessed
Readiness, Analysts Say. [online] Stars and Stripes. 12 June 2020].
Available at: <https://www.stripes.com/news/pa-
cific/us-operations-in-south-china-sea-aimed-at- 55 See for instance Braw, E., 2020. China Is
quelling-doubts-over-post-virus-readiness-analysts- Bargain Hunting—And Western Security Is At Risk.
say-1.628763> [online] Foreign Policy. Available at: https://foreign-
policy.com/2020/04/15/china-is-bargain-hunting-
46 Panda, A., 2020. US UN Ambassador Push- and-western-security-is-at-risk/
es Back On Chinese South China Sea Claims. [online]
Thediplomat.com. Available at: <https://thediplo- 56 GMA News Online. 2020. Duterte To Ask
mat.com/2020/06/us-un-ambassador-pushes-back- For China’S Help If COVID-19 Situation Worsens. [on-
on-chinese-south-china-sea-claims/> line] Available at: <https://www.gmanetwork.com/
news/news/nation/729481/duterte-to-ask-for-chi-
47 Tang, A., 2020. Malaysia Calls For Calm na-s-help-if-covid-19-situation-worsens/story/>
And Stability In South China Sea After ‘Tagging’ In-
cident Involving Chinese, M’sian Vessels. [online] The
Star Online. Available at: <https://www.thestar.com. 57 Chan, M., 2020. South China Sea Air-
my/news/nation/2020/04/23/malaysia-calls-for- space Control Plan In Works By Beijing, PLA Source
calm-and-stability-in-south-china-sea-after-039tag- Says. [online] South China Morning Post. Available
ging039-incident-involving-chinese-m039sian- at: <https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/
vessels> [Accessed 12 June 2020]. article/3086679/beijings-plans-south-china-sea-air-
defence-identification-zone>
48 Yusof, A., 2020. Malaysia Needs To Pay
Attention To Increased Activities By Big Powers In
The South China Sea: King. [online] CNA. Available
at: <https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/
malaysia-king-south-china-sea-pay-attention-parlia-
ment-12744852>
49 Inggas, I. and Betchel, J., 2020. In Letter
To UN Chief, Indonesia Takes Stand On South China
Sea. [online] BenarNews. Available at: <https://www.
benarnews.org/english/news/indonesian/unclos-
letter-05282020172147.html>
50 Ramos, C., 2020. PH Walks Back, Suspends
VFA Termination ‘Upon The President’S Instruction’.
[online] INQUIRER.net. Available at: <https://glo-
balnation.inquirer.net/188098/ph-walks-back-sus-
pends-vfa-termination-upon-the-presidents-instruc-
tion> [Accessed 12 June 2020].
51 Lopez, V., 2020. COVID-19, South China
Sea Among Reasons For Suspension Of VFA Termina-
tion —Envoy. [online] GMA News Online. Available
at: <https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/
nation/740967/covid-19-south-china-sea-among-
reasons-for-suspension-of-vfa-termination-envoy/
story/>
52 Del Callar, M., 2020. In Rare Move, Phil-
ippines Calls Out China On Ramming Of Vietnam-
ese Vessel. [online] GMA News Online. Available
at: <https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/
nation/733212/philippines-calls-out-china-on-ram-
ming-of-vietnamese-vessel/story/> [Accessed 12
June 2020].
53 Gomez, J., 2020. Philippines Protests Chi-
na’s Sea Claim, Weapon Pointing. [online] ABC News.
Available at: <https://abcnews.go.com/Internation-
al/wireStory/philippines-protests-chinas-sea-claim-
weapon-pointing-70286561>
54 Gotinga, J., 2020. More Plans To Upgrade
Pag-Asa Island As Lorenzana Unveils Beaching Ramp.
[online] Rappler. Available at: <https://www.rappler.
com/nation/263316-more-plans-upgrade-pagasa-
2ND QUARTER 2020 SPARK 15
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