Outside the State Department, the Pentagon and the offices of U.S.-based, sea-going shipping companies, relatively few people around the country probably paid much attention to reports earlier this week that China and Vietnam will work co-operatively to reduce tensions between the two nations in the South China Sea. That’s understandable. U.S. interest in foreign affairs at the moment is dominated by the Afghanistan war, the fiscal crisis in Europe and the rise of democratic movements in the Mideast and elsewhere. Still, it is dangerous to ignore what occurs in the Far East.
The Far East doesn’t always get such short shrift. Sometimes, events there demand U.S. attention. In recent years, that generally occurs when North Korea threatens to go nuclear, to launch rockets or to engage in armed conflict with South Korea or other neighbors. After a time, the furor dies down and diplomatic calm seems to return to the region. The quiet can be deceiving.
There is a tremendous current of conflict in the area. The two Koreas are always at odds. So are China and Taiwan. Japan , Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and other nations are quick to act when they perceive their interests in the region are threatened. The United States, far removed geographically from the region, can’t ignore the turmoil. It has too many alliances and interests in the region to be aloof.
If small conflicts in the region ever flare into larger ones, the United States will have little choice but to become involved. That would create problems if involvement required anything more than active diplomatic action. Given current demands on its troops, it would be difficult for the United States to provide military assistance of any sort. That’s why consistent interest in what occurs in the Far East is vital.
It’s better for the United States to work diligently to prevent escalation of hostilities in the Far East than it is for the country to react after it occurs. Given that, any step that reduces tensions in the region — i.e., the Chinese-Vietnamese pact — is useful. U.S. diplomats should encourage additional other major players in the region to enter such agreements.
That work will be hard. North Korea and South Korea squabble continuously about everything, including territorial rights in waters around them. Occasionally, the squabbling turns to hostility and ships are sunk and lives lost. Other nations jealously protect their territorial waters, too. China’s aggressive effort to control vast areas of the seas and the potential riches beneath it is a constant irritant that could explode into dangerous conflict at any moment.
For the moment, the Far East seems relatively quiet. That’s not an accident. In July, foreign ministers from nations in the South China Sea region agreed to work together to prevent or at least reduce disputes in the region. The China-Vietnam pact signed Tuesday is a welcome product of that agreement.
Given the competing national interests and doctrines in the Far East, there’s no certainty that the current calm will endure. The United States must be prepared to deal with the fallout if it does not. American diplomats must play a continuously active role in regional affairs. Failure to do so will erode U.S. influence in the Far East and make it increasingly difficult to protect the nation’s interests there.