US Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPs) in the South China Sea—Able to Keep Chinese Territorial Expansionism in Check?

Abstract

While Beijing is occupying and building military facilities on disputed islands in the South China Sea, Washington is on regular basis conducting “Freedom of Navigation Operations” (FONOPs) in the same waters seeking to deter and indeed contain Chinese territorial expansionism. As it turns out, however, US FONOPs do not work as Beijing’s territorial expansionism goes on undeterred while Beijing is, wrongly as it turns out, claiming that it is merely building facilities and military on islands that have been part of Chinese sovereign territory since ‘ancient times’. In fact, China cites allegedly “aggressive” US FONOPs as the reason why it is from its perspective obliged to build military facilities on those islands for the purpose of self-defence. Arguably a “chicken and egg” situation in the South China Sea that could get out of control if Washington run by the unpredictable Donald Trump followed-up on the dangerous idea circulating among policymaking circles to block China’s access to the islands in the South China Sea it is occupying and building military facilities on.