Emergence of Vietnamese -U.S. Cooperation
245which pass between the Pacific and Indian Oceans–a route which is
extremely important for Chinese exports and imports of oil from the
Persian Gulf and Middle East, but also extremely important for the
economies of Japan and South Korea, which are big consumers of the
Gulf’s oil. Another reason behind the geostrategic importance of the
Chinese claim over the Spratly Islands is that, if they are recognized as a
part of China, its jurisdiction would extend one thousand miles beyond its
mainland.^12 Possession of these disputed islands with Vietnam (and the
Senkaku/Diaoyutai Islands with Japan) is of great geostrategic military
significance for China. This is partly due to the American strategy of
containing Chinese influence by closing its access to the Pacific through
control of, and alliances with, the countries located on the so-called chains
of islands in the Pacific Ocean.
Conflicting activities between China and Vietnam continued in recent
years on two different levels: one with direct activities on the ground such
as deploying military units or exploring and drilling oil, and another with
legislative political actions claiming the sovereignty over disputed areas.
China’s rise resulted in an increased military presence in the South China
Sea, with the most tangible manifestation being the building of a base for
nuclear and non-nuclear submarines in the Island of Hainan.^13 At the same
time, China is taking a more assertive approach in several ways:
intimidating US, Vietnamese, and Japanese vessels; harassing fishing
boats by issuing bans on fishing activities for other countries; and carrying
out exploration of areas that are deemed by others as outside of China’s
Exclusive Economic Zone.^14 One of the most evident examples of
concrete activity was Vietnam’s decision in 2004 that the national oil
company Petro Vietnam would start international bidding for exploration
and drilling in areas that Hanoi claimed control over, which China
strongly objected to, claiming that Vietnam was violating its territorial
sovereignty.^15
Political struggle most recently continued with Vietnam passing a law
claiming sovereignty over the Paracel and Spratly Islands in June 2012,
which angered officials in Beijing who sharply criticized this act as
(^12) Cohen, Geopolitics of the World System, 241.
(^13) Sehnálková, “China’s growing assertiveness in the South China and East China
Seas: Reactions of the U.S. and other regional players,” 70.
(^14) Ibid., 68.
(^15) Ibid.