If there is a more concerted exercise in navel-gazing than this article at Center for International Maritime Security on how China’s claim to the Spratlies is just an honest mistake, I don’t know what it would be. Here’s the conclusion:
Although the Chinese government likes to say that it has an ancient and historical claim to the reefs and rocks in the South China Sea, a detailed examination of evidence shows that it actually emerged in the first half of the twentieth century. It also changed during a 40-year period 1907-1947. The whole process was filled with confusion and misunderstanding. A few mistakes by a small number of poorly-informed Chinese officials and academics back in the 1930s have created lingering confusion that still poisons the politics of Southeast Asia to this day.
Folderol. What poisons the politics of Southeast Asia are China’s expansionist policies and their propensity to use even the most far-fetched pretext in defense of them, cf. Tibet. As one yardstick can you imagine Xi’s government announcing that it’s all been an honest mistake and they’ll withdraw from the area immediately, renouncing all claims, etc.? Me, neither.
I agree. Another thing it doesn’t explain: China takes a reef, dredges it into an island, then claims the waters around the “island” as territorial waters, and then threatens anyone who violates its new territorial waters. That can’t be categorized as any kind of “mistake.”
folderol – a word I don’t think I’ve heard before – it’s great.
When you were reared in a household with no swearing or even coarse language you end up with an enormous collection of words used as an alternative to BS.