The US Ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel, stated that China’s two biggest security concerns are food and energy. This is a significant reason why the Chinese Communist Party is pressuring neighboring countries in the South China Sea, especially the Philippines.
“These are the reasons they claim ownership of these resources,” Emanuel said. “Oil and natural gas, fisheries, and food security are all factors causing real problems.”
In a recent interview with the US media outlet “The Wire,” he mentioned that 14% of the world’s fresh catch occurs in the South China Sea, which is also crucial for international maritime trade. Additionally, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines have discovered substantial oil and gas resources in the region.
According to China’s sovereignty claims in the South China Sea, they assert fishing rights and rights to exploit oil and gas reserves.
On June 17th, during a humanitarian resupply mission by the Philippine military to the BRP Sierra Madre stationed at Ren’ai Reef, Chinese coastguard personnel sent eight ships to intercept and were recorded “threatening to harm Philippine soldiers with axes.”
The Philippine military’s resupply mission involved two rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RHIBs) and a military-contracted civilian vessel.
Emanuel was interviewed before the Philippines-China maritime conflict. Discussing the future of Philippines-China relations, he stated, “I don’t know how things will evolve, but I do know that Beijing is adamant about not allowing any country in the South China Sea to claim sovereignty over its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), despite the International Tribunal’s rejection of China’s claims and its ruling.”
He mentioned that during the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, US Secretary of Defense Austin explicitly stated that the Philippines is a US treaty ally, and the US will defend treaty allies if provoked.
He also emphasized support from countries like Japan and Australia for the Philippines. “We are very clear that we will support our ally the Philippines, and China is aware of this. Australia has made certain commitments, albeit to a different extent, as they are not a treaty ally. Japan is also doing the same for the Philippines. They have conducted 12 transits with the Philippine Coast Guard and will carry out five more,” the US Ambassador to Japan stated.
He noted that Japan sending 17 Coast Guard vessels to the Philippines is a significant commitment, aimed at securing Japanese fishing and oil and gas rights and protecting the livelihoods of fishermen dependent on these waters.
Emanuel highlighted that China employs aggressive diplomacy and economic coercion to pressure other countries and engages in illicit economic espionage tactics.
“The past assumption was that by integrating China into the Western-led economic system, they would invest in the system’s benefits because they benefited economically, helping lift people out of poverty. But the reality is different; they did not do that,” he said.
He cited examples involving ASML, Tokyo Electron, and Nikon, three major semiconductor machine companies. These companies compete, innovate, and vie for business, with some winning and some losing.
Several months ago, there were reports that China stole ASML’s intellectual property, whereas Tokyo Electron and Nikon did not engage in such behavior. Two months ago, Google discovered that China had stolen their artificial intelligence intellectual property.
“This is what strategic adversaries do, not competitors,” he said.
“When all major companies in fields like quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and semiconductors refrain from reaching into each other’s cookie jars, Beijing cannot talk about so-called win-win situations,” Emanuel added, mocking China’s “win-win” concept as a situation where they win twice and do not let others win.
Emanuel remarked that US-China relations must be based on trust. Unfortunately, China could have contributed a lot to the international community, but the Communist Party has been engaging in theft and deception.
He stated that for a long time, the US viewed China as a strategic competitor; it was Xi Jinping who changed how China interacted with the US and led some US government departments to conclude that Beijing is not just a strategic competitor but a strategic adversary.
“I believe the entire government – not just the executive branch but also the legislative branch – has changed and concluded that China (the CCP) is not a strategic competitor. They view us as a strategic adversary, and we better wake up to that,” Emanuel said.