In a move that could lead, according to observers, to more tension and turmoil in the Pacific and Indian Oceans between Washington and Beijing, the US Navy said that one of its destroyers sailed near the disputed Spratly Islands, Saturday, in the second similar action within a week in the South China Sea.
On Wednesday, the Chinese military announced that it had "removed" the same ship, the destroyer "Benfold", when it sailed near the also disputed Paracel Islands.
Observers believe that the same American destroyer sailing in the region again a few days after China announced its expulsion, reflects an American challenge to China's pursuit of imposing its control over the South China Sea, which may lead to an increase in tension and competition between the two sides in this part of the world, which has long formed A traditional field for the clash of agendas and interests between major international powers.
In light of the continuation of the Ukrainian war for about 6 months, and the escalation of direct confrontation in Southeast Asia between the Chinese dragon and the American eagle, questions arose about the possibility of the world bearing the weight of the Ukrainian crisis, the occurrence of two major wars at the same time.
Professor of political science, Ihsan Al-Shammari, says, "Wars are, of course, the result of conflicting interests and their culmination, as is the case in Ukraine, for example, which could very well lead to the outbreak of wars and other confrontations branching from it around the world and no less in size, especially in the traditional burning contact areas. And as is the case in the regions of South and East Asia, where there are many controversial issues and time bombs, from the Korean Peninsula and Taiwan to the Kuril Islands.”
Al-Shammari added in an interview with “Sky News Arabia”: “The outbreak of a Sino-American military conflict that may develop into a war is not completely excluded, especially in light of the succession of maneuvers and opposing military movements between the two parties in highly sensitive areas such as the South China Sea, for example, and their development of friction as It happened a few days ago to the impact of the Chinese announcement of their removal of an American destroyer from that sea, and if it occurs, it will not be a limited war, nor less severe and catastrophic in its repercussions on the world economically, security and in various fields, from the Russian-Ukrainian war, which the whole world suffers because of it.
On the other hand, Amer Al-Sabayla, a strategic expert, non-resident fellow at the American Stimson Institute for Research, says: “The world undoubtedly cannot tolerate a new major war, although we are already facing international conflicts on several fronts, but they are taking new and unconventional forms of confrontation, by trying to build new alliances and impose sanctions. Economic and diplomatic, but the idea of a military confrontation remains completely absent."
Al-Sabayla added in an interview with “Sky News Arabia”: “All this escalation remains part of the context of attempts to maintain tension and give legitimacy to attempts to weaken the other party, occupy it, drain it and form alliances against it. The option of diplomatic calm and restraint is through negotiations, and accordingly this type of confrontation between the major international players will be long-term, and take many forms and tactics.
In the same context, the military expert and director of the Saqr Center for Strategic Studies, Muhannad Al-Azzawi, says that the disputed islands were subject to international arbitration, according to which China did not obtain approval for its ownership of it and its territorial waters, since many countries are riparian with it on these islands, such as Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei. Most countries are close to Washington or even allied with it.
And the United States, through its movements, as Al-Azzawi explains to "Sky News Arabia", is trying to make China feel that "these waters are international and are not subject to Beijing's sovereignty, and are not therefore within the boundaries of its territorial waters, because the South China Sea and the entire Indo-Pacific region, that is, between the two oceans The Pacific and the Indian arena is a battlefield and a frantic strategic competition between the major world powers, especially Beijing and Washington.
The military expert continues: "China seeks to extend its control and influence as the first power in it, while the United States believes that Chinese control over this vital region, which is a major crossing for international trade lines, is unacceptable, and therefore Washington, through its maneuvers and military movements in these areas, aims to inform China that it is It will never give up these areas, and they are central to American strategic calculations
He adds: "What, of course, increases the importance of these islands and makes them the focus of attention of various international and regional powers, in addition to their sensitive geopolitical location and as a global trade artery, is that they are rich in enormous natural and water resources, as they contain important reserves of oil, gas and minerals in addition to their fish wealth, and these factors For combined considerations, the danger of these areas turning into a hotbed of acute conflict and sparking a second major war after the Ukrainian war is serious and real, despite the horrors that will ensue from the outbreak of two major wars at the same time, and the destruction that this will cause to the security and stability of the world, especially in the areas of food and energy.
The United States regularly carries out what it calls "freedom of navigation" operations in the South China Sea, defying what it says are traffic restrictions imposed by China and others.
On Saturday, the USS Penfold affirmed the navigational rights and freedoms in the South China Sea near the Spratly Islands, consistent with international law, the US Navy said.
China, for its part, says it does not impede freedom of navigation or overflight, and accuses the United States of deliberately raising tension.
And Monday marked the sixth anniversary of an international court ruling that invalidated China's claims in the South China Sea, through which an estimated $3 trillion worth of trade passes annually. China did not accept the ruling, but rather claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea.