China is very weak in soft power. Apart from its economic clout, China doesn't have much attraction, said Prof. Bonnie Glaser, Senior Adviser on Asian issues of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in talks with VietNamNet’s Lan Anh.



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Prof. Bonnie Glaser. Photo: vnsea.net





The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) has ruled that it has sufficient jurisdiction over the case of the Philippines against China in the dispute in the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea). What do you think about this decision and its impact on other countries, i.e. Vietnam?

The decision of the court to accept jurisdiction on some issues and hear the merits on all the issues is a setback for China and a win for all nations that believe maritime disputes should be adjudicated by international courts when diplomacy is unable to resolve them.

This may put pressure on Vietnam to file its own case. If other clients file cases arguing that China is illegally intimidating their fishermen and seeking to exercise jurisdiction based on an illegal nine dash line claim, this will increase the prospects that China will be forced to rethink its policy and approach to dealing with its neighbors on East Sea issues.

Vietnam and the Philippines have signed an agreement on strategic partnership. Does it make sense in maintaining peace and security in the East Sea?

The agreement between Vietnam and the Philippines is a very positive step.

It serves both countries interests to enhance cooperation and signals to China that if it continues to pursue current policies, it may push other nations together.

If China were to use force, it may even cause an anti-China coalition to form.

What do you think about the impact of Chinese President Xi Jinping's visits to South East Asian countries on the image and position of China?

China has recognized that its policy toward the East Sea is causing tensions to increase with its neighbors.

Xi Jinping's visits to Southeast Asian countries are aimed at providing reassurances to China's neighbors in the form of political statements and economic carrots.

Xi repeated his proposal to establish a China-ASEAN community of common destiny and promote the construction of an Asian community of common destiny.

China wants to have the image of a peaceful neighbor, but its actions in the East Sea run counter to these pledges.

Some say that China has been using "soft power" measures to lobby international scholars and manipulate international public opinion. What is your comment?

China is very weak in soft power.

Joseph Nye's definition of soft power is “the ability to get what you want through attraction rather than coercion or payment.” Apart from its economic clout, China doesn't have much "attraction."

I don't think that China has been very successful at winning international public opinion to its side.

Observers said that Vietnamese scholars were outnumbered by Chinese scholars at international workshops on Asian maritime issues. Do you think so?  

I think it depends on the topic of the conference. Usually Vietnamese scholars attend conferences on Asian maritime issues. It is true that Chinese scholars attend virtually every international conference.

How can small countries protect their sovereignty in the East Sea before a powerful country like China?

Smaller countries should band together, make joint statements, conduct joint exercises, file joint cases to international courts.

They can develop common strategies in advance of multilateral meetings and in advance of the ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration next year.

 

 

Bonnie S. Glaser is a senior adviser for Asia and the director of the China Power Project at CSIS, where she works on issues related to Chinese foreign and security policy.

She is concomitantly a non-resident fellow with the Lowy Institute in Sydney, a senior associate with CSIS Pacific Forum and a consultant for the U.S. government on East Asia.

From 2008 – mid-2015 Glaser was a Senior Adviser with the Freeman Chair in China Studies, and from 2003 to 2008, she was a senior associate in the CSIS International Security Program.

Prior to joining CSIS, she served as a consultant for various U.S. government offices, including the Departments of Defense and State.

Glaser has written extensively on various aspects of Chinese foreign policy, including Sino-U.S. relations, U.S.-China military ties, cross-Strait relations, China’s relations with Japan and Korea, and Chinese perspectives on missile defense and multilateral security in Asia.

Her writings have been published in the Washington Quarterly, China Quarterly, Asian Survey, International Security, Problems of Communism, Contemporary Southeast Asia, American Foreign Policy Interests, Far Eastern Economic Review, Korean Journal of Defense Analysis, New York Times, and International Herald Tribune, as well as various edited volumes on Asian security.

Glaser is a regular contributor to the Pacific Forum quarterly Web journal Comparative Connections. She is currently a board member of the U.S. Committee of the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific, and a member of both the Council on Foreign Relations and the Institute of International Strategic Studies.

She served as a member of the Defense Department’s Defense Policy Board China Panel in 1997. Ms. Glaser received her B.A. in political science from Boston University and her M.A. with concentrations in international economics and Chinese studies from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

Lan Anh