Come, let's split the chocolate
A simple, idealistic proposal to settle the South China Sea, grounded in practicality, proposed by Suporno Chaudhury; reporter from the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
The Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in the favour of the Philippines when the case against China was presented regarding the South China Sea disputes. It was a major moral victory for the Filipinos. Yet, when looked at with a pragmatic, the ruling is bound to have very little impact on ground. After all, as Harvard’s Graham Allison has said stated rather bluntly, none of the permanent members of the UN Security Council has ever respected rulings by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (which is not a UN agency), or even the International Court of Justice (which is a UN agency). Hence, it is expected on the part of China to disregard the ruling completely, as it has always done.
So what are the solutions available to Philippines, China, and the United States of America? Dragging down an issue to the warpath is never a viable solution. With Europe shifting to crisis management mode, the whole of Middle East and North Africa in flames; rocks, reef, atolls, and a few shoals cannot be allowed to drag the world’s two largest economies into a standoff, at least not now.
Every moment before the storm bursts is an opportunity to be taken grabbed instead of letting it go to waste. Before a useful pail can be made to move the oceans, it has to be worked upon in the blacksmith's forge. When it comes to Scarborough Shoal, a lot of fire and beatings have to be borne before a peaceful solution can be arrived at. In a more practical language, two solutions have been proposed which even other countries in a similar conflict can use.
The prime solution is, instead of stationing guns and arming grenades, there is a dire need to push the negotiation table between Philippines and China: that is, a joint and collaborative venture similar to the exploration of the Polar Zones and Space exploration, entirely pushing the agenda of sovereignty to the background. But even in this situation, a minimalist, ideal (but highly impractical) situation is not what these countries should be aiming at. All of it can be developed in mutual agreement to a jointly administered ecological and biological exploration station which will serve as a base for environmentalists, scientists, and explorers to explore the lifeforms in the lower reaches of the South China Sea, it can even be opened to tourism, from which all countries in the region can benefit. An eco-friendly tourism site which will allow the propagation and celebration of the culture of that region throughout the world, and allows them to explore the beauty of the South China Sea.
The second solution is slightly more radical. A committee is set up, primarily for the negotiation of the claims in the South China Sea. The decisions of the committee will be binding, and decisions will be reached by simple majority. China, will be the first to disagree with this solution, however regional pressure has to be applied on them to change their stance, primarily a retraction of the nine dash line claim to a more reasonable one. The international committee has to stand in support behind this committee in a unanimous voice.
As history teaches us well, territorial disputes has been a major cause of gruesome wars, primarily because of the absolute belief in the concept of statehood, and sovereignty. When it comes to dispute over a resource rich ocean, a maritime standoff is of no less a threat than a land based one. If ever in future, Philippines and China can agree to jointly owning and sharing the resources of the Scarborough Shoal, they will be setting a new precedent for other countries to follow, after this pseudo-ideal, semi-pragmatic goal is reached, then they can settle the more practical disputes, such as the conservation laws, fishing rights, drilling rights, and such.
When the waves return to the sea in the region, let's hope that they bring in a whiff of peace floating back with the high tide.
