05 May 2024, NIICE Commentary 9092
Dr. Chander Shekhar
The People’s Republic of China (PRC) hosted the 19th Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS) from 21 to 24 April 2024 in the Eastern port city of Qingdao, situated in Shandong Province. This is the second gathering, the first WPNS in China was held in 2014. It was a four-day meeting, consisting of 180 high-ranking naval officers from 29 member countries including the US, Japan, India, Russia, and others. It marked a significant moment to hold such a forum as the maritime domain has had undergone several challenges, such as the Red Sea incident, the Indian Ocean, the South and East China Sea, etc, and they presented a threat to rules-based international order. The theme of this year’s symposium is to achieve a “Sea of Shared Future” for mankind. The symposium deliberated on several key issues of maritime that matter to all its stakeholders and audited its activities, including the key document, namely, Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES), for shelving potential maritime disputes for global community and development.
Significance of WPNS
The Western Pacific Naval Symposium has placed a significant inclusive platform of like-minded countries that care about comprehensive security in the broader region of the Western Pacific. The WPNS had emerged out of the 1987 International Sea Power Symposium. Since then, several rounds of meetings have been held in different countries. The objective of this multilateral arrangement is to enhance naval cooperation and focus on the prevention of potential conflict. The symposium holds an important place for entities to deepen friendships, promote exchanges, transparency, and enhance mutual trust.
The need for such a gathering was felt during the Cold War to protect maritime order and its inclusive nature as several military skirmishes had already caused mistrust between countries and affected geopolitics and stability in the region, for instance, China’s conflict with Vietnam over Paracels in the 1980s and Vietnam War shaped by global dynamics.
Being an active and smart power, with a consistent tone, “China remains committed to resolving maritime disputes with other countries through dialogue but will not allow itself to be abused, where countries can flex their gunboat muscles”. However, its action suggests something contrary. The WPNS has been examined by various scholars who claim the group has facilitated to promote communication and dialogue exchanges among various naval officers.
The agenda of this informal gathering is to deliberate on issues ranging from military assertiveness, environmental issues, trade and commerce, and protection of sea lanes of communication from state and non-state actors. To strengthen the WPNS, two approaches alluded, first, to advance a common doctrine for smooth communication and understanding, and second, to increase the size and complexity of exercises and to improve the capabilities and strength of member states.
Calming Troubled Water
Given oceans a joint heritage and lifeline of international trade, it has faced varying challenges over decades, such as piracy, terrorism, climate change, natural disasters, etc, which required a common understanding and cooperation for the preservation of common maritime heritage that needed common efforts as no single country can make it for global commons.
Asia is home to several key maritime chokepoints that are pivotal for free and open trade and commerce based on international rules and laws. From Malacca Strait to other narrow points the safety and security of free commercial ships are crucial for the international economy. Likewise, the sub-ocean, namely, the South China Sea, which represents a case of an overlapping territorial dispute, is a “troubled water”, among others, that invites urgent calmness for the global consequences of conflict escalation between parties involved, China and other Southeast Asian countries.
Rigidness closes options like dialogue and discussion channels for further progress to look beyond parochial and ethno-geographical interests. The WPNS is a sort of mechanism that keeps communication channels open for broader international security.
A senior Japanese official, Takuo Kobayashi, part of the naval delegation stated about the arrangement that is a “good opportunity to hold bilateral talks with each navy—not only on AUKUS but on broader maritime topics” affecting all in the region.
The world has undergone a transformation in substance. Zhang Youxia, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, argues in his address of intention to “jointly safeguard maritime security”, although the Philippines’ continuous appeal of the former’s assertiveness in the troubled waters of the South China Sea that could mutually change the established norms.
Therefore, the Philippines-China conflict escalation in the disputed water required to rebuild trust and confidence and back to a peaceful resolution of conflicts underlined in the UN Charter, the Declaration of Conduct in the South China Sea, the CUES (which they agreed in a joint statement) and the future legally binding Code of Conduct, which is in process.
While speaking at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) High-Level Open Debate on Maritime Security, the Indian Prime Minister emphasized that to ensure global peace and stability, maritime disputes which involved parties must use peaceful means to settle conflicts based on international law and strengthen mutual trust and confidence for global good.
So given the necessity and urgency for establishing regional peace and stability, the WPNS has been established to calm down the aggressive intention of countries and rebuild mutual understanding and trust. Otherwise, the New World Disorder proposition would be not incorrect as explained by Samir Saran and Shashi Tharoor in their book, The New World Disorder and the Indian Imperative.
CUES: A Potential Framework of Conflict Management
The success of the WPNS is the political declaration that it adopted in 2014 which is known as Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES). The CUES is said to advance “mutually rewarding international cooperation and transparency in establishing international standards in relation to the use of the sea…and offers safety measures to limit mutual interference, uncertainty and to facilitate communication”. It is basically an agreement of parties aimed to prevent maritime or naval accidents at sea or seeking to de-escalate tensions. It is also an instrument that deliberates issues of maritime interest among all members and their naval staff, mostly top officials. Through symposium, members bridge mistrust and strengthen mutual learning as rigidness of any head unintentionally would cause significant damage to itself and others for future growth.
However, the code is not a legally binding document that could punish the aggressive dictatorial behavior of an individual sovereign entity, but a coordinated effort to enhance communication for safety and security at sea. On several occasions, the code has allegedly been violated by either party. The Guam Laser incident of 2020 between the US and PRC, as the Pentagon maintained, breached the CUES norms. This incident could not affect the foundational principles and trust of the grouping to increase transparency and progress for all stakeholders dependent on sea lanes of communication for trade and commerce.
Besides, in several South China Sea naval incidents between countries affected the status quo and would change geopolitics. To manage conflict, the ASEAN and PRC issued a joint statement on 7 September 2016 on “the application of the CUES in the South China Sea and agreed “to use the safety and communication procedures for the safety of all naval ships and naval aircraft when they encounter each other in the South China Sea”.
Conclusion
Thus, despite several maritime incidents, the countries did not give up their patience and calm for long-term growth and prosperity. So, the Western Pacific Naval Symposium is a collective effort of diverse member countries that address maritime-related affairs or sudden accidents between countries’ navies. It is an out-of-the-box initiative that could only be successful when trust and mutual understanding are built up than dual languages make it loose symposium would have no teeth for any emergency that disturbs rules-based international maritime order. Members need to work on a legally binding instrument called the CUES for conflict management in the broader Indo-Pacific region, including the South China Sea. Likewise, these round tables shall not be talking shops but are required to be an effective iron horse for international peace and stability.
Dr. Chander Shekhar is an Assistant Professor, at St Joseph’s University, Bangalore, India.
