SINGAPORE/KUALA LUMPUR, April 9 (Agencies): Critical infrastructure across the South-East region must be firmly under the control of respective states to avoid a takeover by outside forces as geopolitical tensions heat up in the region.
The most recent example of a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) getting dragged into ongoing great power rivalry coming under the spotlight is Cambodia over its controversial Ream Naval Base.
Ream, which lies on the northern stretch of the Gulf of Thailand and provides ready access to the South China Sea and has been made available for the use of a foreign power despite the move being in violation of Cambodia’s 1993 constitution, which prohibits the construction of foreign bases in the country.
“We want to build a complete navy base,” he said, denying the base would be used to wage war. “It’s not a threat against anyone,” Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said in response to recent criticism.
The same concerns have been raised over the Boten–Vientiane railway funded by 60 percent of debt financing (US$3.6 billion) from the Export-Import Bank of China and the remaining 40 percent (US$2.4 billion) is funded by a joint venture company between the two countries.
The benefits of the railway for the country’s predominantly rural population remains open to question as throughout construction, many were displaced to make way for the railway have complained of inadequate compensation, and there have been a number of well-documented issues involving the exploitation of the Chinese labourers who have relocated temporarily to Laos to work on the project.
Analysts have panned the project, with Scott Morris, a senior fellow of the Center for Global Development calling it “essentially a Chinese public infrastructure project that happens to exist in another country.”
Other controversial infrastructure projects being developed by foreign powers in the region is the over US$17 billion East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) which has raised concern over its huge costs, use of foreign labour and potential lack of profitability, according to Samirul Ariff Othman.
“While foreign investment and infrastructure development are welcome, it has to be done in a balanced way. Many Asean countries could benefit from such projects but there must be transparency and accountability and tangible benefits in the forms of technology transfers and jobs for locals," the former Malaysian Institute of Economic Research senior research officer said.
“For many Asean states the sea and ports are a lifeline and the region has a number strategic harbours and sites for potential harbours, but there has to be added value for countries in the region. Funding such projects through unsustainable means will definitely be cause for concern especially if it opens any Asean state to losing control over its own ports, railways or other critical infrastructure.”
This rail line will connect to Kuantan Port, which is being developed in conjunction with foreign support as an export hub for Malaysian commodities. Concerns have been raised over the sheer amount of investments being pledged to the country with calls for transparency and oversight committees being raised.
Another nearby example just across the Bay of Bengal is Sri Lanks’s Hambantota International Port is a deep water port in Hambantota, Sri Lanka, which was financed with a foreign loan but with the country facing economic and political problems, ownership and effective control of the port have been of concern.
Former President of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapaksa fled the country following protests last year, and has been seen as largely responsible for the state of the country and the potential use of the port for purposes other than international trade.
Some would argue that foreign bases in the Philippines represent the same threat but the move has been highly popular with that country’s population who are vocal against illegal fishing fleets linked to China’s maritime militia.
The Philippines has gone even further than that, with chief presidential legal counsel Juan Ponce Enrile pushing constitutional amendments to allow the basing of nuclear weapons on its territory to deter china, something which threatens the Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty (SEANWFZ) or the Bangkok Treaty of 1995.
However this underscores the severe challenges posed by China’s maritime claims and one or more Asean states are expected to allow submarines under AUKUS to operate in their waters or will at least not respond or protest against such operations, hoping to draw in some deterrent value from such patrols.
Indonesia has tried to strike a more conciliatory note with Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi saying Asean countries should not become a proxy for any power and that it will try to expedite the South China Sea Code of Conduct (COC) during its chairmanship of Asean over 2023.
This is a far cry from its previous hardline stance against territorial intrusions with its navy sinking 60 foreign fishing vessels for illegal fishing in the country’s territorial waters in 2016 after President Widodo previously announced a crackdown on illegal fishing primarily by China, which he said costs the Indonesian economy US$20 billion in losses annually.
Since then Indonesia has accelerated cooperation on several major infrastructure projects under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), including the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway and the "Two Countries, Twin Parks," among others and its criticism over territorial intrusions have gone quiet.
Continued tensions in the South China Sea reinforce the fears of these Asean states who have increasingly sought to develop stronger strategic and security ties, and tacitly support freedom of navigation exercises, bearing in mind that such exercises ensure their own access into parts of the sea they claim.
Increasing pressure will also see these countries drop their long standing neutrality and strategic ambiguity as their attempts to balance and manage relations with external influences fall flat in the face of shifting geopolitical realities.
To keep their sovereignty these states will need to build alliances with each other and with reliable foreign partners. - Agencies
