Will the West be able to convince China to curtail it's expansionist ambitions? | World Defense

Will the West be able to convince China to curtail it's expansionist ambitions?

explorerx7

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There has been a great amount of concern about China actions in the South Sea where it's seeking to establish a power stranglehold, and it has been flexing its muscles in like manner. There has been lots of huffing and puffing by some Western countries, especially the United States, because of China's actions. However, it does not seem that China is very much concerned about objections to its actions.
I am wondering if the West will ever be able to persuade China to halt it's thrust to dominate the region, or will it be allowed to continue on it's present path.
 

Corzhens

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There is this UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) that the Philippines has been depending on for its complaint against the illegal occupation of the Spratlys islands and claims of China. We will know when the decision of UNCLOS comes out this March. But I'm guessing that China will stand pat on its claim that the South China Sea is theirs and I also guess that US and Europe cannot do anything about the stubborn China in that issue.
 

Falcon29

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I agree with Josh, they won't back down at this point, they've already made artificial islands and deployed military assets. US in the meantime will just express 'freedom of navigation', or in other words you can't claim the natural gas resources there. If China does start drilling(maybe they are already), that's when either the West will give up, or try claiming parts of it for other Asian nations. But no one is going to war over it.
 

remnant

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The West will not be able to convince China to stop its expansionist ambitions easily because they don't have much leverage on the issue. The sanctions regime would not work since it would mean isolating the world's most populous nation. 1 in 5 people in the world is Chinese and this would lock out a huge market for its multinationals. China is an emerging powerhouse with the potential to rival the US in the medium term and its a credible and nuclear armed military power which has recently acquired aircraft carriers. But the US has never lacked a trump card down its sleeves.
 
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