The disputed rocks and reefs of the South China Sea are more than an ocean away from the landlocked African nation of Niger.
However, that has not stopped the strife-ridden, largely desert country of 17 million people from adding its voice to a growing diplomatic chorus that Beijing says supports its rejection of an international tribunal hearing on the waters.
Others apparently singing from the same hymn sheet include Togo, Afghanistan and Burundi.
They are among the latest foot soldiers in “a public relations war” by China aimed at questioning international maritime rules, according to University of Sydney US Studies Centre research fellow Ashley Townshend.
The tribunal case, brought to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague by the Philippines, is highly technical and hinges on issues such as how international law defines “islands.”
Niger joined the ranks of “over 40 countries that have officially endorsed China’s position” that the issues should be settled through direct negotiations, not international courts, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Hua Chunying (華春瑩) said.
She added that was just the start: “There will be more and more countries and organizations supporting China.”
Similar announcements have become an almost daily ritual at the ministry’s media briefings, as it steels itself for what is widely expected to be an unfavorable ruling by the tribunal.
Beijing claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea on the basis of a segmented line that first appeared on Chinese maps in the 1940s, pitting it against several neighbors, including Taiwan, which has rival claims to most of the area.
However, it is also a party to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Manila accuses Beijing of flouting the convention and has called for the tribunal to rule on the row.
Beijing insists that the court does not have jurisdiction, arguing that any claims to the contrary are politically motivated, and has boycotted the proceedings.
“By cobbling together a group of nations that share its views, Beijing’s aim is to show that there is a genuine debate over the legality of the Philippines’ legal challenge,” Townshend said. “It is trying to build a counter-narrative to push back against the mainstream international consensus on maritime law.”
Despite requests by reporters, the ministry did not provide a full list of China’s backers on the issue.
However, other than Russia, few heavy hitters have come out in support, with Beijing’s neighbors notably absent.
In some cases the claimed support has been short-lived. Fiji and EU member Slovenia both quickly denied the ministry’s statements that they were backing Beijing, with Ljubljana saying: “We do not take sides on the issue.”
Peking University international relations expert Zhu Feng (朱鋒) told reporters: “I don’t really feel that China’s recent public diplomacy activities have been very successful. Beijing “needs to develop its diplomatic activities and fight for more supporting voices.”
However, China’s options are limited.
“While China has built odd coalition partners stretching from Russia to Mauritania and Venezuela to the Gambia, the Philippines counts on support from the US, Japan, Australia, Britain and others, including respected global bodies like the EU and G7,” Townshend said.
He pointed out that the ruling is to be determined by the judges, adding: “Neither side’s supporters have any bearing on the outcome.”
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