At the Munich Security Conference, Sec State Pompeo suggests that China has border disputes with “nearly all” of its neighbors. 1/
To wit: “China has had a border or maritime dispute with nearly every nation bordering it." 2/ state.gov/the-west-is-wi…
Yes, China has unresolved maritime boundary disputes with most of its neighbors (except a partially resolved maritime boundary dispute with Vietnam). 3/
But the situation regarding border and other territorial disputes is quite different from what Pompeo suggests. 4/
I’ve written a book (and some articles) on China’s border and territorial disputes. 5/ press.princeton.edu/books/paperbac…
China had 23 territorial disputes after the founding of the PRC. Today, China is involved in only six such disputes: the India border, Bhutan border, Senkaku Islands, Paracel Islands, Spratly Islands, and Taiwan. 6/
China’s other territorial and border have been resolved: North Korea, Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Burma, Laos, and Vietnam. 7/ taylorfravel.com/documents/rese…
Moreover, China used compromise agreements to settle most of these disputes. Also, these agreements have stable, as each side recognizes the other’s sovereignty. No conflict on settled borders has occurred. 8/
Of course, territorial disputes are volatile. The six that remain are contentious and could erupt into violent conflict. By definition, they have been the most difficult ones to settle. 9/
But China’s approach has been much more varied than Pompeo suggests. By settling nearly every border dispute, China and its neighbors have helped to reduce opportunities for conflict in East Asia. END/
