China is on a massive PR campaign to inform the world that it has the support of "many" countries with regard to the issue of territorial rights and claims in the West Philippine Sea, and how to deal with it. Its most recent claim of having 40 countries backing them up has been met with both skepticism and dismissal. International media outfits have asked Beijing for a list of these supposed countries, but the latter has failed to do so. It did mention one country, the mostly desert country of Niger, a landlocked nation that has no experience in dealing with maritime issues. We do have to mention the fact that China has contributed much to Niger's oil industry, so I'm sure they will not antagonize its main benefactor. That's like biting the hand that feeds them.
China initially announced that Fiji and Slovenia also endorsed their stand of resolving the issue through direct negotiations. But both countries were quick to deny such supposed endorsements, stating that they do not take sides. Nothing new there for Beijing. Notably absent in the supposed "list" are the heavy hitters such as the US, UK, Australia, Japan, along with groups such as the European Union and the G7, all supporting the Philippines' stand on settling it through arbitration. I wouldn't be surprised if countries on the supposed list are just there as a token support, especially with China using economic leverage to gain support on the issue. I haven't really heard any country's representative outside of ASEAN showing support for China. Cambodia, Laos and Brunei supposedly support China.
With the decision of the UN arbitration court soon to come out, with many believing it will favorable to the country, China is sort of showing the world that it will stand alongside many counties in not recognizing such a decision. The idea is to counter the impending decision with numbers, if there really are supporters out there. It hopes to sway world opinion when the decision comes out.
It will be interesting to see once the decision does come out to be favorable to the country. Will China be on the defensive, with the supposed 40-plus countries in its camp?
Or will it continue its belligerence and simply dismiss the decision and continue to militarize the region? Scarborough Shoal is a mere one 124 nautical miles from Philippine shores.
Should China develop it into an island similar to Fiery Cross Reef, militarizing it in the process, then it becomes a serious issue concerning the security of the country. With the US stepping up its freedom of navigation and over flights in the area, Scarborough Shoal may once again become a hotspot.