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Activities of Claimants

China

Chinese jets training with missiles fly by disputed South China Sea waters near Vietnam

The South China Morning Post cited from China navy's official website on Nov 2, showing Chinese jets, which are belonged to the South Sea Fleet, carried out from an airstrip in the South China Sea. The navy did not name the airstrip, but military experts said it was on Woody Island in the Paracels. They also said the exercise was Beijing's latest response to the US guided-missile destroyer USS Lassen sailing within 12 nautical miles of Subi Reef on Oct 26.

Chinese Submarine Stalked U.S. Aircraft Carrier

According to according to American defense officials, posted on Washington Free Beacon's website on November 3, a Chinese submarine sailed very close to the Reagan during the weekend of Oct. 24. The incident occurred as the Reagan sailed from its home port to the Sea of Japan around the southern end of Japan. The submarine encounter also occurred days before the USS Lassen, a guided missile destroyer, carried out a freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea. Disclosure of the Chinese submarine encounter comes as Adm. Harry Harris is visiting China for the first time as the commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific.

Pacific Fleet and Pacific Command spokesmen declined to comment on the submarine encounter but did not deny that the incident occurred. Additional details of the encounter—such as the type of submarine involved, whether it surfaced or remained submerged, and how close it came to the ship—could not be learned.

China defends its rhetoric of Freedome of Navigation

Regarding to recent call of Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar for navigation freedom as well as the application of international law including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea in the South China Sea at ADMM Plus, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying's on November 5 said The South China Sea is China’s major corridor for cargo and energy transportation. As the largest littoral state of the South China Sea, we attach great importance to navigation freedom there. China and other littoral states have been jointly upholding peace and stability of the South China Sea. As all of you can see, the general situation there is stable. On Novemeber 4, in response to the move of U.S. Defense Secretary when he took a visit on USS Theodore Roosevelt in the South China Sea, Hua said "we against the attempt to militarize the South China Sea and even challenge and threaten other countries’ sovereignty and security interests under the name of navigation freedom. It is hoped that the US side can be more candid and honest about its actions and intentions." And to respond to Admiral Harry Harris's speech on November 3, at the Stanford Center at Peking University, saying that "the US military will continue to exercise freedom of navigation and overflight whenever and wherever they are allowed under international law, with no exception to the South China Sea," the spokeswoman said "The US is actually depriving China of its right to self-defense as a sovereign state." She said  "We suggest the US side earnestly respect other countries’ sovereignty and security interests, and truly play a responsible and constructive role in maintaining regional peace and stability."

India

India upholds FON in the South China Sea

Addressing the 3rd ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM-plus) at Kuala Lumpur, Shri Parrikar said the situation in the South China Sea and recent developments there have attracted interest and concern. “This is natural since freedom of navigation in international waters, the right of passage and overflight, unimpeded commerce and access to resources in accordance with recognized principles of international law including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, are of concern to all of us”, he stated. He also hoped that the Code of Conduct on the South China Sea would be concluded at an early date by consensus.

Japan

Japan shares ASEAN and Vietnam’s stance in the region.

On November 6, in a meeting between Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and Japanese Defence Minister Gen Nakatani in Hanoi, PM Nguyen Tan Dung assured his guest that the Vietnamese government continually supports effective and practical cooperation between the two defence ministries, and wishes that Japan will further uphold its role in the region and the world, contributing greater to regional peace, stability, security, maritime safety and freedom.

On the East (South China)  Sea issue,  Gen. Nakatani said "Japan shares ASEAN and Vietnam’s stance on the maintenance of peace, stability, security, maritime and aviation safety and freedom in the region, the settlement of disputes by peaceful means in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the serious implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea, and the early formation of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea." He added that the East Sea issue is of vital significance not only to relevant countries but the region also.

The Europeon Union

Europe warns against escalation in South China Sea dispute

The European Union made its strongest call yet for China and other Asian nations to resolve their dispute over the South China Sea. Speaking in a news conference after summit of EU and Asian foreign ministers when asked about the dispute in the South China Sea on November 6, the EU's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini stated that "We are committed to a maritime order based on the principles of international law," she said "we oppose any attempt to assert territorial or maritime claims through the use of intimidation, coercion, force or any unilateral actions which would cause further friction."

The United States

U.S. Navy plans two or more patrols in South China Sea per quarter

The U.S. Navy plans to conduct patrols within 12 nautical miles of artificial islands in the South China Sea about twice a quarter to remind China and other countries about U.S. rights under international law, a U.S. defence official said on November 2. "We're going to come down to about twice a quarter or a little more than that," said the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly about Navy operational plans. "That's the right amount to make it regular but not a constant poke in the eye. It meets the intent to regularly exercise our rights under international law and remind the Chinese and others about our view," the official said. On the same day, U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said there would be more demonstrations of the U.S. military's commitment to the right to freely navigate in the region. According to recent operation of FON in the South China Sea, speaking on condition of anonymity, a U.S. official said "the U.S. Navy deliberately avoided military drills or other actions that could have further inflamed tensions with Beijing during a patrol last week near islands China has built in the South China Sea.  We wanted to assert our rights under international law, but not to the point where we were poking the Chinese in the eye, or where it would unnecessarily escalate the situation." The official said the destroyer USS Lassen turned off its fire control radars while transiting within 12 nautical miles of Subi Reef and avoided any military operations during that time, including helicopter launches or other drills.

Carter Visits USS Roosevelt in South China Sea

Carter toured the aircraft carrier with Malaysian Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein on November 5. Visiting the ship with his Malaysian counterpart, Carter said, indicates the demand for American presence in the Asia-Pacific region. Carter said the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier’s presence is a "symbol and a sign of the critical role the United States' military power plays in what is a very consequential region for the American future." The defense secretary also commented on regional tensions resulting from disputes over land features in the South China Sea. Several Asia-Pacific countries, including China, are involved in those disputes. "There is a lot of concern about Chinese behavior out here," he said. "Many countries in the region are coming to the United States and asking us to do more with them so that we can keep the peace out here," he said.

Regional Snapshots

ASEAN Defense Ministers discussed South China Sea issue at ADMM Retreat

ASEAN member countries shared regional security issues at the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Retreat (ADMM Retreat) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on November 3. At a press conference Malaysian Defence Minister Hishamuddin Tun Husein told reporters that the ministers expressed their deep concerns over terrorism, cyber crime and marine security during the ADMM Retreat. The ministers witnessed the signing of the direct communication link (DCL) initiative – a hotline between ASEAN defence ministers to ensure quick communication in any emergency. On November 4, the ADMM+ took place with the participation of defence ministers and defence minister’s representatives from 10 ASEAN member states and partner countries – Australia, New Zealand, China, the Republic of Korea, Japan, India, the United States and Russia. On the South China Sea issue, the Meeting agreed that any disputes in the Sea must be addressed in line with international law and regional commitments such as the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and urged ASEAN and China to conclude the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea.

President of China Xi Jinping paid a visit to Vietnam

General Secretary of the Communist Party and President of China Xi Jinping arrived in Hanoi on November 5, beginning his two-day State visit to Vietnam. On his visit, Chinese President Xi Jinping had a meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on November. With regard to sea-related issues PM Nguyen Tan Dung emphasised that the two sides need to seriously implement agreements reached by their leaders, particularly the agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of sea-related issues, by consistently taking practical actions; making the best use of the Government-level negotiation mechanism on Vietnam – China border and territorial matters; and persisting in using negotiations to seek fundamental and long-term solutions that are acceptable to both sides. The countries should maintain peace and stability and control disagreements at sea, be sincere and straightforward in discussing and studying the issue of demilitarisation in the East Sea, safeguard security and safety of navigation and aviation in the waters, and ensure safety for fishing activities at sea, he added. On his part Chinese President Xi Jinping said that both countries need to control sea-related disputes soundly and maintain stability at sea through consultations. On November 6, in the meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang President calls for increased Vietnam-China political trust, boost co-operation, and actively seek appropriate solutions to existing differences. The nations could carry out co-operation projects and programmes at sea in line with international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) while carrying out the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and working toward the early formation of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC), he added.

Australia, Indonesia start joint naval exercise

On November 9, Australia and Indonesia kicked off a joint naval exercise, named “New Horizon”, in an attempt to operate more closely with each other at sea. Frigate HMAS Arunta and tanker HMAS Sirius of the Royal Australia Navy arrived in Surabaya, Indonesia for the exercise. Cameron Steil, HMAS Arunta’s commanding officer, said the four-day exercise will focus on the areas of replenishment at sea, communication and firing drills. The annual naval maneuver is the most important joint event of the two countries’ navies in fighting cross-border crime, human trafficking and terrorism.

Japan's Abe says wants U.S., South Korea cooperation over South China Sea

According to a Japanese government spokesman, on November 2 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told South Korea's president he wanted cooperation between the two countries and the United States in maintaining an open and peaceful South China Sea. "He said Japan would like to cooperate with South Korea and the United States at various occasions to preserve the open, free and peaceful sea," Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Koichi Hagiuda told reporters after Abe held talks with President Park Geun-hye of South Korea in Seoul.

THE EAST SEA STUDIES