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Activities of Related Parties

China

Chinese ship, helicopter kept watch on Kalayaan protesters

A Ship and a Chinese Coast Guard helicopter patrolled the area around Thitu Island while 48 Filipino youths protesting China’s encroachment on Philippine territories in the West Philippine Sea were camped there. The 48 youths led by a former Marine captain, had camped out on Pagasa from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1 to protest China’s encroachments. “Every day, a Chinese Coast Guard patrol ship with bow number 46708 patrolled the shores of our island even inside the 12 nautical miles of our territorial waters. Almost every day, a Chinese Coast Guard helicopter patrolled too close to the shores of the island,” said the group in a statement.

China continues conducting test flights at newly-built airfield in South China Sea

According to Xinhua on Jan. 6, two aircraft, Aibus 319 and Boeing 737, landed on Fiery Cross Reef in Spratly Island. Yang Honghai, deputy head of the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration's aviation standards department said, “The airport meets all the requirements for civil aviation and can accommodate large and medium-sized aircraft.” The airport is said to serve as an aviation hub in the Spratly Islands and will offer convenience for goods and personnel transportation and emergency medical care in Fiery Cross Reef and adjacent areas.

China builds second mega coast guard ship

China’s Global Times, citing anonymous source, reported on Jan. 11 that a second domestically-produced coast guard ship, CCG (China Coast Guard) 3901, has been completed recently and is likely to deploy to the South China Sea.

CCG 3901, with a 12,000-ton displacement and maximum speed of 25 kn, is also equipped with 76mm rapid fire guns, two auxiliary guns and two anti-aircraft machine guns. The ship is similar in design to the CCG2901, which was deployed last year in eastern China's sea. The CCG3901 can stay out at sea longer, hold a bigger crew and carry more supplies. Chinese media call it a largest coast guard ship in the world.

Vietnam

Vietnam protests China’s second test flight in South China Sea

Vietnam on Jan. 1 accused China of violating its sovereignty by landing two more test flights on an island in the busy South China Sea waterway, four days after China landed a plane on the same runway in the disputed territory. “This is a serious violation of Vietnam’s sovereignty, threatening peace and regional stability, threatening security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea,” foreign ministry spokesman Le Hai Binh said, using the name by which Vietnam refers to the South China Sea. “Vietnam resolutely requests China to immediately end similar acts and have no further violating acts,” Binh said. Vietnam would defend its sovereign rights and jurisdiction in the area through peaceful measures, in line with international law and the United Nations charter, he added. On the next day, a representative from the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry presented a diplomatic note to Chinese embassy counterpart opposing China's action.

Aviation authority asks China to end sovereignty violations

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV), from January 1 to early January 8, the China conducted 46 flights to the Ho Chi Minh FIR. The flights interfered with the air traffic service (ATS) routes L625, N892, and route M771, from the reporting point FONA to ALDAS. On Jan. 8, the CAAV sent to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) calling on China to immediately end actions that violate Vietnam’s sovereignty over Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago, not repeat any similar actions, and respect relevant regulations of international law.

On the same day, together with a letter sent to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the CAAV also issued notices to aviation authorities of ICAO member nations as well as to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Association (IFALPA), the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO), the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers’ Association (IFATCA), and over 100 international carriers that offer regular services within the Ho Chi Minh Flight Information Region (FIR) to urge them to protest against China’s flights that have threatened Vietnam’s aviation safety. 

Vietnam is determined to protect its sovereignty and rightful interests in the South China Sea.

On Jan. 1 in Hanoi, speaking ahead of top Vietnamese leaders, ambassadors and representatives of international organisations, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said that "Vietnam is determined to protect its sovereignty and rightful interests but also perseveres with peaceful solutions based on international law to resolve disputes and disagreements." Vietnam would do its best to maintain peace in the East Sea (South China Sea) and the region, the PM said, calling on the international community to have "strong voices and actions to support the efforts of Vietnam and ASEAN" regarding the issue.

The Philippines

PH opposes China’s runway test in the Spratly

The Philippine government said Jan. 4 that like Vietnam, it opposes China’s recent test of a newly completed runway on one of seven islands Beijing has constructed in the disputed South China Sea. Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose said the government was considering protesting China’s action, as Vietnam did, adding that the test at Fiery Cross Reef “adds to tension and uncertainties in the region.” Vietnam last week protested the test, saying it violated Hanoi’s sovereignty, and demanded that China stop such actions.

Aquino seeks Asean action against China

President Benigno Aquino III on Jan. 8, urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to step up the pressure on China to agree to a binding Code of Conduct in the South China Sea. Mr. Aquino said Asean representatives would be refining the elements of an Asean Code of Conduct next month. President Aquino urged China to be “pragmatic” and recognize that a decision of the United Nations arbitral tribunal would be beneficial to all because it would clarify the entitlements and obligations of claimant countries in the South China Sea.

Cambodia

Cambodia FM blames S. China Sea tensions on superpower's meddling

Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong on Jan. 4 said in an address to university students in Phnom Penh, "The situation of the South China Sea and the problems over there are getting worse and tense as of today because of the interference by a superpower." While he did not refer to the country by name, he was believed to be referring to the United States, which has sent a guided-missile destroyer and a B-52 bomber near China-held features in the South China Sea to assert "freedom of navigation."

The United States

McCain blasts lack of U.S. patrols in South China Sea

In a statement on Jan. 4, the chairman of the influential U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator John McCain criticized that the lack of U.S. action was allowing China to continue to "pursue its territorial ambitions" in the region, most recently by landing a plane on a man-made island in the Spratly Islands archipelago on Jan.2. McCain said the lack of additional U.S. patrols last year was "disappointing yet hardly surprising." He said the Obama administration was "either unable to manage the complexities of interagency national security decision-making or simply too risk averse to do what is necessary to safeguard the rules-based order in the Asia-Pacific."

The U.S expressed a serious concern with China’s test flight in the Spratly.

In a regular press conference of the U.S. Department of Defense on Jan. 7, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook stated that, “We clearly are concerned by these flights, as we indicated in the past.  And we're concerned by all of these activities being conducted by the Chinese in disputed islands in the South China Sea.  Anything being done by any country to try and raise tensions over these disputed islands, and to try to militarize or engage in reclamation activities in these islands, we think only adds to instability in the South China Sea. He added, “We call for a diplomatic resolution to these issues in the South China Sea.  And certainly, these flights do nothing to foster further stability and understanding in that part of the world.” On the same day, U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan said that tension over the South China Sea highlights the need for the United States to maintain a strong Navy to serve as a deterrent. He stressed, "We need to have a strong military and a strong Navy, and a real foreign policy, which we do not now have." Earlier, on Jan. 4, the U.S. Department of State’s Spokesperson John Kirby stated that the flight operations at Fiery Cross Reef in a disputed area raises tensions and threatens regional stability. We have made this case clear repeatedly, and we will continue to make it.

Japan

Japan airs 'grave concern' over China's test flight in Spratlys

Speaking in a press conference on Jan. 4, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida stated, “Japan is gravely concerned about China's act, which is a unilateral change of the status quo" in the region and an attempt to make Beijing's massive and fast-paced land reclamation work in the disputed seas ‘a fait accompli.’”  Japan "cannot accept the act which is escalating tensions in the region and is a concern shared by the international community," Kishida said. "Japan will continue to cooperate with other countries concerned to protect the freedom of the seas."

India

India setup satellite station to monitor South China Sea

Indian Media broadcast news saying that its new satellite monitoring station in Vietnam is expected to be activated soon in order to monitor situations in the South China Sea. It has spent about $23 million (Rs 152 crore) to set up the facility in Ho Chi Minh City. The Indian Space Research Organisation will activate it soon and link it up with another station at Biakin Indonesia. India also has a satellite tracking station in Brunei

Regional Snapshots

Bangladesh Navy Ships to visit Malaysia

The Royal Malaysian Navy headquarters in a statement Jan. 5 said the two vessels arrived at the jetty at 9 am, after sailing from Yantian, China. "Both ships are Type 056 Corvettes with speeds of up to 25 knots and are made by the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation in Wuchang, China. "A total of 23 officers and 137 members of the Bangladesh Navy are on board the vessels which are equipped with 76mm main canons, 30mm anti-air guns and and surface-to-air missiles," the statement said.

Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh held telephone talks with the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

On Jan. 6, through the telephone talks, the top diplomats said 2015 was a successful year for Viet Nam-US ties and agreed to jointly propel bilateral cooperation forward and deepen their comprehensive partnership in a result-oriented manner. They also shared mutual concerns about issues in the Asia-Pacific, including East Sea matters. The officials agreed that the ASEAN-US rapport has seen significant strides in the year just gone, proven by the establishment of a bilateral strategic partnership.

The UK and the Philippines back navigation, overflight in South China Sea

Speaking in a Joint Press Conference with Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario on Jan. 7, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond stated that the freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea as “non-negotiable rights.” “We maintain the position that, we, as an international maritime trading nation enjoy freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea. We expect to continue to exercise those rights,” Hammond said.

On his part, Del Rosario expressed serious concerns over China’s test flight in the Spratly. “We are concerned that there will be more flights. The other concern if this is to happen, we will have a situation where China will take the position that ADIZ (Air Defense Identification Zone) could be imposed. Whether this is done in terms of a de facto basis or it is official, this will be deemed unacceptable to us,” he said.

THE EAST SEA STUDIES