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Activities of Concerned Parties

China

China Is Planning a Massive Sea Lab 10,000 Feet Underwater

According to a recent Science Ministry presentation viewed by Bloomberg, China is speeding up efforts to design and build a manned deep-sea platform to help it hunt for minerals in the South China Sea, one that may also serve a military purpose in the disputed waters. Such an oceanic “space station” would be located as much as 3,000 meters (9,800 feet) below the surface. The project was mentioned in China’s current five-year economic plan released in March and ranked number two on a list of the top 100 science and technology priorities.

China is about to operate the Lighthouses at 2 reefs in Spratlys

China's Xinhua on June 6 said that China will put the lighthouses on Mischief Reef and Fiery Cross reef in the use at the end of this year. Xinhua revealed that the lighthouse on the east end of Mischief Reef, which stands over 60 meters high, is the tallest of all the structures on the Spratly Islands. China is operating other three lighthouses in their man-made islands in Spratlys. Construction of a lighthouse on Subi Reef was completed in April, the other two on Johnson Reef and Cuarteron reef were completed in 10/2015. Besides, China is carrying the building of a hospital,on Fiery Cross reef Fiery Cross reef, which would be finished later in June.

Taiwan 'won't recognize' any Chinese air defense zone over South China Sea

Taiwan's new defense minister, Feng Shih-kuan told lawmakers in parliament, on June 6, "We will not recognize any ADIZ by China." The report, which was presented to parliament by Taiwan’s National Security Bureau, said, "In the future, we don't rule out China designating an ADIZ. If China is on track to announce this, it could usher in a new wave of tension in the region." On June 7, Mr. Feng clarify a statement he made a day earlier in which he said the military will ship 40,000 rounds of ammunition for 40 mm guns to Itu Aba Island between late June and early July. The destination of the shipment is the Pratas Islands, not Itu Aba Island, he said.

China urges the Philippines to settle the disputes through bilateral negotiation

China's Foreign Ministry, on June 8, issue a statement, urging the Philippines to cease its conduct of pushing forward the arbitral proceedings, and return to the right path of settling the relevant disputes in the South China Sea through bilateral negotiation. The statement said, "Ever since its initiation of the arbitration, the Philippines has unilaterally closed the door of settling the South China Sea issue with China through negotiation, and has, while turning its back on the bilateral consensus regarding managing differences, taken a series of provocative moves that infringed upon China's legitimate rights and interests. This has led to dramatic deterioration of China-Philippines relations as well as of the situation in the South China Sea. China is firmly opposed to the Philippines' unilateral actions. China adheres to the solemn position of non-acceptance of and non-participation in the arbitration." The statement further said, "China does not accept any recourse to third party dispute settlement; nor does China accept any solution imposed on it. The door of China-Philippines bilateral negotiation is always open."

All China Lawyers Association issues statement on South China Sea arbitration initiated by the Philippines

The All China Lawyers Association issued, June 7, a statement on the South China Sea arbitration case unilaterally initiated by the Philippines. The statement said,"(1) ACLA firmly supports the stance of the Chinese Government on the South China Sea issue. No country, organization or individual is in a position to deny China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea; (2) The Philippines unilaterally initiated the South China Sea arbitration, disregarding the fact that the disputes between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea are in essence about territory and form an integral part of maritime delimitation, denying the consensus of the two countries that they have chosen to settle relevant disputes through bilateral negotiations, and denying the optional exceptions declaration China made in 2006 pursuant to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The Philippines' conduct violates relevant provisions of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), abuses the UNCLOS arbitration procedures, and infringes upon China's right to choose means of dispute settlement on its own will, and is thus illegal; (3) The Arbitral Tribunal established at the unilateral request of the Philippines, while having no jurisdiction over the arbitration case, has wantonly expanded and exceeded its power, and made serious mistakes in areas such as verification of facts and application of law; (4) China's non-acceptance and non-recognition of and non-participation in the arbitration unilaterally initiated by the Philippines is a justifiable act aimed at defending state sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, upholding international rule of law, and protecting the authority and integrity of UNCLOS. On June 10,The Chinese Society of International Law (CSIL) releases a paper under the title the Tribunal's Award in the "South China Sea Arbitration" Initiated by the Philippines is Null and Void.

The Philippines

Incoming DFA chief: No bilateral talks with China before tribunal decision

On June 10, incoming foreign minister Perfecto Yasay said in an interview with ABS-CBN news channel that "We should not pursue any bilateral talks at this time until we hear, or wait for, the outcome of the decision of the arbitral tribunal to come out." Yasay's remarks follows advice from a former Philippine foreign minister and a U.S. security expert for President-elect Rodrigo Duterte not to hold unconditional bilateral talks with China to try to resolve the dispute.

Aquino: Clarifying everybody's rights in South China Sea necessary for prosperity

On June, 11 in an exclusive interview, Channel NewsAsia at the Malacanang Palace, Philippine president, Benigno Aquino said, " the most important to us is, again, back to the nine-dash line: Is it a valid concept? Does it give China extra lines that are not existent for any other member of United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) or signatory to UNCLOS? If there is that clarification, then all agreements will have a more solid basis to proceed upon." When asked about responsibility of the next administration to resolve this issue, Mr. Aquino said, "I would like to give him some space; I do not want to add to the clutter.  I impose on myself a one-year silent period with regards to his actions and of course I will refrain from giving unsolicited advice."

New Zealand

NZ cautions China over territory claims

Fresh from returning from the Shangri-La security forum in Singapore, Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee said the pace of China's land reclamation in the South China Sea was spooking some nations. "The world hasn't really dealt with that type of thing before. While there's always been reclaim from the existing land out into the sea, that's something we all understand. To create a new space in a sea, and then with all the consequences for territorial sea, economic zone etc., it's somewhat new," Mr. Brownlee said. Mr Brownlee said New Zealand was not taking sides, but it would support the international rule of law. Earlier,speaking on the sidelines of sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue on June 3, Mr. Brownlee said, referring to islands China has created that now cover more than 3,000 acres of land, “What we are looking to see from the Chinese is some better understanding about what it is about.”

Russia

Russia’s unchanged position on the South China Sea dispute

Speaking in a press conference, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova, June 10, said, "Russia is not a party to any SCS territorial disputes, and will not be drawn into them.  Neither do we intend to take anyone’s side. We strongly believe that a third party meddling in the dispute would only fuel the tensions in the region. All the parties involved in those territorial disputes should strictly abide by the principle of non-use of force, should continue searching for ways of political and diplomatic settlement of the existing problems on the basis of international law, above all the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982, in the spirit of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in South China Sea signed by ASEAN and China in 2002, and the July 2011 guidelines for the implementation of the 2002 Declaration."

Regional Snapshots

Vietnam, India enhance defence cooperation

From June 5-8, Vietnam's Minister of Defence Ngo Xuan Lich welcomed India's Defence Minister Manohar Parrika in Hanoi. During their talks, the two ministers agreed to deepen bilateral defence ties in accordance with the Joint Vision Statement on Vietnam-India Defence Cooperation for the 2015-2020 period, focusing on delegation exchanges and high-quality human resources training. The defence relations should be lifted to match the Vietnam-India strategic partnership for the sake of mutual development as well as of peace, stability in the region and around the world.

Vietnam, France eye strategic defence dialogue mechanism

On June 6, Vietnamese Minister of National Defence General Ngo Xuan Lich welcomed his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian in Hanoi. Speaking during the meeting, Jean-Yves Le Drian spoke highly of Vietnam’s increasingly important role and position in the world arena, especially in ASEAN. He reiterated France’s message delivered at the recent 15th Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, which emphasises the importance of observing international law, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and increasing dialogues and exchanges to address disputes. Jean-Yves Le Drian reaffirm that France, together with the EU, will promptly take more measures to contribute to maritime security and safety and innocent passage in the East Sea in accordance with international law.

Opening ceremony of China-US high-level dialogue held in Beijing

Speaking in the dialogue, the U.S. Secretary of States,John Kerry said" the United States will make it clear that we are looking for a peaceful resolution to the dispute – the disputes of the South China Sea. The only position we’ve taken is let’s not resolve this by unilateral action; let’s resolve this through rule of law, through diplomacy, through negotiation. And we urge all nations to find a diplomatic solution, rooted in international standards and rule of law. In a speech at the Joint Opening Ceremony, Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasized the importance of consultation and communication to expand mutual trust and consensus.China's State Councilor Yang Jiechi delivered the closing remarks, saying that China’s is willing to negotiate over the disputes, but only with each individual country holding a rival claim, rather than collectively. “The islands of the South China Sea have been Chinese territory since antiquity,” Mr. Yang said. “China has every right to uphold its territorial rights and legitimate maritime rights and interests.”

Japan-Thailand Stressed the Importance of International Law

Thailand's Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwan and his Japanese Gen Nakatani counterpart held a meeting in Bangkok on June 6. According to the joint press release after the meeting, " The Ministers shared the view that maintaining an international order based on the universally recognized principle of international law serves as the foundation of regional stability, and that such order benefits every single nation. The Ministers also recognized the importance of freedom of navigation and over-flight, unimpeded lawful commerce, as well as peaceful resolution of disputes without using force or coercion in South China Sea, in accordance with international law."

ASEAN, Chinese officials talked DOC implementation

On June 9, the 12th ASEAN – China senior officials’ meeting on the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) took place in Vietnam’s Ha Long City. The meeting was co-chaired by China and Singapore, which coordinates the relations between ASEAN and China. During the meeting, ASEAN and Chinese senior officials reviewed the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and discussed the building of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC). The ASEAN member countries expressed concern over the recent developments in the East Sea while laying an emphasis on the importance of the sea and the international community’s interest in the recent situation there. The ASEAN member states and China reaffirmed the significance of fully and effectively realising the DOC to foster trust and practical cooperation, contributing to maintaining peace, stability, maritime and aviation security and safety. In committing to doing so, they particularly stressed the full and efficient implementation of Article 4 on peaceful settlement of disputes, Article 5 on self-restraint, Article 6 on cooperation promotion, and Article 10 on COC building, of the DOC. Participants discussed the nature of the COC as well as approaches to designing it for the first time.

THE EAST SEA STUDIES