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Activities of Related Parties

China

China sends surface-to-air missiles to contested island in provocative move

On Fed. 16, Foxnews channel shows the imagery from ImageSat International (ISI) illustrating two batteries of eight surface-to-air missile launchers as well as a radar system on Woody Island, part of the Paracel Island chain in the South China Sea. The missiles arrived over the past week. According to the images, a beach on the island was empty on Feb. 3, but the missiles were visible by Feb. 14. A U.S. official confirmed the accuracy of the photos. The official said the imagery viewed appears to show the HQ-9 air defense system, which closely resembles Russia’s S-300 missile system. The HQ-9 has a range of 125 miles, which would pose a threat to any airplanes, civilians or military, flying close by.

China critise Australian Foreign Minister's comment on South China Sea.

Regarding to recent comment, Feb. 12, of Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, saying that Australia will seek explanation from China on the latest development of its island building activities and its supports the right of the Philippines to take its maritime dispute with China to international arbitration, on Feb. 16, China's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hong Lei said, "The Philippines' unilateral initiation of international arbitration, which does not comply with international law and runs counter to the consensus reached between China and the Philippines as well as relevant provisions of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, will never be accepted by China. The Australian side should not selectively evade that objective fact. Deploying necessary national defense facilities on its own territory is China's exercise of self-preservation and defense, a right granted by international law to sovereign states. The Australian side should adopt an objective and unbiased attitude and refrain from doing anything that undermines regional peace and stability." And in a press conference with Minister Julia Bishop on Feb. 17, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressed that China's rejection of the arbitration initiated by the Philippines is precisely in accordance with law. Wang Yi emphasized that the Philippines' obstinate request of the arbitration is an intentional attempt of the impossible. On the next day, in the meeting with Minister Julia Bishop, China's State Councilor Yang Jiechi said that islands in the South China Sea have been China's territory since ancient times and China has right to safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests. China building facilities on relevant islands and reefs of the South China Sea is largely for civil purposes and to better provide public products and services to the international community. China deploying limited defense facilities on its own territory has nothing to do with militarization. Yang Jiechi pointed out that Australia should strictly abide by its commitment on taking no side on the South China Sea sovereign disputes and should not get involved in and do anything that damages regional peace and stability as well as China-Australia relations.

Vietnam

Vietnam called to terminate unilateral actions that complicate South China Sea situation

On Feb. 15, The United Nations Security Council has just held an open discussion session on “The Respect to the Principles and Purposes of the Charter of the United Nations (UN) as Key Elements for the Maintenance of International Peace and Security,” Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga, Head of Vietnam’s Mission to the UN, confirmed the significance of the UN Charter in the maintenance of international peace and security. Regarding to the South China Sea issue, the ambassador stressed the role of unity among ASEAN members in ensuring the structure of regional security and stability, especially in response to the complicated developments in the South China Sea featuring unilateral actions of illegal building and expansion of artificial islands. The actions have seriously affected the environment and caused harm to peace, security and stability in the region. The Vietnamese ambassador called on related parties to terminate these illegal actions and keep the status quo of the islands, stop militarizing or complicating the situation in the South China Sea, settle disputes by peaceful means on the basis of the UN Charter and basic principles of international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea in 1982 (UNCLOS 1982), pay respect to the freedom of navigation and aviation in the region, and commit to strictly and fully observing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) as well as signing the Code of Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (COC) as soon as possible.

Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to attend ASEAN-US Summit

The Prime Minister’s attendance at the ASEAN-US Summit was made at the invitation of US President Barack Obama, according to the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry on Feb 13. This unprecedented gathering, the first hosted by the US with the ASEAN leaders. On the sideline of the Summit, on Feb. 16, Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung had a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama. During their meeting, the leaders compared notes on major cooperative areas between the two countries as well as international and regional issues of shared concern. PM Nguyen Tan Dung said Vietnam is very concerned about the increasingly complicated development of the East (South China) Sea situation which threatens peace, security, and maritime and aviation safety and freedom in the sea. The PM called on the US to raise a strong voice and take more pragmatic and effective actions to ask for an end to such deeds, especially the large-scale construction of man-made islands and militarisation in the South China Sea, respect for and the serious realisation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties (DOC) in the South China Sea, and the early conclusion of the Code of Conduct. President Obama said the US is concerned about the South China Sea issue and strongly backs diplomatic efforts and legal processes to handle the territorial disputes in the sea on the basis of international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the DOC.

Vietnam requests China to end Hoang Sa sovereignty violations

Regarding to the recent China’s construction of a military helicopter base on Quang Hoa Island and its deployment of HQ-9 surface-to-air missiles on Phu Lam (Woody) Island of Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) Archipelago. Vietnam's Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Le Hai Binh on Feb.19 said, “Vietnam is deeply concerned over China ’s aforementioned activities, which seriously violate Vietnam ’s sovereignty of the archipelago and threaten peace and stability in the region, as well as navigation and aviation security, safety and freedom in the East (Souht China) Sea ,” he said. “ Vietnam demands China immediately end these wrongdoings.” The same day the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a diplomatic note to the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi to protest against China’s infringements on Vietnam’s sovereignty on Hoang Sa Archipelago. Vietnam’s permanent mission to the UN also sent a diplomatic note to the UN Secretary-General proposing the official circulation of the Vietnamese foreign ministry’s diplomatic note.

The Philippines

Aquino urges China anew: Respect UN ruling on South China Sea dispute

Making the statement on the last day of the special summit between the United States and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Feb. 16, President Benigno Aquino called on the international community, including China, to abide by the decision of the United Nations arbitral tribunal on disputes over the South China Sea. Mr. Aquino also said ASEAN must promote a rules-based regime for resolving disputes and managing tension, he said. 

Filipino troops ready for ‘worst-case’ in dispute with China

Speaking on the sidelines of the Philippine Military Academy, Feb. 19, the chief of the Western Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Vice Admiral Alexander Lopez said the troop alert level had not been raised but the military was “continuously monitoring developments.” The military “plans for the worst-case scenario in specific situations and the troops under WesCom are conditioned for such instances,” he said. Lopez reiterated the government’s concern over China’s deployment of surface-to-air missile and radar systems on Woody Island in the Paracels, which are also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan. “This is a serious threat to regional security,” Lopez said, adding that China was “militarizing the region.”

Malaysia will continue to pursue a diplomatic solution to the presence of Chinese coastguard vessels

Speaking to the press on Feb. 13 at Kuching, the capital of Sarawak state of Malaysia, Defence Minister Datuk Hishammuddin Hussein said he had been informed that the Chinese ships had lifted anchor and were not in Malaysian waters. He said his deputy minister had a meeting with Chinese side, where the Chinese can explain to the state's top leadership their plans and intentions. According to  Hishammuddin the territorial disputes in the South China Sea should be dealt with through diplomacy in order to maintain stability in the region. “It's not easy dealing with superpowers, but let us use the channels that we have so that there are no unintended accidents and incidents which may spiral out of control, which everybody will regret later on,” he added.

Asean wants peaceful solution to South China Sea dispute

Speaking to Malaysian press on Feb. 16, Malaysia's Prime Minister Malaysia Najib Razak said Asean leaders have reiterated their stand on wanting a peaceful resolution to the overlapping territorial claims in the South China Sea, and the issue must be settled based on international laws and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos). “All parties must exercise self-restraint and avoid increasing tensions in the disputed areas,” he said, They should also avoid issuing threats and respect the Declaration on the Conduct of parties in the South China Sea (DoC), signed by Asean and China in 2002, paving the way for Asean and China to draw up the Code of Conduct (CoC) as a guideline to avoid any friction in the area, he stressed.

Thailand

Thailand's Prime Minister stresses unity at US-Asean summit

In his speaking at at a working dinner on the "Regional Strategic Outlook" hosted by US President Barack Obama during the US-Asean Summit at the Sunnylands, California on Feb. 16, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha said the South China Sea conflict was a highly sensitive issue with a strong impact on geopolitics, the economy and international cooperation, it should be resolved with prudence and the right approach in order to ensure peace, stability and growth in the region. Thailand supported efforts to ensure freedom and safety in sea navigation and air transportation in the disputed area, to ensure that international trade and travel through the South China Sea remain safe and uninterrupted, said Gen Prayut. He called on all sides to refrain from committing acts that will complicate the situation and should instead initiate constructive dialogue to ease tensions in the disputed areas. Thailand appreciated the US role in supporting Asean in exploring ways to resolve the sea disputes by peaceful means, promoting freedom in marine navigation and air operations through the disputed zones and accelerating negotiations on the COC, he said.

The United States

U.S. admiral warns against Chinese fighter flights from South China Sea runways

Speaking to the press on Feb. 15, Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin, the commander of the U.S. Navy's Seventh Fleet said Any move by China to fly jet fighters from runways on its new man-made islands in the disputed South China Sea would be destabilizing. He also urged Beijing to be more open over its intentions in the South China Sea and affirmed, "we are going to sail, fly, operate throughout these waters....like we have been doing for so long," he said. Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin also revealed that another 21 warships will be added to the US Navy's armada policing Asia-Pacific waters as part of the country's shift to focus on this region.

U.S. Presidents calls to lower tensions in South China Sea.

On Feb. 16, speaking to the press conference after the U.S - ASEAN Summit, U.S. President Barack Obama said, "the United States and ASEAN are reaffirming our strong commitment to a regional order where international rules and norms -- and the rights of all nations, large and small -- are upheld.  We discussed the need for tangible steps in the South China Sea to lower tensions, including a halt to further reclamation, new construction and militarization of disputed areas.  Freedom of navigation must be upheld and lawful commerce should not be impeded. I reiterated that the United States will continue to fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows, and we will support the right of all countries to do the same." Answering the queries of Channel News Asia on Feb. 16, President Obama said, "We think China is resorting to the old style of might makes right, as opposed to working through international law and international norms to establish claims, and to resolve disputes.” He noted that when he met Chinese President Xi Jinping in the White House Rose Garden last September, he was given assurance that China did not want to militarise areas of dispute in the South China Sea. “ASEAN has affirmed that that should be the case. So, we will continue to test whether China’s sincere with respect to these efforts,” he said.

U.S. Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr., says "China Deployed Missiles on Disputed Island"

Speaking to the press in Tokyo on Feb. 17, after the meeting with Japanese defense officials, Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr., the head of the United States Pacific Command said China's deployment of HQ-9 missile batteries on Woody Island in the Paracel chain would goes against its pledges not militarize the South China Sea, “this calls into question the seriousness of President Xi’s statement at the end of last year,” Admiral Harris said, “It concerns me greatly because this would be a clear indication of the militarization of the South China Sea."

U.S. expects 'very serious' talks with China after missile reports

After the report of China deployed surface-to-air missile on Woody island in Paracels, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters, on Feb. 17, "There is every evidence, every day that there has been an increase of militarization of one kind or another, it’s of serious concern. We have had these conversations with the Chinese and I am confident that over the next days we will have further very serious conversation on this."

US Admiral warns about China's militarisation in the South China Sea

Speaking on Feb. 18 at the AFCEA West Conference in San Diego, The commander of the Navy's Pacific Fleet, Adm. Scott Swift asserted that more information was needed to determine a course of action following reports that China had deployed HQ-9 surface-to-air missiles to a disputed island in the South China Sea. Swift said, this is at least the third time that Woody Island has housed HQ-9 missiles; twice previously, China has sent missiles to the island for exercises. "So the real question is, 'What's the intent? How long is it going to be there? Is this a permanent forward deployment of this weapons system or not?' " he said.

Japan

Japan expresses concern following reports of China missile deployment

On Feb. 17, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga declined to confirm or comment on the reports, but said Japan is "seriously concerned" about any unilateral attempt to alter the status quo and heighten tensions, and it "never accepts such actions as a fait accompli." The top government spokesman was referring to Beijing's large-scale and rapid land reclamation as well as its construction of outposts that could be used for military purposes in the South China Sea.

Australia

Julie Bishop to question China's island reclamations in the South China Sea

Speaking in Tokyo on Feb. 14 before her official visit to China, Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said she will ask the Chinese counterpart Foreign Minister Wang Yi how China intends to use newly reclaimed islands in the South China Sea. "In the past, Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said they will be public goods and I'm intending to ask how other nations could access these public goods. Depending upon the answer he gives, we will look at the situation." Ms Bishop added that Australia did not take sides on the completing claims in the waters but was awaiting the outcome of arbitration. "We recognise the Philippines' right to seek to resolve the matter through arbitration, but we urge all claimants to settle their disputes peacefully without coercion, without intimidation," she said.

In a following event when answering ABC channel on Feb. 20, Ms. Bishop said she has raised the question to with Chinese officials, including Foreign Minister Wang Yi. She said, "They did not admit that there had been recent deployment of missiles, but they said in any event, they are entitled to establish self-defence facilities. My point is that if there are surface-to-air missiles in an area where commercial aircraft fly, then there is a risk of miscalculation. Ms. Bishop stressed that "Australia will continue to transit through the South China Sea. We have a longstanding operational presence there and our commercial ships and planes should continue as normal." "That's what we should continue to do because China has undertaken not to militarise." She added.

Australia warns China on the risk of conflict in the South China Sea

Speaking in a joint press conference with his New Zealand counterpart John Key in Sydney on Feb. 19, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull stressed, "We know that the prosperity of an Australia and New Zealand depends on peace. It depends on harmony, and that is why we urge all claimants in the South China Sea to refrain from any building of islands, any militarisation of islands, any land reclamation." According to Turnbull if China wants to avoid Thucydides traps then the disputes in the South China Sea must be resolved through on international law and through all of those mechanisms that are available to us.

Regional Snapshots

The first ASEAN-US Summit held in the US.

The special ASEAN-US Summit kicked off in Sunnylands, California, the US, on Feb. 15 with the presence of US President Barack Obama and leaders of the 10 ASEAN member countries. The summit will focus on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement and the East Sea issue. The joint Statement, which includes 17 points,  affirmed that  the two sides "firm adherence to a rules-based regional and international order that upholds and protects the rights and privileges of all states; Shared commitment to peaceful resolution of disputes, including full respect for legal and diplomatic processes, without resorting to the threat or use of force in accordance with universally recognized principles of international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); Shared commitment to maintain peace, security and stability in the region, ensuring maritime security and safety, including the rights of freedom of navigation and overflight and other lawful uses of the seas, and unimpeded lawful maritime commerce as described in the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) as well as non-militarization and self-restraint in the conduct of activities;

The eighth Delhi Dialogue bolster ASEAN-India relationship

On Feb. 17, The eighth Delhi Dialogue themed “ASEAN – India Relations: A New Paradigm” opened in New Delhi city, India, to discuss bilateral political-security, economic and socio-cultural engagement. Speaking at the dialogue, India's Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj noted that peace and stability are essential for progress and development, highlighting the significance of ensuring maritime security.  The oceans and seas, including the East (South China) Sea, are pathways to mutual prosperity and security, thus any maritime disputes need to be resolved peacefully, without threat or the use of force. 

U.S. and EU warn China on need to respect South China Sea ruling

Speaking at a a seminar at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies, Amy Searight, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for South and Southeast Asia, said the United States, the European Union, and allies like Australia, Japan and South Korea must be ready to make clear that the court's ruling must be binding and that there would be costs to China for not respecting it if it lost the case. "We need to be ready to be very loud and vocal, in harmony together, standing behind the Philippines and the rest of the ASEAN claimants to say that this is international law, this is incredibly important, it is binding on all parties." Klaus Botzet, head of the political section of the EU Delegation in Washington, said it was difficult to oppose world opinion. "If we unanimously support that international law as formulated by the international tribunal in the Hague ... needs to be upheld, that's a very strong message and will be very difficult to ignore," he said.

Japanese naval vessels visit Cambodia

Three Japanese modern warships on Feb. 17 docked at Cambodia's Sihanoukville port, announced the Cambodian army. The vessels, namely Akebono, Hatakaze and Yamayuki, are led by Captain Kazuhiko Mizoe, commander of Escort Division 11 of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force. A press release from the Japanese Embassy in Cambodia indicated that the objectives of the visit are to strengthen friendship between Japan and Cambodia as well as to give opportunities for the crew to learn about culture and military in Cambodia.

THE EAST SEA STUDIES