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Activities of the Claimants

China

China issues national defense white paper

China on April 16th issued a white paper on national defense elaborating its new security concept and peacetime employment of armed forces. The document, the eighth of its kind issued by the Chinese government since 1998, says China advocates a new security concept featuring mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and coordination, and pursues comprehensive security, common security and cooperative security. "China will never seek hegemony or behave in a hegemonic manner, nor will it engage in military expansion," the white paper says. According to the document, China will build a strong national defense and powerful armed forces which are "commensurate with China's international standing and meet the needs of its security and development interests."

China's largest patrol vessel “Haixun01” puts into service

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A delivery ceremony is held for patrol vessel Haixun 01 at a port in Shanghai, east China, April 16th, 2013. Haixun 01, officially delivered and put into service on April 16th and managed by the Shanghai Maritime Bureau, is China's largest and most advanced patrol vessel. The 5,418-tonnage Haixun01 is 128.6 meters in length and has a maximum sailing distance of 10,000 nautical miles (18,520 km) without refueling. It will carry out missions regarding maritime inspection, safety monitoring, rescue and oil spill detection and handling.

Armed guards for fishing fleets, says hawkish ex-PLA chief

Armed guards should be positioned on Chinese fishing boats in the South China Sea, says a former high-ranking Chinese military officer. China’s current fishing fleets were too “loose and scattered” - alone and too vulnerable to attacks, said Luo Yuan, a retired major general and vice-president of China’s Strategic Culture Promotion Association, in a Global Times editorial on April 18th. The outspoken general said fishing boats should be grouped into large “collective fleets” protected by armed militiamen or military reservists while they fish in “sensitive waters”. He said fishermen tended to lack the necessary legal knowledge to protect themselves and solve disputes passively.

Unmanned survey ship ends 1st mission

China's first domestically developed unmanned survey ship has conducted its first test mission in the South China Sea, Chinese media reported on April 18th. The 6-meter-long unmanned vessel, which was developed by Shanghai University and Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding Heavy Industry in Shandong province, took part in a recent China Marine Surveillance patrol of the South China Sea and collected operational data during the mission, according to Shanghai-based Jiefang Daily. The ship carried out a survey around a number of reefs that belong to China, the report said.

Vietnam

Vietnam stands firm on East Sea policy at international seminar

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Vietnam is negotiating with regional countries to step by step address the disputes in the East Sea, including that on sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes, advocating the employment of peaceful measures in compliance with international laws. The policy was presented at an international seminar on border held in London, the UK, on April 19th, by the UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO), the King’s College and the Public International Law Firm Volterra Fietta. Deputy Head of the Department on Law and International Treaty under the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet told participants that Vietnam welcomes active contributions made by all countries in and outside the region to maintaining peace and stability, and ensuring maritime freedom, security, and safety in the East Sea.

The Philippines

Time ‘ripe’ for Asean, China code of conduct

18th April | PhilStar

In a press briefing at Malacañang, Philippine Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said “China has said that they will only discuss this with ASEAN when the time is ripe.” “We are hoping that the time is ripe now for such discussion because this actually would be very good for the region, and will put peace and stability and freedom of navigation in the area that we are talking about,” Hernandez said. He said the Philippines would continue to advocate maritime security and cooperation, push for the full and effective implementation of the DOC as well as the early conclusion of a substantive and legally binding code of conduct, and review the ASEAN Charter to streamline the work and meetings of ASEAN.

Philippines, US wrap up Balikatan exercise

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The Philippines and the United States ended their 29th Balikatan joint military exercises on Wednesday, and immediately set about planning next year's event, raising the possibility of inviting Japan and Australia to make it a multilateral exercise. Brian Goldbeck, the U.S. deputy chief of mission here, described the recently concluded exercise as the "most ambitious intellectual exchanges in the history of Balikatan." "This year's exercise featured a medical symposium, an aviation forum, a senior enlisted forum, a chaplain forum and a search-and-rescue forum," Goldbeck said in his remarks.

Regional Snapshots

Japan, Vietnam to hold talks

Japan and Vietnam are to hold their first-ever bilateral talks on the topic of maritime security this coming May, government sources revealed over the weekend, with the expected focus to be on China’s growing assertiveness in regard to territorial claims in the East and South China Seas. With the meetings to be held in the city of Hanoi, there could also be an exchange of views on Japan providing patrol vessels to Vietnam, which has found itself among those nations targeted by China’s aggressions.

Philippines, Brunei vow to strengthen cooperation

President Benigno Aquino III and Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah are committed to strengthening bilateral cooperation between their two countries. Hassanal's state visit to the Philippines is part of the preparations for Brunei's assumption of the chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). "We commit to enhancing cooperation with Brunei and with all Southeast Asian states, not only through economic and cultural engagements, but also through dialogue for maritime," Aquino said during the ceremonial toast in Malacanang, the presidential palace. "Mr. President, as ASEAN chair for this year, Brunei will continue to work closely with the Philippines towards achieving concrete outcomes in economic growth and social progress, and in promoting regional peace and stability," said the Sultan of Brunei.

US warship arrives in S'pore for Southeast Asian deployment

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A US warship designed to fight in coastal areas arrived on April 18th in Singapore for its Southeast Asian deployment, underlining President Barack Obama's new strategic focus on Asia. US Navy officials said the Freedom, a new class of vessel called the littoral combat ship (LCS), sailed into Changi Naval Base at around 11:00 am (0300 GMT) in Singapore, a long-standing US ally that assists in logistics and exercises for forces in Southeast Asia. The ship, the US Navy's first LCS which is designed to fight close to the shore, will be deployed for the next eight months in the region, where it will participate in naval exercises and visit other ports.

Vietnam, US hold naval exchange activities

US naval vessels docked at Tien Sa Port, central Da Nang city on April 21st, starting naval exchange activities with the Vietnam People’s Navy. The five-day collaboration will focus on non-combatant and skill exchanges in navigation and maintenance. As planned, professional exchanges will be conducted in the fields of heath, humanitarian assistance, natural disaster relief as well as dive training, salvage and underwater medicine. Ship tours, concerts, community relations events, and bilateral sporting events will also get underway. These activities underscore the closer ties between the US and Vietnam.

Commentaries & Analyses

How to Manage China-Vietnam Territorial Disputes

By Ramses Amer and Li Jianwei

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The most evident feature relating to China-Vietnam relations and their management of the territorial disputes is that there are established forms of dialogues and talks from high-level down to expert-level to address differences and tensions. The structure of talks has been continuously developed since the early 1990s, and the two sides have agreed on mechanisms and principles to better handle and manage their differences. China and Vietnam’s response to the deep tension in 2011 was to reach an Agreement on basic principles, and both sides took steps to implement the Agreement in 2012. In addition, the two countries held the first post-2008 high-level summit in October 2011 and the South China Sea issues were directly addressed at the summit. However, continued efforts are needed. In the South China Sea, it is essential to avoid future confrontation, not only for bilateral relations but also for the stability in the region. It is also necessary to move both bilateral and regional conflict management process forward. At the bilateral level, the 2011 Agreement on basic principles has enhanced the mechanisms for the management of sea-related issues through a de facto bilateral ‘code of conduct.’ The High-level Summit of October 2011 signaled a renewed high-level push for better management of such issues. The combination of these two factors has created more conducive conditions to manage disputes and to reduce tension between China and Vietnam in the South China Sea. One issue that remains to be addressed is the lack of mutual agreement on the scope of talks on the South China Sea. Only the Spratlys is on the agenda. If China and Vietnam could agree on the scope and the issues that are disputed it would be an important step forward, as this would create a realistic agenda for expert-level talks. This should not be interpreted as an argument that either side should abandon their sovereignty claims, but rather that they should recognize that they have overlapping claims that needs to be addressed. At the regional level, both countries are parties to the DOC. They can positively contribute to the successful implementation of the DOC and also contribute to the process of further developing the conflict management mechanisms needed to maintain stability and avoid tension and confrontation in the South China Sea. A possible future regional “code of conduct” applicable to the South China Sea within the framework of the ASEAN-China dialogue could contribute to such a development.

US Must Adopt The Law Of The Sea

By Richard P. Cronin

The Law of the Sea treaty has been signed and ratified by China and 164 other countries. Unfortunately, China follows only some of the treaty's provisions. China claims "unquestionable sovereignty" over sea areas and features that are not in its exclusive economic zone, contending it has historical rights to these areas that predate the treaty. Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate has never ratified the Law of the Sea treaty, even though the United States helped initiate and shape the pact. The administrations of Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton have all said the treaty is the operative law of the sea and pledged U.S. adherence to its provisions. Senate ratification of the treaty would put America in a better position to engage with China and other nations to urge full treaty compliance, including the long-standing rights of freedom of navigation for warships in international waters. By ratifying the Law of the Sea treaty and maintaining high-level engagement with China regarding both differences and shared interests, the United States could help lower regional tensions and avert a full-blown conflict in the South China Sea.

Psychological warfare in the South China Sea

By Roberto Tofani

Maritime disputes between China and Vietnam have entered a dangerous new realm: psychological warfare. Tit-for-tat provocations, including marine patrol deployments in disputed areas in the South China Sea and Beijing's decision to include territories it claims on maps printed in its national passports, haven itensified in recent months, adding new destabilizing variables to an already volatile situation. Rather than dialogue, China and Vietnam seem to be increasingly engaged in a thorny game of psychological warfare, with the apparent aim to undermine the other sides' ability to conduct potential combat operations in the disputed areas. While Vietnam's reactions to China's moves have appeared more defensive than offensive, China's actions have more clearly aimed at deterring and demoralizing Vietnam's smaller and comparatively poorly equipped military and navy. Some analysts suggest that the next phase of China's psychological warfare campaign could be to impose trade bans on Vietnam, similar to the ones it imposed on rare earth exports to Japan in 2010 and last year's ban on banana imports from the Philippines. Vietnam has increasingly pointed to international law and the non-binding "Declaration on Conduct of the Parties in the East Sea" reached between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to defend its position. While China reaffirmed its commitment to the declaration earlier this month at the 19th ASEAN-China Senior Official Meeting in Beijing, it has worked behind the scenes to prevent ASEAN from developing a unified position on the disputes. Beijing's undefined position, including over how many of the features included its wide-reaching nine-dash map of the South China Sea it actually claims, has played into its psychological warfare with Vietnam. "Big powers have advantages in maintaining strategic ambiguity," said Huang Jing, director of the Center on Asia and Globalization at the National University of Singapore. He suggests that China has learned how the United States often makes use of strategic ambiguity in its international relations. The situation has also been complicated by China's leadership transition from Hu Jintao to Xi Jinping. According to academic Jing, under Xi South China Sea issues can no longer be perceived as solely an international issue but rather also a domestic one. "Public opinion does matter in decision making. [China's] new leaders have no choice - they have to play tougher in [the] South China Sea," said Jing.

Chinese Defense White Paper Challenges American Leadership, Military Readiness

By Dean Cheng

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On the eve of Secretary of State John Kerry’s testimony to Congress on securing American interests abroad, the release of the Chinese defense white paper is a reminder of the significant challenges confronting the U.S. in the Asia–Pacific region. Retitled “The Diversified Employment of China’s Armed Forces,” this year’s white paper discusses the roles and organization of the Chinese armed forces, including not only the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), but also the People’s Armed Police Force (PAPF) and the militia. Strikingly, this edition of the Chinese white paper emphasizes maritime roles. In discussing the defense of national sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity, the maritime aspect is specifically referenced. Much of the discussion of border security, for example, is about coastal security. Safeguarding national development is equated with safeguarding maritime development and maritime interests. The need to maintain combat readiness is exemplified by naval training. Indeed, it would seem likely that the PLAN will be pursuing more realistic blue-water training in the future. And China’s international cooperative efforts will include additional focus on preserving the security of the international sea lanes. With each edition of the Chinese defense white paper, a little more is revealed about the Chinese military. How this compares with the American assessment, embodied in the annual Department of Defense report to Congress on Chinese military capabilities, remains to be seen. But what the Chinese report makes clear is that the Chinese will not be reducing their capabilities or shrinking their presence any time soon. As every American Presidential Administration makes clear, in word, if not always in deed, the U.S. is a Pacific nation and a resident power in Asia. It cannot continue to play its indispensible role in Asia if current trend lines continue. The region, the global economy, and ultimately the United States itself will pay a price for its absence, in blood and treasure.

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