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Activities of the Claimants

China

China's Haixun 21 starts illegal patrol mission on waters of Hoang Sa Islands (Paracel Islands)

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China's patrol vessel Haixun 21 departs from the Phu Lam Island of in Hoang Sa islands on July 22nd, 2013. The patrol vessel set out for a five-day patrol mission on the waters of Hoang Sa Islands in South China Sea. It will monitor maritime traffic safety, investigate maritime accidents, detect pollution, and carry out search and rescue work.

Restructured China Coast Guard takes to the high seas

China's top oceanic administration formally went into operation July 22nd after months of restructuring, reported the China Ocean News. The restructured body integrates the functions of China Marine Surveillance, the coast guard forces under the Ministry of Public Security, the fisheries law enforcement command with the Ministry of Agriculture and maritime anti-smuggling police of the General Administration of Customs.

Vietnam

President Sang visits the U.S.

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President Truong Tan Sang and his entourage left Hanoi on July 23rd, heading to the US for an official visit from July 24th-26th at the invitation of President Barack Obama. During their talks in Washington on July 25th, the two leaders decided to establish a comprehensive partnership between the two countries on the principles of respect for the United Nations Charter and international law as well as for each other’s political institution, independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. At the end of the talk, President Truong Tan Sang of Vietnam and President Barack Obama of the United States of America issued a joint statement. On July 25th, President Sang visited and deliverd an important speech at Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Regarding the East Sea (South China Sea) issue, President Sang affirmed Vietnamese stance opposing to China’s U-shaped line, given the U-shaped line ins’t based on any international law.

The Philippines

Lack of mention of China during State of the Nation Address ‘good judgment’

Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert Del Rosario on July 22nd said he was glad President Benigno Aquino III made no mention of the territorial disputes with China in his fourth State of the Nation Address. “I think it was good judgment on the President’s part not to mention it,” Del Rosario said on the sidelines of the SONA at the Batasan Complex. “It’s like when you’re in dispute and you’re already in court, you really don’t discuss the issue.” “I think the plans are clear, because the train has left the station. We filed for arbitration and we’re waiting for the process to continue,” he added.

Filipinos protest China’s territorial claims

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Hundreds of people in the Philippine capital protested on July 24th against China’s claims to much of the vast South China Sea, saying Beijing’s intrusions into other countries’ territories would tarnish its image as it becomes a world power. Anti-riot police closely watched the crowd of about 500, which sang nationalist songs, yelled anti-China slogans and held up placards that read: “China stop bullying” and “China get out of the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).”

Chinese coast guard raises tension in disputed sea

Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Raul Hernandez deplored China's move to boost its surveillance operations around the disputed territory, saying it violates an international declaration that both countries should observe. "Such activity is inconsistent with the spirit of the declaration of the conduct of parties in the South China Sea," Hernandez said in a press briefing. He added that China's deployment of newly equipped force not only "raises the level of tension" but also taunts the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations in its efforts to build confidence among involved parties.

Manila to Move Air Force, Navy Near Disputed Sea

Philippine Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said on July 28th that as soon as relocation funds are available the government plans to transfer air force and naval forces and their fleets of aircraft and warships to Subic Bay, which has become a busy free port since the 1992 departure of the U.S. Navy. "It's for the protection of our West Philippine Sea (South China Sea)," Gazmin said from South Korea, where he was on a visit, using the name adopted by the Philippine government for the disputed South China Sea. "We're looking now for the funding," he said. Subic Bay is a natural deep harbor that can accommodate two large warships acquired recently by the Philippines from the United States.

Thailand

Thailand urges South China Sea peace

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Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has stressed Thai policy for a peaceful solution to conflicting territorial claims in the South China Sea, government spokesman Teerat Ratanasevi said on July 24th. The Thai position was conveyed by the prime minister directly to Fan Changlong, vice-chairman of the Chinese Central Military Commission, who is on a three-country visit which also includes Myanmar and Kazakhstan. He arrived in Thailand from Myanmar. Ms Yingluck said Thailand supports using existing mechanism to secure safe maritime passage through disputed islands.

The U.S.

US official reaffirms Obama’s Asia-Pacific focus 

22nd July | U.S. Department of State

Newly appointed Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific Daniel Russel says the Obama administration sees that part of the world as “immensely important” to its and allies’ interests. “And I can say with great confidence that there is no let up, no backtracking, no diminution of that commitment,” he said at a press briefing. “First and foremost, the East Asia and Pacific region is immensely important to the interests of the United States.”

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden visits Singapore

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On July 25th, United States Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Singpaore for a two-day visit. On July 26th, after talks with Singaporean President Lee Hsien Loong, Vice President Joe Biden urged Asean and China to quickly reach agreement on a code of conduct on maritime disputes in the South China Sea. He called on all parties invovled to "reject coercion, intimidation, threats and use of force". "We are encouraged by the agreement to start discussions on a code of conduct and we hope to see it followed through in the upcoming weeks," he said. Ending his two day trip to Singapore, Vice President Joe Biden credited his country with maintaining peace and stability in the region for decades. Speaking on the deck of the US navy ship USS Freedom on the anniversary of the Korean War armistice, Mr Biden said the US presence has allowed Asia-Pacific nations to focus on growing their economies. "I state without apology that we are a Pacific power," he said. "America is a Pacific resident power and we will remain so." On the same day, delivering a speech at Pratt & Whitney plant, Mr. Biden warned over the South China Sea dispute. “The increase of maritime incidents and assertive actions we’ve seen lately in the South China Sea represent a threat to the security of the Asia-Pacific region.”, he said.

U.S. surveillance planes conduct patrols in South China Sea

A classified government document seen by Kyodo News on July 26th confirmed that U.S. Navy surveillance planes conduct routine maritime patrol to monitor activities in the disputed South China Sea. "(There were) confirmed flights of U.S. P3C Orion aircraft over the South China Sea especially (in the contested Spratly Islands)," according to the document.

Regional Snapshots

Vietnamese, Chinese coast guard police undertake joint patrol

Two ships of Vietnam Marine Police are ready to join the eighth joint patrol with the Chinese side on fishery cooperation of the Tonkin Gulf on July 25th, local media reported. The joint sea patrol in the common fishing ground in the Tonkin Gulf is aimed at preserving and developing the friendly neighboring relations between Vietnam and China, reported local VNExpress. It will also enhance their coordination in implementing agreed regulations on the maritime joint patrols, thus contributing to preserving and exploiting maritime resources in a sustainable manner in waters designated in the Tonkin Gulf Agreement between the two countries, said the report.

Singapore – U.S. conducts live-firing exercise in South China Sea

The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) conducted a live-firing of a Harpoon missile in the South China Sea on July 24th. This is part of the 19th annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise which Singapore is conducting with the United States. The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) said the missile, fired by an RSN maritime patrol aircraft against a surface target, had "successfully hit the target". This year's exercise also involves participation from the Republic of Singapore Air Force and the United States Marine Corps.

Biden, Abe Agree to Strengthen US-Japan Alliance

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and Japanese prime Minister Shinzo Abe have agreed to strengthen their nations' alliance amid growing tensions between Japan and China over a group of islands in the East China Sea. At a meeting in Singapore, July 26th, Biden highlighted the U.S. view that all sides should take steps to reduce tensions. He also reaffirmed the U.S. position on the East China Sea, including its alliance commitments to Japan. 

Philippines, Japan adopt common position on maritime rows

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Philippine President Benigno Aquino III and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on July 27th pledged a common stance against maritime aggression in Asia as both countries confront China in separate territorial disputes. Following a meeting with Aquino in Malacañang, Abe announced that Japan will provide a concessional loan to build 10 patrol boats for the Philippine Coast Guard. The two leaders agreed to strengthen “maritime cooperation, which is a pillar of our strategic partnership,” according to Aquino.

Commentaries & Analyses

South China Sea: Beijing Likely To Employ Soft Power?

By Shresht Jain

Hitherto, the real challenge for China in the South China Sea has been to safeguard its sovereignty. However, for Beijing to cater to its energy demands and domestic economy, it is expected to lessen its dependency upon hard power and rely more on the soft power it possesses. In context of Southeast Asia, both China and its neighbours enunciate a broader idea of soft power. China appears to be using soft power to incrementally push Japan, Taiwan and the United states. For instance, China’s aid to Philippines in 2003 and to Indonesia in 2002 was roughly greater than the United States. Similarly, China does not want to take the risk of sacrificing its domestic economy by taking coercive measures. China’s leverage over Southeast Asia includes major economic interest. As late as the 1990s, the US and Japan were major economic partners of Southeast Asia. No longer- China has displaced both to become the major trading partner to the region. The improvement at the ARF is acknowledged as a huge step towards the peaceful resolution of the dispute. The reception of the guidelines lessened pressures and promoted Confidence Building Measures (CBM’s). Also given the economic leverage that China has on the South East Asian nations, it certainly would not want to lose its place to the US or Japan in playing the role of major funder or technology provider in the joint development to explore oil and gas reserves. Moreover, economic interests are not a fundamental guarantee of stable bilateral relations in the long term, though deep-rooted economic and trade exchanges would make each nation more cautious when considering strategic issues. However with the rise of national sentiment and intensification of conflict, economic and trade ties may be obliged to give way to political and strategic considerations. Therefore, if the China-ASEAN relations are to maintain long-term stability, their relationship cannot be limited merely to the level of economic interests. In the future, when the time is ripe, both China and ASEAN jointly need to introduce a new bilateral exchange mechanism.

Propaganda, Not Policy: Explaining the PLA’s “Hawkish Faction”

ByAndrew Chubb

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The regular appearance in the Chinese media of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) figures calling for aggressive foreign policy causes controversy and confusion among foreign observers. The most sensational remarks usually are made by academics at PLA institutions. Foreign media routinely pick up sensational quotes from these military officers—such as Major General Luo Yuan’s repeated suggestion for declaring the Diaoyu Islands a Chinese military target range or Rear Admiral Zhang Zhaozhong’s recent call for a blockade of Philippine outposts in the Spratly Islands—and attribute them to senior military leaders, as their ranks seem to suggest. However, none are, or ever have been, a “general” in the sense of being situated near the top of a chain of command of soldiers and officers. Their backgrounds are in academia, intelligence and, most importantly, propaganda. Hawkish remarks by PLA media figures, therefore, should be seen as propaganda rather than statements of intent or clues to foreign policy debates. They do not necessarily imply divisions within the regime—either between the military and the civilian leadership, or between competing factions. In fact, Luo Yuan has stated the entire appearance of hawks and doves in China’s public discourse should be a carefully coordinated opera in which “some sing the red mask [good cop], others sing the white mask [bad cop]” (Global Times Net, May 4). If the hawks do represent a schism, it is more likely between the imperatives of the CCP-PLA propaganda apparatus and other constituencies.

President Sang Seeks New Ties during Washington Visit

ByHung Nguyen & Murray Hiebert

On July 24, 2013, Truong Tan Sang became the second Vietnamese president to visit the United States in the 18 years since the United States normalized diplomatic relations with Vietnam. The visit was designed to show three things: one, Vietnam continues to practice a policy of  diversification of its foreign relations; two, it does not want to be a victim of a ménage à trois between the United States, China, and itself; three,  Vietnamese leaders increasingly put a premium on strengthening relations with the United States, despite Hanoi’s insistence that it places equal value on its relations with all major powers. On the surface, the results of Sang’s trip and his meeting with Obama were positive, but less than anticipated. At the Shangri-la Dialogue, Prime Minister Dung expressed Vietnam’s desire to form “strategic partnerships” with all permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. Vietnam established strategic partnerships with Russia in 2001 and the United Kingdom in 2010.  Following Dung’s speech, Vietnam went on to sign “strategic partnership” agreements  with Indonesia and Thailand, and a “comprehensive strategic partnership” with China. Since the idea of a U.S.-Vietnam strategic partnership had been suggested by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton three years earlier, it was only natural that the two countries would announce a “strategic partnership” during Sang’s visit. In the end, the two leaders were only able to agree to form a “comprehensive partnership to provide an overarching framework for advancing the relationship.” Nonetheless, Sang and Obama agreed on a number of important developments. First, the two sides agreed on the establishment of a regular dialogue between their two foreign ministers in order to institutionalize high-level exchanges between the two countries. On the South China Sea, the joint statement was clearly favorable to Vietnam’s position in its dispute with China. It reiterated U.S. support for the settlement of disputes by peaceful means based on international law, and for the principle of non-use of force or threat of force in resolving territorial and maritime disputes. The two sides agreed to enhance cooperation (meaning possible consultation and coordination) at regional and international forums. Furthermore, two memoranda of understanding were signed between state-owned PetroVietnam with partners Exxon Mobil and Murphy Oil, respectively, indicating a commitment for U.S. energy developments off Vietnam’s coast. The outcomes of the visit were not as path-breaking as anticipated by some observers, but at the same time, each side achieved its strategic objectives to some extent. As a gesture of continued U.S. commitment to the region, President Obama agreed to visit Vietnam by the end of his term in 2016. Vietnam, meanwhile, is one step closer to consolidating its position among the world’s major powers.