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Activities of the Claimants

China

China conducts mine-clearance drill in South China Sea

The Chinese navy has conducted a mine clearance drill in formation in the South China Sea for the first time, according to a navy's statement. A maritime garrison command of the Nanhai Fleet on July 28th successfully detonated a number of smart mines during the designated time period in a drill. The garrison command approached the mines in varied formations corresponding to different sailing conditions and ocean currents. After hours of searching, the flotilla discovered a number of smart mines hundreds of meters away, and detonated them upon the commander's order.

China to exploit combustible ice in South China Sea in 2017

New plans are being worked out by Chinese authorities to exploit so-called 'combustible ice' in the South China Sea in 2017. The suggestion has been made at an international conference on Gas Hydrates in Beijing. Zhang Haiqi is a director with the China Geological Survey. "China is one of the few countries with great prospects for the resource in the world. There are about 10-billion tons of oil equivalent on both the land and sea, which is equal to the total amount of oil and natural gas reserves in China." 'Combustible ice' is essentially solidified methane. Originally only thought to be found on the outer reaches of the solar system, scientists have since discovered significant pockets of 'combustible ice' underneath the world's sea beds. One cubic meter of 'combustible ice' has the energy equivalent of over 160 cubic meters of natural gas. The initial plan is to begin exploiting 'combustible ice' in the South China Sea in the next 3-years.

Nearly 9,000 Chinese fishing boats off the South China Sea

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According to Xinhua, 8,994 Chinese fishing boats back to sea after two and a half month suspension of the ban on fishing for the government of this country made. The ban applies from 16/5 to 1/8, on the waters of Vietnam's sovereignty. According to Reuters, by the end of last year, China's homegrown Beidou satellite system had been installed on more than 50,000 Chinese fishing boats, according to official media. On Hainan, China's gateway to the South China Sea, boat captains have paid no more than 10 percent of the cost. The government has paid the rest.

Vietnam

Vietnam calls on parties to not complicate South China Sea issue

All actions taken by parties in the South China Sea must abide by international law, Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Hai Binh said on July 31st in reply to a question on China’s on-going military exercise in the Gulf of Tonkin from July 27th-August 1st. He said all actions of parties in the South China Sea must comply with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. He continued to say that all parties should not complicate the situation and not affect peace, stability, security and safety of navigation and aviation in the region. According to the spokesman, the activities by Vietnam’s law enforcement authorities at sea and fishermen are taking place normally.

The Philippines

Philippine defense expenditure to rise by 30% in 2015

The government of Philippine President Benigno Aquino III is seeking to increase its military spending by nearly 30 percent on year to 115.5 billion pesos (2.66 billion U.S. dollars) in 2015. The hike in defense expenditure is contained in the proposed 2. 6 trillion pesos (60.04 billion U.S. dollars) budget for 2015 submitted by Aquino to Philippine Congress on July 30th. The proposed budget next year represents 18.4 percent of the country's gross domestic product and is 15.1 percent higher than the 2014 budget of 2.26 trillion pesos (52.3 billion U.S. dollars).

Philippines to propose no action to raise tension in sea disputes

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The Philippines will propose a freeze on all activity that raises tension in disputed waters in the South China Sea as part of a three-part plan at a regional security meeting next month, Manila's foreign minister said on July 29th. Southeast Asian foreign ministers will hold security talks with various counterparts including those from the United States, China and the European Union in Myanmar next month, with escalating sea disputes in Asia likely to be a main issue." We have this plan to submit a suggestion on a moratorium and that would be the immediate approach to the exacerbating problems in the South China Sea," Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said after meeting Catherine Ashton, European Union foreign policy chief. "It's constructive, it's positive and it's comprehensive. No one will quarrel with you on that right to get a moratorium on exacerbating situation there and ultimately to manage tension."

DFA Statement

China spying on RIMPAC brings 'good news'

A decision by China to spy on a U.S.-led military exercise could be a positive sign, according to the leader of American forces in the Pacific. The Chinese navy is participating in RIMPAC — the world’s largest multinational naval exercise — for the first time this year after being invited by the United States. But Beijing also sent an auxiliary general intelligence ship off the coast of Hawaii to monitor the event. “The good news about this is it’s a recognition, I think, or acceptance by the Chinese that what we’ve been saying to them for some time is that military operations and survey operations in another country’s [maritime zones] are within international law and are acceptable, and this is a fundamental right that nations have,” Adm. Samuel Locklear III, the commander of U.S. Pacific Command, told reporters at the Pentagon on July 29th.

US Congressman Introduce Legislation on Asia-Pacific Maritime Disputes

Rep. J. Randy Forbes (VA-04), Chairman of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, and Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (HI-01), a Member of the House Armed Services Committee, on July 31st introduced a bipartisan resolution reaffirming U.S. support for freedom of navigation in the Asia-Pacific region and urging the peaceful resolution of outstanding territorial disputes. “It has been a privilege working with Rep. Hanabusa over the last year on security issues in the Asia-Pacific,”Congressman Forbessaid. “This resolution affirms the fundamental U.S. national interest in freedom of navigation and the peaceful resolution of territorial disputes, both of which have been repeatedly challenged by China’s efforts to coercively alter the status quo in the region. This recent behavior has reinforced an important truth: the United States must remain actively engaged in the Asia-Pacific to ensure the continuance of the peace and prosperity that have defined that region for the last six decades.”

US to South China Sea claimants: Set good example

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Rival claimants over areas of the South China Sea should build "habits" of cooperation and work on building strong institutions to address "dangerous" maritime disputes, the United States said. State Assistant Secretary Daniel Russel, the top policymaker for East Asia, said the Philippines, Vietnam, Japan and China must influence each other to take steps to resolve the sea row. "The claimants are the ones who must manage and settle the disputes. They are the ones who must generate the peer pressure—who must hold themselves to high standards, and then set an example for each other," Russel told public affairs forum Commonwealth Club in California on July 29th. The US has encouraged involved parties to sit down and define and voluntarily freeze problematic activities in the waters without prejudicing their competing claims, Russel said. "We are urging China and the other claimants to have a conversation about what activities are acceptable to each of them—both to help reduce tensions now, and manage differences in the long run," Russel said.

Regional Snapshots

Singapore, US kick off joint military exercise in South China Sea

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The naval forces of Singapore and United States will carry out joint exercises in the international waters of the South China Sea as part of this year's Exercise CARAT (Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training), which begins on July 29th. This year's exercise will involve a total of 1,400 personnel from both countries. They include six ships, a submarine, a naval helicopter and eight aircraft from the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) and the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF), as well as three ships, a submarine and four naval helicopters from the US Navy (USN) and the US Marine Corps. Vice-Admiral Robert Thomas of the USN Seventh Fleet said the joint exercises are in line with America's "rebalancing" of forces in the Asia-Pacific and its commitment to freedom of access on the seas in the region. The USN's warships and aircraft will work together with the RSN and the RSAF during the joint exercise.

Japan offers vessels to Vietnam to boost its sea strength

Japan will give six navy boats to Vietnam to boost its patrols and surveillance in the South China Sea, Japan's foreign minister said on August 1st, in the latest sign of a strengthening of alliances between states locked in maritime rows with China. The used vessels, worth 500 million yen ($4.86 million), would be accompanied by training and equipment to help the coastguard and fisheries surveillance effort, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said after talks with Vietnamese counterpart Pham Binh Minh. "International security is getting more complicated... prosperity only comes with stability in the South China Sea and the East China Sea," Kishada told a news conference in Hanoi. "I hope this equipment will strengthen the ability of Vietnam's coastal enforcement authorities."

Vietnam, France discuss ways to boost ties

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh July 30th held phone talks with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, which saw agreement on a number of measures to strengthen the Viet Nam-France strategic partnership. The two countries will increase exchanges of delegation at all levels, while expanding co-operation in economics, defence, energy, education and training, and culture, with both sides lauding the success of the Vietnamese Culture Year in France.

East Sea (South China Sea) Studies