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Activities of the Claimants

China

Xi advocates efforts to boost China's maritime power

Chinese President Xi Jinping has championed efforts to build China into a maritime power, adding that the country will pursue "converging interests" with other countries in oceanic development. At a study session with members of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee on July 30th, Xi called for efforts to learn more about and further manage maritime development. China will safeguard its maritime rights and interests, and make overall plans and take all factors into consideration, he said. Xi said China will adhere to the path of peaceful development, but "in no way will the country abandon its legitimate rights and interests, nor will it give up its core national interests."

Meizhou ship commissioned to South China Sea Fleet

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A ceremony for the commissioning, naming and flag-presenting of the new-type guided missile frigate "Meizhou" of the Navy of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLAN) was held on the morning of July 30, 2013 at a naval port in Sanya in south China's Hainan province, marking that the ship is officially commissioned to the South China Sea Fleet of the PLAN. The "Meizhou" ship (Side Number: 584) is a new-generation light guided missile frigate independently developed by China.

Shell in new PSC with CNOOC for South China Sea oil, gas block

Oil major Royal Dutch Shell and China's CNOOC Ltd announced a new production sharing contract on August 1st to explore for oil and gas in an offshore block in the South China Sea. Block 35/10, in the Yinggehai Basin west of Hainan Island in southern China, covers a total area of 3,427 square kilometres with water depth of 80-110 meters, the companies said.

Chinese FM: South China Sea disputes could be solved with three ways together

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi proposed on August 2nd three ways to solve the South China Sea disputes, and saying these three ways could be processing simultaneously. Meeting with Surukiat Sathirathai, Chairman of Asia Peace Reconciliation Council and former Thai Deputy Prime Minister, Wang proposed three ways to solve the disputes. First, he said, is to reach agreement through consultation and negotiation between direct parties concerned. He stressed that this is the fundamental way and the only way that can lead to final solution. The second way is to continue to implement the Declaration of the Conduct of the South China Sea, while gradually push forward the consultations on the Conduct Code of the South China Sea. The third way, the Chinese Foreign Minister said that searching for ways of common exploitation. He said that it took time to find a final solution for the South China Sea disputes, before that the parties concerned should jointly searching for ways of common exploitation on win-win and mutual beneficial basis.

China strongly opposes U.S. Senate resolution on maritime disputes: spokeswoman

China strongly opposes a U.S. Senate resolution on disputes in the East China Sea and South China Sea, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said August 1st. Spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the resolution places blame on the Chinese side without regard for history and fact, "sending the wrong message." "We urge relevant U.S. senators to respect the facts and correct their mistakes so as not to make matters and the regional situation more complicated," she added.

Taiwan rules out compromise in dispute with Philippines

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The Taiwanese government will maintain its stance in a dispute with the Philippines over the shooting death of a Taiwanese fisherman by Filipino coast guard personnel in early May, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) spokeswoman Anna Kao said July 30th. "We hope to settle the dispute appropriately and our top concern is the pursuit of justice for the bereaved family of the dead fisherman," Kao said. The government will not heedlessly make compromises in seeking solutions to the row, she added.

The Philippines

US assisting Philippines in sea patrol

The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed on July 30th that unmanned US Navy surveillance planes conduct patrols to help monitor activities in Philippine waters, particularly in the South China Sea. DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez said US drones fly over Philippine waters during joint military exercises with the United States. Hernandez said the joint exercises involve the use of P3C Orion aircraft and are aimed at upgrading the skills of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. “We need to tap every resource available to know what is going on in our seas,” he added.

Philippines to buy old French Navy vessel

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In a bid to boost its offshore search and rescue capabilities, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is set to acquire a 26-year-old former French Navy vessel worth 6 million euros (about P345.5 million). According to Coast Guard commandant Rear Adm. Rodolfo Isorena, the new acquisition would be very useful in the performance of the agency’s functions, including maritime law enforcement, safety and  environmental protection. He said the 54.8-meter French Navy vessel “La Tapageuse” is multifunctional and would be a major contribution to the PCG fleet.

Malaysia

Malaysia wants best possible resolution for East Sea issue

Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman has affirmed his country’s consistent stand to want the best possible resolution of the East Sea issue to maintain friendship and cordial relations in the region. Anifah told reporters after a meeting with his visiting Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Putrajaya on August 1st that all parties should rely on international laws and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). All parties must respect the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), signed in 2002 by ASEAN and Chinese foreign ministers, he added.

The U.S.

US Senate adopts resolution on East Sea disputes

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The US Senate has approved Senate Resolution 167, which calls for a peaceful settlement of disputes in the East Sea and East China Sea with overwhelming majority. The document was sponsored by Senator Robert Menendez with Senators Bob Corker, Marco Antonio Rubio and Ben Cardin, under the Asia-Pacific Sub-committee, being the co-authors. The resolution urges countries contesting ownership of parts of the two sea areas to create and approve a code of conduct to avoid conflicts.

Source

Aggressive Chinese territorial claims bring risks: U.S. general

Aggressive moves by China to assert territorial claims run the risk of "miscalculations" but are also helping Washington strengthen ties with other countries in the region, the general who oversees U.S. air forces in the Pacific said on July 29th. "Being fairly aggressive runs the risk of creating the potential for miscalculation," Air Force General Herbert Carlisle told defense reporters in Washington. "That's something we think about every day."

US Senate calls for peace in South China Sea

American Senator Robert Menendez, chairman of the foreign relations committee, said  the disputes in East and South China Seas are brought about by jockeying for position in a region that will become the center of trade and commerce in the coming years. The territorial disputes at play in the Asia-Pacific region today are not about the past, but very much about the future of a region poised to serve as an epicenter for global economic development for the 21st century," Menendez said in a statement on July 31st. Calling for peace in the seas, Menendez said  the US will intervene through diplomacy in the disputes mainly involving China's claims over territories that the Philippines, Vietnam and Japan affirm as theirs.

U.S. raises military assistance to the Philippines

Washington will raise its military assistance to the Philippines by about two-thirds, Manila's foreign ministry said on July 31st, helping its oldest security ally in Asia defend vast maritime borders against what it sees as Chinese assertiveness. Albert Del Rosario said Washington had increased its military assistance package from $30 million next fiscal year to about $50 million, the highest level since U.S. troops returned to the Philippines in 2000. "For military financing, it's an allocation that is worked out by the U.S. Congress, and its usually for acquisition and maintenance," Del Rosario told reporters.

Regional Snapshots

ASEAN, China hold forum on relations, South China Sea disputes

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Thailand hosted a high-level forum 2nd August on the 10th anniversary of the ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership to review relations and cooperation over the past decade.  Thai Foreign Minister Surapong Tovijakchaikul, in opening remarks, hailed the "close relationship" between ASEAN and China and said he expected further cooperation in future. On territorial disputes in the South China Sea among and between some ASEAN members and China, Surapong urged the parties to resolve their differences peacefully and work toward regional peace and stability. "We should not let this issue be a barometer of ASEAN-China relations...we need to transform a sea of uncertainty and mistrust into a sea of shared interests and cooperation," he said.

Philippines, Vietnam vow cooperation to resolve sea row with China

The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said that at the 7th Meeting of the Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) held in the Philippines, Vietnam and the Philippines vowed to cooperate in ensuring rule of law in the South China Sea. They both agreed to push for "peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with international law" including United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), and expediting the early conclusion of a regional code of conduct (COC).

Japan coast guard vessel visits Vietnam

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The Japanese coast guard training vessel, KOJIMA, docked at Tien Sa port on July 30th for a visit to the central city of Da Nang. The ship’s crew of 82 officers, sailors and cadets, including some cadets from the Philippines and Singapore, are expected to pay courtesy visits to the city’s officials and Vietnam’s Marine Police officers. They will join in sport exchanges with the Marine Police Zone II’s officers and soldiers.

Chinese Foreign Minister visits Vietnam to boost ties

Measures speeding up the implementation of the reached agreements, especially the action plan to realise Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership dominated talks between Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Hanoi on August 4th. Mentioning the East Sea issue, the FMs affirmed the settlement of all disputes through peaceful and friendly negotiations and the handling of emerging problems with a constructive attitude, not letting these matters affect the two countries’ friendship and cooperation as well as peace and stability in the East Sea. 

Commentaries & Analyses

Russia-Vietnam Cooperation In The Asia Pacific

By Sadhavi Chauhan

Russian Defence Minister General Sergei Shoigu’s visit to Hanoi in April this year proved crucial for Russo-Vietnamese maritime ties. Both sides formally agreed to Russian help in revamping Vietnam’s centrally situated Cam Ranh port. Along with an agreement for the use of Russian personnel and support ships for the upgradation of naval facilities at Cam Ranh, leaders of the two countries have also decided to set up a commercial repair facility at the port. While these developments are important, it was Russia’s conclusion of an agreement to supply Vietnam with six Kilo-class diesel submarines last year that marked a watershed moment in Russo-Vietnamese naval cooperation. Worth $3.2 billion, this is the largest deal in Russia’s history of defence exports. What makes it all the more crucial is that it comes in the wake of Vietnam’s ongoing territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea- one of the major Sea Lines of Communication (SLOC) in the Asia Pacific. Officials in Moscow have chosen to justify Russia’s maritime cooperation with Vietnam on the basis of its support for the principle of freedom of navigation, provided for by article 87(1) a of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Russia’s Defence Minister General Sergei Shoigu during his visit to Vietnam explained Moscow’s position: “but Russia, like other maritime powers, has a stake in freedom of navigation. Russia will react to any challenge to this freedom in the same way that the United States, Japan, and India have done by asserting Russian rights under international law.” Despite such official explanation establishing Moscow’s intentions to stay out of the territorial disputes in the South China Sea, the nature of its involvement, particularly its maritime cooperation with Vietnam, suggests otherwise. Russia’s pivot towards the Asia-Pacific is guided as much by its desire to economically integrate with the world’s economic powerhouse as also to find new allies in a region that is seeing rising geopolitical contestations.

Why does Philippines need to secure its nearby shoals?

By Jose Antonio A. Custodio

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Recently, a Chinese general, Major General Zhang Zhaozhong spoke about a cabbage strategy which called for layers of defenses in Chinese claims at the South China Sea which would be set up following the ouster of Philippine presence in the area. China’s strategy for the area of which the shoals play a very important role is to provide a capability for the Chinese to interdict Philippine lines of communication between metropolitan Philippines and its garrisons at the SCS. Philippine supply runs to and from the (Kalayaan Islands Group) KIG will be put to an end through a series of intimidations and threats ranging from statements coming from Beijing to harassments by PLA Navy. If China manages to secure Co May Shoal, it will be a dagger pointed at both the garrisons at the KIG and at military and civilian installations at Palawan itself. The construction of a Chinese garrison at Co May Shoal will provide them with a means to effectively restrict Philippine vessels to Palawan’s immediate coasts and interfere with freedom of navigation there as Beijing will naturally project 200 nautical miles from it towards the Philippines as part of its own definition of an EEZ. Worse is what a Chinese presence at Scarborough Shoal represents for the Philippines. Although Manila simply saw that shoal as either a fishing area or even as a former training area of the Americans during the time of the bases, what it failed to realize is that this maritime geographic feature is a threat toward the centers of gravity of the Philippines. Consider that the shoal is a mere 124 nautical miles away from Subic, Zambales, which is a major economic and military hub of the Philippines. It is also near Clark Airport and Metro Manila with its extensive transport hubs as well as being the capital of the Philippines. What will stop the Chinese from using Scarborough Shoal as a forward operating base to initially monitor Philippine movements, contain them eventually, and even threaten them through the deployment of area denial missiles once structures are built there? Although Scarborough in Chinese hands serves to threaten the global commons in terms of commerce and freedom of navigation, it has an even more sinister role in threatening the political and economic centers of gravity of the Philippines itself.

New coastguard a show of China's strength

By Jane Perlez

Recently, China launched its revamped coastguard and immediately sent four ships, emblazoned with the new red, white and blue logo, to patrol waters off disputed islands in the nearby East China Sea. The message was clear: China planned to use the new unified paramilitary vessels to keep pressure on Japan over sovereignty of the tiny islands, a matter which has riled relations between the two countries. The merger of four Chinese maritime units into one superagency was announced in March. The actual creation of the new force has been nervously awaited in the Asia Pacific region as another sign of China's fast-growing maritime capability and its determination to enforce claims in the South China Sea, as well as the East China Sea. A senior Chinese navy official, Zhang Junshe, vice-president of the Naval Research Institute, hailed the unification of China's maritime law enforcement agencies under a new National Oceanic Administration as the creation of an ''iron fist'' that would replace ineffective operations scattered among a number of agencies. The new coastguard is a ''positive development'', said Susan L. Shirk, a former deputy assistant secretary of state. Vessels belonging to the fisheries law enforcement agency have been particularly aggressive in the South China Sea in the past few years, and this kind of behaviour may be modified under the new structure, she said. ''It's good for China's neighbours and the United States, because we know who is responsible and who we can hold responsible,'' Ms Shirk said. ''As they develop a sense of professionalism in accordance with international law, it should make for lower risk of accidents.'' In some respects, the reinforced coastguard, even as it plays an important role in territorial disputes, should not be a concern, said Lyle J. Goldstein, associate professor at the China Maritime Studies Institute of the US Naval War College. ''Of the 10 biggest ports in the world, more than half are in China,'' Mr Goldstein said. ''They have some of the busiest sea lanes in the world. Even putting the disputes aside, there are still legitimate safety, environmental and management reasons for these enhanced capabilities.''