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Activities of the Claimants

China

China refutes Philippine accusations

Regarding Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose’s statement that “the Philippines already had an airport on Pag-Asa Island (Thitu Island) even before the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) was signed between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying said that “First, the Philippine side illegally seized some of the maritime features of China's Nansha Islands (Spratly islands) in the 1970s. Second, according to the basic principle of law "Ex injuria jus non oritur", the Chinese side does not recognize the "status quo" of Philippines' illegal occupation of relevant maritime features of the Nansha Islands, and opposes the unlawful construction carried out by the Philippines on maritime features. Third, the DOC requires the observation of all parties concerned. The Chinese side urges the Philippine side to end the malicious hyping and provocation in no time, meet China and a majority of ASEAN countries halfway, and jointly uphold peace and stability of the South China Sea.”

China opposes US annual report on Chinese military

Chinese Defense Ministry on May 9th expressed firm opposition to a Pentagon report on China's military development and security. The report played up "China's military threat" in disregard of facts and make groundless accusations of China's defense and military building, said Defense Ministry spokesperson Geng Yansheng in a statement. He said China was firmly opposed to the US accusations on issues such as the direction of China's defense policies and the so-called lack of transparency. The spokesperson said the report, released on May 9th by US Department of Defense, disregarded China's efforts to maintain global and regional peace and stability and promote China-US military relations, and distorted China's peaceful development strategies and its justified moves to uphold sovereignty in the East China Sea and South China Sea.

The Philippines

China warns Philippine military planes away from disputed sea area

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China has warned Philippine air force and navy planes at least six times to leave areas around the disputed South China Sea, the Philippine military commander responsible for the region told a Senate hearing on May 7th. While Vice Admiral Alexander Lopez gave no timeframe, a senior Philippine air force official told Reuters the warnings had come in the past three months. China could be "testing the waters" to see if it can enforce an air exclusion zone above the Spratly archipelago of the South China Sea, said the air force official, who declined to be identified. In response, China on May 8th said that it reserves the right to establish an Air Defense Identification Zone over the South China Sea. “China is entitled to set up ADIZs,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said. “A decision in this regard depends on whether the air safety is threatened and to what extent it is threatened.”

Aquino: PH has option for stopping China

Speaking at a joint briefing with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper at Parliament Hill, Philippine President Aquino said he would convene a meeting to discuss the “next avenue of approach,” which he could not reveal just yet, as soon as he returns to Manila from his three-city swing through Canada. “Are there any other things that we can do? Yes, but I am not at liberty to tell you at this point in time because I will probably be advertising to the other side how to counter the next move that we have, which I think is imprudent on our part,” he said. Regarding its arbitration, Mr. Aquino said any ruling by an international tribunal on the case that the Philippines has brought before it questioning China’s claim over 90 percent of the South China Sea region should serve as a guide to all parties. Any clarification in the ruling should become the basis for interaction of all parties, he added.

Vietnam

Vietnam requires China end violations of Vietnamese sovereignty

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Vietnam once again requests China to immediately end its construction and expansion on reef islands belonging to Vietnam in the South China Sea, stated Foreign Ministry Spokesman Le Hai Binh on May 8th. He replied to reporters’ queries on Vietnam’s response to several statements by China that Vietnam has made large-scale encroachments and expansions on reef islands, which, it said, are being “occupied” by Vietnam. “Vietnam has sufficient legal and historical evidence to affirm its sovereignty, sovereignty right and jurisdiction in the South China Sea in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),” Binh told reporters. Asked to comment on reports that the Chinese Permanent Mission to the United Nations recently sent diplomatic notes to other countries’ permanent missions asserting its sovereignty and relevant claims on the South China Sea and describing its construction on reef islands is rightful and legitimate, the spokesman said that these points of view are inaccurate and have no whatsoever legal, historical and factual grounds. On April 30, the Vietnamese Permanent Mission to the UN sent diplomatic notes to all countries’ permanent missions to the UN to reject the Chinese points of view, he added.

Cambodia

Cambodia objects attempts to use ASEAN to settle territorial disputes

A Cambodian government official on May 7th reiterated the country's position on the South China Sea disputes, saying that the territorial disputes must be resolved bilaterally between China and claimant states, not between ASEAN and China. "We do not support any attempt by some ASEAN countries to use the ASEAN to settle the territorial disputes because ASEAN is not a legal or judicial body," Soeung Rathchavy, Foreign Affairs Ministry Secretary of State in charge of ASEAN Affairs, told reporters after she briefed to ambassadors and representatives of more than 20 countries to Cambodia about the outcome of the recent 26th ASEAN Summit in Malaysia. "Cambodia's position on the South China Sea is still the same: The territorial claims must be settled by bilateral parties or all parties related in the disputes," she said.

Regional Snapshots

ASEAN committed to maritime security

Speaking to reporters after attending the second Asean-European Union (EU) High-Level Dialogue here May 6th, Maritime Institute of Malaysia chairman Vice-Admiral Tan Sri Ahmad Ramli Nor said although the South China Sea dispute was a problem in the region, the security of the waters surrounding the region must be maintained. “Members (of Asean) know that securing the waters here is not one man’s job and constant information sharing and cooperation are necessary,” he said.

Philippines, Japan coast guards hold anti-piracy drills

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Philippine and Japanese coast guard teams staged an anti-piracy drill on May 6th, featuring the storming of a cargo vessel after a mock hijack, in a show of maritime cooperation between the two nations amid rising tension in Asian waters. Japan has been helping the Philippines improve its skills in maritime law enforcement, safety and environment protection, Captain Koichi Kawagoe of Japan's coast guard told reporters. "This exercise is for mutual interest, such as pirates and illegal trafficking, drug trafficking, firearms trafficking," Kawagoe said, adding that Japan was ready to help Southeast Asian nations, even in the disputed South China Sea. "As long as the incident is related to piracy, we will coordinate our efforts."

US approves S$173m deal to upgrade Singapore's F-16 jets

The United States has approved a US$130 million (S$173 million) deal to upgrade Singapore’s fleet of F-16 fighter jets, the Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced on May 7th. The items in the proposed sale include transponders, missile launchers, global positioning systems and spare and repair parts, to upgrade 60 of the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s (RSAF) F-16 aircraft, said DSCA in a news release. The deal will also include technical and logistics support services and personnel training and training equipment. “The upgrades will address reliability, supportability, and combat effectiveness concerns associated with its ageing F-16 fleet,” said DSCA.