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Activities of the Claimants

China

China slams ASEAN chief for South China Sea comments

China expressed anger on March 11th at the head of the ASEAN for comments he made on the South China Sea, rejecting Chinese claims based on the so-called nine-dash line. Le Luong Minh, ASEAN secretary-general, told the Manila Times recently that the grouping rejects China's policy of using the dotted line to assert its sovereignty over myriad islets and reefs in the sea. ASEAN's economic integration could also be affected by "any hostility or conflict" that could break out, he added. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said that China had always supported ASEAN's economic integration, but that ASEAN was not a party to the South China Sea dispute. "Mr. Le Luong Minh is the ASEAN secretary-general, and on the South China Sea issue has many times made partisan statements that do not accord with the facts nor suit his position," Hong told a daily news briefing. "This is a serious deviation from the neutral position ASEAN and its secretary-general ought to have on the relevant issue, and damages the image of ASEAN as a regional international organisation," he added.

China building second aircraft carrier

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China is building its second aircraft carrier, a senior naval officer has told media, the most explicit confirmation yet of a widely expected move that will boost Beijing’s maritime power. Senior colonel Liang Fang said China “accumulated a lot of experience” from the first vessel, the Liaoning, and told Internet portal Sohu it had now taken the “next step.” “The reason we imported the first aircraft carrier is so that we could be capable of building our own in the future,” she said. “And now, just like what some media have revealed, that is what we have done — built the second aircraft carrier,” added the officer, a professor at the National Defense University of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). China’s first aircraft carrier was a 300-meter (1,000-foot) Soviet-era vessel bought from Ukraine and commissioned in September 2012 — at the time a milestone for the country’s growing military might.

China's Xi calls for closer civil-military integration to boost army combativeness

Chinese President Xi Jinping on March 12th called to strengthen China's national defense and the combativeness of its armed forces, by greater civil-military integration. Xi, also chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks while joining a plenary meeting of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) delegation at the ongoing legislative session. He called for further integration of military and civilian undertakings that could cover multiple areas and generate high returns, and urged military and local authorities to advance work while taking into accounts the overall development of the entire Party and the country. Their work should follow the guidance from the central government and meet the market demands, Xi said, adding that a systematic mechanism that features effective incentives should be put in place. Calling civil-military integration a unique advantage enjoyed by Chinese armed forces, Xi urged the PLA to actively take part in and reinforce local economic and social development, and contribute to people's well-being through actual deeds.

China considers granting the so-called Sansha city local legislative power

National legislators proposed to grant the local legislative power to the so-called Sansha city, said the national legislature March 12th. The report was submitted to the presidium of the National People's Congress (NPC) annual session for review by the NPC Law Committee. The bill to revise the Legislation Law was tabled for the third reading at the session, after two readings by the NPC Standing Committee last year. The bill plans to expand local legislative power from the existing 49 cities to at least 284 nationwide. During the panel discussions, NPC deputies suggested that the so-called Sansha city is at the same administrative level as the 284 cities and is qualified to have the power, said Qiao Xiaoyang, the committee director, when delivering the report to the second meeting of the presidium. After discussions, the Law Committee decided to uphold this proposal, Qiao said.

The Philippines

Philippines concerned over China’s defense of South China Sea reclamation

The Philippine Defense Department on March 9th raised concerns over China’s reclamation projects in disputed areas in the South China Sea and its plan to substantially hike its military budget in the coming year. “They (China’s reclamation projects) will continue to cause the occurrence of miscalculation or accidents,” Galvez said in an interview. “It (possibility of miscalculations happening) becomes higher because of their insistence and their continuous aggressive stance in the region. This is a very serious concern,” he added. Galvez called on China to stop its construction activities in disputed areas, saying they violate the Declaration of the Code of Conduct (DOC) signed by claimants in 2002.

PHL to submit more evidence vs. China

The Philippines has completed its response, including maps, charts and “voluminous” documents, to additional questions raised by The Hague-based tribunal over Manila’s arbitration case against China, Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said on March 11th. Del Rosario said the Philippines’ reply, which was completed with the help of the government’s Washington-based legal counsels, would be submitted to the tribunal either on Friday, March 13th or on Monday, March 16th - the deadline set by the tribunal. “It has been completed already,” Del Rosario said. “We went there to take a look at the submission and we thought that the response was well made.” “There were 26 questions and we answered all of them. It includes maps and charts,” he added. “It’s voluminous.” Manila’s submission, he said, responds “to the queries raised by the tribunal on behalf of China because China declined to participate.” 

Indonesia

Indonesian navy sinks three Philippines fishing boats

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Personnel from the Eastern Fleet Command sunk three Philippines fishing boats in Navy Base waters in Sorong, West Papua, on March 11th. "The three boats entered the Indonesian marine territory by flying the Indonesian flag and using Indonesian names on them," the Commander of the Eastern Fleet Command, Rear Admiral Darwanto, stated. "The destruction of the three fishing boats by sinking was based on the Chairman of Sorong District Court No. 02/Pen.Pid/2015/PN.SON dated February 17, 2015," Darwanto said.

Malaysia

Malaysia to push drafting code of conduct with China to settle maritime dispute

Malaysian Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Hamzah Zainuddin said on March 12th that it was a crucial matter that had been repeatedly discussed between Asean countries as China had been seen as acting aggressively regarding the dispute. "The Asean countries will discuss with China to draft a Code of Conduct at South China Sea. "Malaysia as the chairman of Asean, will play an active role to ensure the matter is discussed comprehensively so all stakeholders regarding activities can be carried out peacefully, including China. "We will play our role so that the matter can be resolved amicably," he said.

India

India backs PH in China sea row

In a roundtable interview with editors and staff of The Manila Times on March 10th, Indian Ambassador to the Philippines Shri Lalduhthlana Ralte said New Delhi, like the Philippines, believes that the only viable and effective way to resolve the dispute is by subjecting the issue to international arbitration. South Asia’s use of international tribunals to settle maritime disputes, according to him, should be emulated in resolving the South China Sea dispute. “Our view with that such kind of disputes [is that], the claimant countries should observe international law and norms that disputes are to be settled peacefully. We should allow ourselves to be subjected to international law,” Ralte said.

The U.S.

U.S. criticizes China’s reclamation activites

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki on March 9th that Chinese land reclamation and construction work on disputed South China Sea islands were "fueling greater anxiety within the region about China's intentions." Washington said it will continue to raise its concerns with China and urged all parties to avoid destabilizing activities. "As we've said many times, we encourage all claimants to pursue peaceful and diplomatic approaches to maritime and territorial disputes in the South China Sea," Psaki told reporters at a daily briefing.

Regional Snapshots

Philippines, Malaysia want peace in disputed waters

The defense chiefs of the Philippines and Malaysia have reaffirmed their commitment to increase the level of defense cooperation as they stressed the importance of promoting peace in the South China Sea, a joint statement issued March 11th said. The two ministers reaffirmed the importance of promoting peace, security and stability, maritime security, unimpeded trade and freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea. "They underscored that disputes in the South China Sea should be resolved peacefully in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea," it added.

Vietnam, Philippines review cooperation in tackling oil spills

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The Vietnam Administration of Seas and Islands (VASI) organised a Vietnam-Philippines conference on March 10th to evaluate the implementation of bilateral cooperation in coping with oceanic oil spills and to outline future collaboration plans. According to VASI Deputy General Director Vu Si Tuan, the bilateral agreement on mitigating ocean oil spills, signed in October 2010, demonstrated both sides awareness of the significance of partnership in the management and use of seas and maritime resources. So far, Vietnam has actively coordinated with the Philippines to conduct activities in the framework of the agreement, contributing to enhancing the capacity of both countries in monitoring, detecting and responding to oil spills. The activities have also helped raise public awareness of environmental protection, said Tuan. Representatives from the Philippine Coast Guard held that the partnership between the two countries in handling oil spills has proven efficient. The Philippines proposed that the two countries increase their capacity to tackle oil spills by expanding personnel training, strengthening the collaboration mechanism and enhancing information sharing with other countries.

India-ASEAN maritime pact likely by year-end

Seeking deeper engagement with ASEAN, India on March 11th invited the powerful bloc to take advantage of its 'Make-in-India' initiative and invest in railways, ports, highways and smart cities besides forging closer ties in combating terrorism and other transnational crimes. Addressing the annual Delhi Dialogue on ASEAN-India partnership, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also identified maritime cooperation as a major area and said both sides have started talks on a maritime transport pact which could be firmed up by year-end. Talking about India's priorities for ASEAN, Swaraj said Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to "move with a great sense of priority and speed to transform India's hitherto 'Look East Policy' into an 'Act East Policy'." "We also have maritime boundaries with several ASEAN countries and this is particularly important from a trade perspective. We have started negotiations on an ASEAN-India Maritime Transport Cooperation Agreement and hope that it will be finalised by the end of the year," she said.