18/07/2011
- (Financial Times 19/7) US senators warn Beijing on S China Sea: - (Inquirer Global Nation 19/7) ‘Serious concern’ as West Philippine Sea tensions rise: “We discussed in depth the recent developments in the South China Sea and expressed serious concern over the recent incidents.” - (VOA 19/7) ASEAN Foreign Ministers Discuss South China Sea Dispute: ASEAN foreign ministers spent much of their meeting Tuesday debating efforts to resolve conflicting claims over reserves of oil and gas in the South China Sea; ASEAN Ministers Urged to Pursue Early Agreement on China Sea: foreign ministers were urged to speed up talks with China on a binding code of conduct for the South China Sea at the start of their annual gathering in Bali Tuesday. - (Channel News Asea 19/7) ASEAN “needs to see progress on South China Sea row”: ASEAN is expected to finalise a regional code of conduct for the South China Sea before its next summit in November. - (Nikkei.com 19/7) Indonesian Defense Chief Seeks Multilateral Talks On Island Row: The territorial dispute in the South China Sea should be resolved through multilateral discussions that include the U.S. - (Gulf Times 20/7) Philippines to seek UN arbitration: “The Philippines said yesterday it plans to seek UN arbitration of its conflicting claims with China over parts of the South China Sea, as tensions in the resource-rich region again rose.” - (BBC English 19/7) Philippine MPs to visit disputed Spratly islands:“According to one of the congressmen, Walden Bello, this is a private trip to meet residents and soldiers stationed there and to support the territorial claims of the Philippines.” - (Iquirer Global Nation 19/7) The Spratlys are worth dying for: “While these real estate may appear worthless, beneath are vast deposits of gold — black gold — oil. Natural gas is also present in huge quantities as evidenced by the Malampaya example.” - (Reuters 19/7) The China Challenge: A strategic vision for U.S.-India relations: “Indian policymakers are scrambling to develop effective policies to cope with a rising China by simultaneously pursuing both a robust diplomatic strategy aimed at encouraging peaceful resolution of border disputes and forging strong trade and economic ties and an ambitious military modernisation campaign that will build Indian air, naval, and missile capabilities.” - (Yonhap News 19/7) S. Korea to keep neutral stance on South China Sea dispute: “South Korea will maintain a neutral stance on rising tensions in the South China Sea at this week’s security conference of Asian and Western powers in Indonesia, officials said Tuesday.” - (China Daily 19/7) China’s peaceful rise is beyond doubt: In fact, it is highly possible to resolve the South China Sea disputes and other issues through peaceful means. Peaceful resolution of disputes will be an important symbol of China's rise. - (Diplomat 19/7) Law and the South China Sea: To help control potential armed conflicts in the South China Sea, ASEAN has recently pressed China to conclude a Code of Conduct (COC) to replace the Declaration of Conduct (DOC) of Parties in the South China Sea that was signed between ASEAN and China in 2002. - (New York Times 18/7) China’s Treasury Holdings Make U.S. Woes Its Own: However grim Washington’s debt and deficit negotiations may seem to Americans, the impasse is nearly as disturbing for China. - (Council on Foreign Relations 19/7) The U.S. and China—Dialogue or Diatribe?: Is it ritualized noise or does China really mean it? - (Chosunilbo 19/7) Chinese Military Chief’s Rudeness Bodes Ill for the Future: “Chen’s comments were discourteous and violated diplomatic protocol.” - (VOA 18/7) South China Sea Dispute High Priority for ASEAN: Surin says addressing the dispute among China, Taiwan and ASEAN member states Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam about competing claims to large reserves of oil and gas in the South China Sea will be a high priority for ASEAN. - (Asia News 18/7) South China Sea: Vietnam wants ASEAN as forum for negotiations: “Vietnam now wants the issue of sovereignty to be debated in an international forum and has called on the United States and ASEAN to play a role in finding a peaceful solution through negotiations that would also guarantee free shipping in the sea”. - (China Daily 18/7) Tensions remain even after Mullen’s visit: three major conflicts between the two sides regarding the South China Sea: the term "free navigation", US joint naval drills and Beijing’s insistance on one-on-one basis of dispute settlement. - (The Diplomat 18/7) Why China Wants South China Sea: “from a submariner’s perspective, the semi-closed sea is integral to China’s nuclear strategy. And without understanding the nuclear dimension of the South China Sea disputes, China’s maritime expansion makes little sense”;
- America’s ‘Munich Moment’?: “Another way of looking at the South China Sea, then, is this: has Beijing built up a similarly unambiguous record of aggression, rendering any compromise between the United States and China a sellout of friendly Southeast Asian governments—a result Washington ought to foresee and avert?
And ChinaDaily’s feedback: America's 'Munich moment'?“It seems unlikely the United Stateswill appoint itself spokesperson for Asian governments in the South China Sea, according to James Holmes, associate professor of strategy at the USNavalWarCollege, in an article on the website of The Diplomat on July 17, 2011”.
- (AFP 18/7) Filipinos fly flag in South China Sea: Residents are attracted there by the government-provided jobs and housing, as well as the free provisions of essentials such as rice, cooking oil, sugar, noodles and canned food.”
- (GMA News 17/7) Acquisition of PHL’s biggest warship won’t alarm China — Palace: the impending arrival of the Philippines’ newest and biggest warship, the BRP Gregorio del Pilar, which will patrol areas near the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), is not likely to agitate China.
- (Project Syndicate 14/7) Building Pax Asia-Pacifica, by Fidel V. Ramos: a more comprehensive Pax Asia-Pacifica built on inclusiveness and burden-sharing will be durable only if it is based on a balance of mutual benefits rather than on the balance of power.
- (M&C 17/7) PREVIEW: South China Sea disputes on front burner at regional meet: “Natalegawa said the Bali meeting would work on drawing up a more binding code of conduct. He said ‘I’m not pessimistic that we can make significant progress if all sides have goodwill,’. ASEAN wants to complete the negotiation for the code of conduct before a summit in November.”
- (Israel National News 17/7) Tensions Between Washington and Beijing on Many Issues: the sensitivity persists as can be gleaned from a number of recent rough spots in the relationship although China and the United States have made attempts to dampen down the tensions between them.
- (Korea Times 17/7) Seoul-Beijing Defense ties: South Korean and Chinese defense ministers have agreed to strengthen military cooperation between the two countries.
- (Govtrack 15/7) Text of H. Res. 352: Calling for a peaceful and collaborative resolution of maritime territorial disputes in the South China Sea
-(Vnexpress 6/6) Vietnam urges countries to abide by laws as US proposes sanctions in South China Sea: All sides need to make positive contributions to the maintenance of peace, security, safety, maritime and aviation freedom in the East Sea, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said Thursday. -(Straitstimes...
-(VNExpress 5/5) Vietnam rejects China's fishing ban in SCS: The foreign ministry has condemned China for violating Vietnam's sovereignty by imposing a unilateral fishing ban in the South China Sea. -(Strait Times 4/5) Philippine court orders government to protect SCS: This was prompted by a petition...
-(AP 22/4) Recent Developments Surrounding the SCS -(Reuters 20/4) China to show new warships as Beijing flexes military muscle on navy anniversary: The PLA Navy ship and aircraft to be revealed at Tuesday’s naval parade are the Liaoning aircraft carrier, new types of nuclear submarines, new types...
-(SCMP 5/4) Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte tells China to ‘lay off’ island in disputed SCS: This follows a statement made by the foreign affairs ministry calling the presence of Chinese boats near Thitu Island illegal. -(Nikkei 4/4) Philippines hits out at China's 'swarming' SCS ships: The...