by Admin | May 27, 2014 | News
(BGF) – China insisted that its activities in the South China Sea were the “inherent right of the country” and that they are all “in accordance with international law and historical evidence”‘, neglected the U.S., Japan and other regional powers’ urges to address conflicting territorial claims in the South China Sea based on international law, not with threats or historical claims.
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U.S., Japan press China to respect int’l law over S. China Sea row
July 12,2012 | By Ko Hirano and Varunee Torsricharoen
(Photo Credit: AFP)
Phnom Penh (Kyodo) – The United States, Japan and other regional powers pressed China at a regional security forum on Thursday to address conflicting territorial claims in the South China Sea based on international law, not with threats or historical claims.
Foreign ministers of the 27-member ASEAN Regional Forum expressed hope that Beijing and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations will launch negotiations at an early time for a binding “code of conduct,” a set of rules to regulate claimant states’ activities and behavior in the South China Sea, delegates said.
“We believe the nations of the region should work collaboratively and diplomatically to resolve disputes without coercion, without intimidation, without threats and certainly without the use of force,” U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said at a news conference after the ARF ended.
“No nation can fail to be concerned by the increase in tensions, the uptick in confrontational rhetoric and disagreements over resource exploitation,” Clinton said.
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by Admin | May 27, 2014 | News
(BGF) – The Philippines’ Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said in a press briefing that the Philippines will “secure sovereignty” if it is challenged, as the Inquirer reported. The remark is made after the Philippines Navy surveillance plane found eight Chinese fishing boats anchored inside the Scarborough Shoal, which is protected by two Chinese maritime surveillance ships.
Click here to read the full article or visit the Inquirer’s website.
Philippines to ‘secure sovereignty’ if challenged by China
April 11, 2012
A view of Chinese surveillance ships in a standoff with a Philippine warship on the Scarborough Shoal after eight Chinese fishing boats were caught poaching in the disputed territory. The photo was presented by Vice Admiral Alexander Pama, flag officer-in-command, during a press briefing Wednesday April 11, 2012, at the Department of Foreign Affairs. (Photo Credit: PHILIPPINE NAVY HANDOUT)
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines will defend its sovereignty if challenged by China, Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said Wednesday as a Philippine warship was locked in a standoff with two Chinese vessels.
“If the Philippines is challenged, we are prepared to secure our sovereignty,” Del Rosario told reporters in a briefing at the Department of Foreign Affairs.
At the same time, Del Rosario said the Philippines has filed a diplomatic protest.
Del Rosario said he and Chinese Ambassador Ma Keqing met at the DFA earlier in the day to discuss the situation.
A statement from the Department of Foreign Affairs said the confrontation happened two days after a Philippine Navy surveillance plane found the eight Chinese fishing boats anchored inside the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal on April 8.
According to the DFA, the Panatag Shoal is an integral part of Philippine territory.
“The Shoal is 124 nautical miles from the nearest basepoint in Zambales province. It is within the Philippines’ 200 nautical miles Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and Continental Shelf,” the DFA said.
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This situation has remained unchanged as of Wednesday morning, the DFA noted.
by Admin | May 27, 2014 | News
(BGF) – Joshep Santolan for the World Socialist Web site reported that tension escalated in the South China Sea after the Philippines government announced that it would deploy the oil exploration plan in the waters which are also claimed by China. Vietnam also alleged Chinese naval forces to assault 11 Vietnamese fishermen as they sought shelter from a storm in the Paracel Islands. China rejected Manila’s right to explore oil and gas and denied Hanoi’s allegation.
Click here to read the full story or visit the World Socialist’s website.
South China Sea tensions mount as Manila prepares to drill for oil
March 02, 2012 | By Joseph Santolan
Tense rivalry in the South China Sea escalated over the past week. The Philippine government announced it would go ahead with plans to open several quadrants of the disputed waters for oil drilling in coming months. The Vietnamese government denounced the Chinese naval forces for conducting “an assault” on 11 fishermen seeking refuge in a storm. The Chinese foreign ministry rejected Manila’s right to drill for oil and denied Hanoi’s allegations.
Behind all these tensions lie the machinations of Washington, which has ratcheted up its pressure on Beijing militarily, economically and politically throughout the region.
On Tuesday Jose Almendras, Secretary of the Philippine Department of Energy, announced that the Philippines had invited major foreign oil corporations to invest an estimated $US7.5 billion in exploration. Two of the proposed sites are in the vicinity of the Reed Bank and are also claimed by China. According to the Wall Street Journal, seismic data indicates that there are 3.4 trillion cubic feet of gas-in-place and 440 million barrels of oil in the area.
The Reed Bank was the site of a serious confrontation between China and the Philippines in March 2011, when an oil exploration ship operated by Forum Energy was confronted by two Chinese gunboats. The Philippine government dispatched a bomber and light aircraft to respond. This confrontation has been used repeatedly by Pentagon officials and the US State Department as a justification for an increased US military presence in the region.
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by Admin | May 27, 2014 | News
(BGF) – As the China Daily reported, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said that freedom and safety of navigation had never been affected by the South China Sea disputes in response to the United States’ latest claim that China remains “aggressive” to vessels conducting oil and gas exploration in disputed waters in the South China Sea, and implied to the U.S that “non-claimant states” should do more things that are beneficial to regional peace and stability.
Click here to read the full story or visit the China Daily website.
Beijing ‘consistent’ on S. China Sea: FM
March 01, 2012 | By Cheng Guangjin
BEIJING – Freedom of navigation in the South China Sea “has never been a problem” and related countries should do more to protect peace and stability in the region, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said on Wednesday.
Hong made the remarks in response to the United States’ latest claim that China remains “aggressive” to vessels conducting oil and gas exploration in disputed waters in the South China Sea.
According to the Associated Press, Admiral Robert Willard, head of the US Pacific Command, said on Tuesday that the American military must be present in the South China Sea to ensure the security of the sea lanes crucial to international trade.
“In fact, freedom and safety of navigation in the South China Sea has never been a problem, and has never been affected by the South China Sea disputes. We hope relevant parties, including non-claimant states, do more things that are beneficial to regional peace and stability,” Hong said at a regular news conference.
China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei all have claims over some islands and waters in the South China Sea, and the US has increased its presence in the Asia-Pacific region, claiming that it has a national interest in the peaceful resolution of disputes in the South China Sea.
Willard told the Senate Armed Services Committee that China was less confrontational in 2011 in asserting its claims in the South China Sea than it was in 2010, when tensions rose between it and other claimant states, according to the AP.
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by Admin | May 27, 2014 | News
(BGF) – According to the Philippines’ ABS-CBN News report, China’s state media Global Times said sanctions should be imposed against the Philippines as a response to its move of having plan to let more US troops rotate through the Southeast Asian country, and that it will make the Philippines ponder the choice of “losing a friend” such as China and “being a vain partner with the US.”
Click here to read the full story or visit the ABS-CBN Website.
China should punish PH over US offer: report
January 29, 2012
BEIJING – China should impose “sanctions” against the Philippines after it offered to allow more US troops on its soil, state media said Sunday, amid growing tensions over disputed waters in the South China Sea.
Manila said Friday it planned to hold more joint exercises and to let more US troops rotate through the Southeast Asian country — an offer welcomed by the United States as it seeks to expand its military power in Asia.
China has not yet officially responded to the announcement, which was made during the country’s week-long holiday for the Lunar New Year. The foreign ministry on Sunday did not immediately respond to AFP requests for comment.
But an editorial in the Global Times, known for its nationalistic stance, said Beijing “must respond” to the move by using its “leverage to cut economic activities” between the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries.
China also should consider “cooling down” business links with its smaller neighbor, according to the editorial published in the Chinese and English versions of the newspaper.
“It should show China’s neighboring areas that balancing China by siding with the US is not a good choice,” it said.
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