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Philippines-China WPS Dispute
Topic Started: Jul 15 2012, 02:28 PM (105,148 Views)
Hong Nam
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Bought by China

David vs. Goliath in the South China Sea: The Philippines vs. China
Richard Javad Heydarian
October 23, 2014



In a dramatic display of strategic naiveté, the Philippines decided to suspend the repair and upgrade of its age-old airstrip on the Spratly island of Thitu, among the biggest and most prized land features in the South China Sea, which can generate its own 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The airstrip is critical to the Armed Forces of Philippines' ability to project power and defend its maritime claims beyond its immediate territorial waters.



Manila tried to justify the controversial move by emphasizing the (supposed) importance of maintaining "the moral high ground" amid the country's pending legal complaint, at a special Arbitral Tribunal in The Hague, against China's expansive maritime claims, as well as increasingly aggressive posturing within the Philippines' 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone.

- In short, the Philippines has prioritized an inherently uncertain legal maneuver at the expense of investing in tangible mechanisms, which can actually protect the areas under its control.


In a nutshell, the Philippines' legal strategy makes sense so long as it is part and parcel of a broader strategy to protect the country's maritime claims amid China's day-to-day operations aimed at changing facts on the ground. Theoretically, it would have been best if the Philippines leveraged the threat of filing a legal complaint - rather than actually filing it - to bring China to the negotiating table, or, alternatively, jointly submitted its case along with like-minded states, such as Vietnam.

- But the legal maneuver has effectively become the Philippines' primary weapon against an increasingly militarized maritime dispute with China.


Unlike the Philippines, practically all other South China Sea claimant states have maintained robust, high-level dialogue with Beijing. Chinese president Xi Jinping has yet to hold a formal dialogue with his Filipino counterpart, Benigno Aquino, who is entering his final years in office. And there are no signs that such an event will take place anytime soon.

Overall, it is clear that China's rivals in the Western Pacific have hedged their bets by rapidly developing their maritime capabilities, while astutely maintaining critical diplomatic channels with the leadership in Beijing.

- The Philippines, meanwhile, seems to have placed almost all of its strategic eggs in the (uncertain) legal basket.



National Interest






Edited by Hong Nam, Oct 23 2014, 07:43 PM.

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Hong Nam
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Bought by China


Phl more tempting target for China in sea showdown
By By Jose Katigbak
The STAR Washington bureau | Philippine Star - Mon, Oct 27, 2014


WASHINGTON - The Philippines and Vietnam are China’s main frontline opponents in the South China Sea dispute, the US monthly magazine The Atlantic reported.
In its November issue, the magazine said China might view the Philippines as a more attractive target "to bully and humiliate as an object lesson to other neighbors that resistance is futile and decisive help from the United States unlikely to come. Any such conflict would of course be dangerous whenever it happened, because the United States is likely to resist these efforts strenuously," the article said.

Many Western analysts view China's approach in the South China Sea as a sort of calibrated incrementalism, whereby a Chinese presence and de facto Chinese rights in disputed areas are built up gradually, in a series of provocations that are individually small enough to make forceful resistance politically difficult, but that collectively establish precedents and, over time, norms.

One might think that a defense treaty the Philippines has with the US would prove to be a deterrence to Beijing but if the goal is to cut the US down to size in what China regards as its own backyard then Chinese leaders might view the Philippines as a more attractive target than Vietnam, The Atlantic said.

From China's perspective, the perfect scenario might be for the inexperienced Filipino armed forces to venture the use of newly acquired hardware such as frigates, attack helicopters and a fleet of coast guard patrol vessels, prompting a limited military encounter that would display Chinese superiority and enable China to make a new or stronger territorial claim to a few small atolls in the area, the article said.

The US might find it difficult to respond satisfactorily given the stakes.

To some elites in China, the opportunity to reveal the US as an unreliable alliance partner across the Pacific is surely alluring, the article said. But the risks for China are also considerable. It might be revealed instead as the paper tiger should the US call Beijing’s bluff, defending the Philippines if, for example, China tried to evict Filipino soldiers from their rust-bucket outpost, the BRP Sierra Madre, in the disputed Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratlys, the article said.


Philstar / Yahoo




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Hong Nam
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Bought by China

Shiptec China 2014: CSSRC showcases plans to build floating docks for Spratly Islands

Cornelius Weening, Dalian - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
27 October 2014

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A second platform variant is based on a semisubmersible vessel
that can be used for light construction and maintenance of the island. Source: Cornelius Weening



China is developing floating docks to support its land reclamation projects in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. Officials from the China Ship Scientific Research Center (CSSRC), a subsidiary of China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC), told IHS Jane's that it is developing multifunctional floating docks for deployment on the Paracel and Spratly Islands.

The docks, which will be manufactured on the Chinese mainland and transported to the islands for final assembly, consist of a large rectangular platform and a bridge connecting the platform with an island.

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A base variant of the floating dock consists of a towed multifunctional platform and a bridge. (Cornelius Weening)


China will first deploy the docks to the Paracel Islands for trials and testing. After this phase is complete, the docks will be deployed to the Spratly Islands, CSSRC officials said. The floating docks will provide China with the ability to build small settlements on remote islands relatively quickly. The docks carry the basics a settlement needs, and the second variant can expand and improve the reclaimed island. If the docks are deployed in large numbers China could populate large areas of the Paracel and Spratly Islands under its control, thereby strengthening its claims.

However, the docks depend completely on external fuel-supply, which limits their utility. To counter this CSSRC is developing new variants powered by wind energy, either by relatively small wind turbines placed on the platform itself or by larger semi-mobile turbines constructed in waters nearby.


IHS Jane's 360




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eagle from davao
Trainee
[ *  * ]
An interesting article from stratfor . on what US president can do or cannot do. The limits of its powers and influences. This article will shed some light on how USA will respond if china chooses to use military might against us. The Ukraine crisis also gives us precedence on what will happen to us.

See the link

"<a href="http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/principle-rigor-and-execution-matter-us-foreign-policy">Principle, Rigor and Execution Matter in U.S. Foreign Policy</a> is republished with permission of Stratfor."
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Hong Nam
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Bought by China

United stance by ASEAN on territorial disputes in leaked draft statement
Manila Bulletin - 16 hours ago


The leaked contents of a draft statement supposed to be delivered by the chair at the 25th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit to be held in Myanmar’s administrative capital Naypyidaw on November 12, presents a more united ASEAN determined to push for the early conclusion of a Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea.

Based on the alleged draft statement, the ASEAN leaders are to express concern over recent developments in the South China Sea and reaffirm the importance of regional cooperation in maintaining peace and stability.

Further, the draft says the ASEAN leaders urge all parties involved in the disputes to exercise self-restraint, settle the issue through peaceful means and in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Conventions on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
The leaders also highlight the importance of maintaining the momentum of negotiations and in achieving early a COC.


Manila Bulletin


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Hong Nam
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Bought by China

UN to rule on PH sea claim
Manila Bulletin - Thu, Nov 6, 2014


The United Nations (UN) -backed Arbitral Tribunal has to assess the merits of the case filed by the Philippines and then issue a final and binding judgment to address the maritime dispute in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) despite the refusal of China to participate in the proceedings.


"Courts and tribunals do not regard non-participation as resulting in a default. Because if all it took is not showing up for there to be no ability for the tribunal to issue a judgment, the whole system will fall apart. We do live in a world where a lot of people believe in the law. Even if you don’t like the decision, the tendency is to be law-compliant and, therefore, to follow the decisions rendered. What the tribunal is giving you is certainty as to where the boundary is, and that has a lot of benefits, particularly if you want to explore natural resources or to sort out your relationship with another country."

Sean Dean Murphy - Professor, George Washington University Law School

Professor Murphy was reacting to a query on the consequences of default, an apparent reference to the case filed by the Philippines, and China's refusal to participate. Murphy's statement finds basis under Article 9 of Annex VII of the UN Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS), which states that "absence of a party or failure of a party to defend its case shall not constitute a bar to the proceedings."


Manila Bulletin / Yahoo


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MSantor
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PDFF Mod Group
Beware of Chinese diplomats bearing gifts...

Reuters


Quote:
 
China offers ASEAN friendship, loans as South China Sea tension bubbles

By Simon Webb and Paul Mooney

NAYPYITAW (Reuters) - China's Prime Minister Li Keqiang proposed a friendship treaty with Southeast Asian countries and offered $20 billion in loans on Thursday but held firm on the line that Beijing will only settle South China Sea disputes directly with other claimants.

China, Taiwan and four members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have competing claims in the sea where concern is growing of an escalation in disputes.

"China ... stands ready to become the first dialogue partner to sign with ASEAN a treaty of friendship and cooperation," Li told leaders at an East Asian summit in Myanmar.

(...SNIPPED)


"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." - Henry Ford

"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm."
- Winston Churchill


"If everyone is thinking alike, someone isn't thinking"- Gen. George S. Patton
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Hong Nam
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Bought by China

China is using its "perceived" economic strength to wedge itself into position as the asian regional leader.

However, leadership can't be bought by bestowing generous amounts of money. It may buy them some influence but will never gain their loyalty. They need to lead without threatening a country's territorial integrity and sovereignty. Regional security is essential for nations to flourish. Real friendship with no strings attached even if there are disagreements. Respect is earned - not bought.

Relationships built on trust and reassurance as a country will always go against another's leadership if the is an atmosphere of insecurity. These tempting economic incentives will not lessen the regional nervousness that China is causing. Long term stability in the region is something a leader assures - not threatens.

Two things that China seems devoid of... restraint and responsibility. Which is why communist China is facing an insurmountable task to convince everyone that they are not a threat to a country's basic security interests.

It should start with arbitration - not provocation. A leader is not exempt from the international rule of law, imperatively, it should be the first one to submit itself to the rule of law. If they can do that, then perhaps other nations will be willing to follow them.






Edited by Hong Nam, Nov 14 2014, 07:48 PM.

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Hong Nam
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Bought by China

China building airstrip-capable island on Fiery Cross Reef

James Hardy, London and Sean O'Connor, Indiana - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
20 November 2014


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Airbus Defence and Space imagery dated 14 November 2014 shows Chinese land reclamation operations under way at Fiery Cross Reef
in the South China Sea. Multiple operating dredgers provide the ability to generate terrain rapidly. Operating from a harbour area, dredgers deliver
sediment via a network of piping. (© CNES 2014, Distribution Airbus DS / Spot Image / IHS)


Key Points

- China is reclaiming land at Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly Islands, according to satellite imagery
- The reclamation, which started in August, is creating a land mass large enough for a 3,000 m-long airstrip

The land reclamation at Fiery Cross is the fourth such project undertaken by China in the Spratly Islands in the last 12-18 months and by far the largest in scope. China has built new islands at Johnson South Reef, Cuateron Reef, and Gaven Reefs, but none are large enough to house an airstrip in their current form.

Ship tracking data from IHS Maritime shows substantial activity at the reef since May 2014. Analysts drew attention to two ships in particular: Jin Hang Jun 406 , a grab dredger that is fixed on a pontoon, and 3,086-tonne cutter suction dredger Xin Hai Tun . Both have been instrumental in dredging and cutting channels into the new harbour basin.

ANALYSIS

IHS Jane's previously reported on China's reclamation project in the Spratlys and noted that until recently Fiery Cross appeared to be acting as a staging post for other island building projects. Given its status as the largest PLAN facility in the Spratlys, this seemed to be an anomaly, something that the 14 November imagery has now corrected.

China has been at a distinct disadvantage compared with other claimants in the Spratly Islands as it is the only claimant not to occupy an island with an airfield. Taiwan has Itu Aba (Taiping) island, the Philippines has Pagasa island, Malaysia has Swallow Reef (a reef on which it reclaimed land and built an airstrip), and Vietnam has Southwest Cay.

The work at Fiery Cross thus brings parity but is likely to cause alarm among the other claimants. China has previously shown it is willing to spend blood and treasure to assert its territorial claims in this region. Given its massive military advantage over the other claimants in terms of quantity and quality of materiel, this facility appears purpose-built to coerce other claimants into relinquishing their claims and possessions, or at least provide China with a much stronger negotiating position if talks over the dispute were ever held.


IHS Jane's 360


Edited by Hong Nam, Nov 22 2014, 05:23 PM.

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Hong Nam
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Bought by China

'China using talk, creep strategy'
Philippine Star - 15 hours ago
Jaime Laude


A pronouncement made by Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan that he wants to enhance a dialogue to manage disputes with its neighbors is just part of an ongoing 'talk and creep' strategy being employed by Beijing to boost its own maritime claim to almost the entire South China Sea, a military security official said.

The official, who asked not to be identified, said China's dialogue and peace-posturing is aimed at easing mounting strains in its international relations as a result of its aggressive bullying of smaller countries with territorial stakes in the disputed South China Sea region, especially the Philippines and Vietnam, more particularly in the hotly contested Spratlys archipelago.


"We are listening, but we will only believe that China really wants to manage the disputes through dialogues if they stop their reclamation activities and removed newly put up structures in the region. The international community is closely watching China's behavior not only in the South China Sea but also in the East China Sea and Beijing."

"Fully aware of this, China is now shifting strategy to repair the damage to its foreign relations as a result of its bullying tactics over these two disputed regions. We know this is just part of their 'Talk and Creep' strategy apparently in the hope that we will withdraw our case filed against them before the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea which they cannot refute."



Security and territorial monitoring being conducted by the Western Command (Wescom) over the country's West Philippine Sea area, showed the ongoing infrastructure development being conducted by China.


Philstar/ Yahoo

Edited by Hong Nam, Nov 23 2014, 11:41 PM.

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