Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Welcome to Philippines Defense Forces Forum. We hope you enjoy your visit.


You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.


Join our community!


If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
US & China Square Off Over South China Sea
Topic Started: Jul 12 2012, 01:32 PM (27,739 Views)
MSantor
Member Avatar

PDFF Mod Group
Diplomat

Quote:
 
Top US Admiral: ‘Nobody Owns’ the South China Sea

The U.S. Navy’s most senior officer is adamant about enforcing “international rules and norms” in the South China Sea.

L1001025
By Franz-Stefan Gady
October 24, 2015

In September, Chinese Vice Admiral Yuan Yubai, commander of the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) North Sea Fleet, insisted that the South China Sea belongs to China.

“The South China Sea, as the name indicates, is a sea area that belongs to China. And the sea from the Han dynasty a long time ago where the Chinese people have been working and producing from the sea,” he said through an interpreter, at a conference in London (See: “South China Sea Belongs to China”).

The United States Navy’s new chief of naval operations (CNO) Admiral John Richardson, however, is prepared to challenge this assertion, according to an interview with Defense News.

“What is coming into clear focus is that the defendant of the guarantor of prosperity and access is the system of rules and norms that we all abide by,” the admiral noted. “It’s interesting that some of the folks that are making contrary claims now … are the very nations who prosper the most under the current system of international rules and norms.”

(...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
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
raider1011


Posted Image

USS Lassen (DDG-82) in formation with ROKS Sokcho (PCC-778) during Foal Eagle 2015. Flickr

U.S. Navy to send destroyer within 12 miles of Chinese islands

Reuters

Quote:
 
Oct 26, 2015

The U.S. Navy plans to send the destroyer USS Lassen within 12 nautical miles of artificial islands built by China in the South China Sea within 24 hours, in the first of a series of challenges to China's territorial claims, a U.S. defense official said on Monday.

The patrol would occur near Subi and Mischief reefs in the Spratly archipelago, features that were formerly submerged at high tide before China began a massive dredging project to turn them into islands in 2014. ...

Additional patrols would follow in coming weeks and could also be conducted around features that Vietnam and the Philippines have built up in the Spratlys, the official added.

“This is something that will be a regular occurrence, not a one-off event,” said the official. “It’s not something that’s unique to China.”
Edited by raider1011, Oct 27 2015, 03:43 AM.
God grant me the courage not to give up what I think is right even though I think it is hopeless.

|| Chester W. Nimitz

Loyalty to the Nation ALL the time, loyalty to the Government when it deserves it.

|| Mark Twain
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
raider1011


U.S. Navy destroyer patrols near islands built by China in South China Sea

Reuters

Quote:
 
Oct 26, 2015

The U.S. Navy sent a guided-missile destroyer within 12 nautical miles of artificial islands built by China in the South China Sea on Tuesday, a U.S. defense official said, in a challenge to China's territorial claims in the area.

The official said the USS Lassen was sailing near Subi and Mischief reefs in the Spratly archipelago, features that were submerged at high tide before China began a massive dredging project to turn them into islands in 2014.

"The operation has begun ... It will be complete within a few hours," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. ...

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing was trying to verify if the U.S. ship had entered the 12-mile zone.

"If true, we advise the U.S. to think again and before acting, not act blindly or make trouble out of nothing," the Foreign Ministry quoted Wang as saying.
God grant me the courage not to give up what I think is right even though I think it is hopeless.

|| Chester W. Nimitz

Loyalty to the Nation ALL the time, loyalty to the Government when it deserves it.

|| Mark Twain
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
raider1011


Angry China says shadowed U.S. warship near man-made islands in disputed sea

Reuters

Quote:
 
Oct 27, 2015

China's Foreign Ministry said the "relevant authorities" monitored, followed and warned the USS Lassen as it "illegally" entered waters near islands and reefs in the Spratlys without the Chinese government's permission.

"China will resolutely respond to any country's deliberate provocations. We will continue to closely monitor the relevant seas and airspace, and take all necessary steps in accordance with the need," the ministry said in a statement that gave no details on precisely where the U.S. ship sailed.

"China strongly urges the U.S. side to conscientiously handle China's serious representations, immediately correct its mistake and not take any dangerous or provocative acts that threaten China's sovereignty and security interests," it said.
God grant me the courage not to give up what I think is right even though I think it is hopeless.

|| Chester W. Nimitz

Loyalty to the Nation ALL the time, loyalty to the Government when it deserves it.

|| Mark Twain
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Ayoshi
Member Avatar


News.com.au | October 27, 2015
Quote:
 
“We’ll do that at times and places of our choosing,” Carter said.

“And there’s no exception to that, whether it’s the Arctic or the sea lanes that fuel international commerce widely around the world, or the South China Sea.”

<snipped>

US Navy P-8A and P-3C maritime patrol aircraft will be accompanying the guided missile destroyer.
“This is something that will be a regular occurrence, not a one-off event,” a US defence official told media.
Admiral Harry Harris Jr, commander of the US Pacific Command, recently said the South China Sea is no more China’s than the Gulf of Mexico is Mexico’s.

But China is not the sole object of US diplomatic posturing: The USS Lassen also will sail close to island outposts established by Vietnam and the Philippines.
Edited by Ayoshi, Oct 27 2015, 05:00 PM.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
MSantor
Member Avatar

PDFF Mod Group
China's annoyed reaction:

Diplomat

Quote:
 
US Freedom of Navigation Patrols in the South China Sea: China Reacts

Beijing warned the U.S. that continued patrols would backfire.

shannon-tiezzi
By Shannon Tiezzi
October 27, 2015

As The Diplomat’s Ankit Panda reported, on Tuesday the U.S. Navy finally carried out a freedom of navigation operation (FONOP) within 12 nautical miles of China’s artificially-built islands. After months of media reports indicating Washington was coming ever closer to such patrols, the USS Lassen, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, sailed within 12 nautical miles of Subi Reef (and possibly Mischief Reef as well), according to U.S. officials who spoke with the media.

We’ve known this was coming for weeks – ever since Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to the United States in late September, there has been a steady stream of reports based on comments from unnamed U.S. officials. The media coverage effectively amount to a countdown: the U.S. will conduct FONOPs within the next two weeks — the next few days — the next 24 hours. That was intentional, likely designed to give China plenty of warning – and plenty of time to formulate an official response (rather than leaving the reaction in the hands of a military officer on the ground).

Beijing’s response, according to China’s foreign ministry, included following the USS Lassen as it transited waters near Chinese-controlled features in the Spratly Islands. “Relevant authorities of the Chinese side monitored, followed, and warned the U.S. vessel,” spokesperson Lu Kang said. Lu did not provide any details on which vessels, or how many, were involved on the Chinese side. However, there is no indication that China threatened or harassed the U.S. vessel, meaning China is limiting its response to the diplomatic realm.

(...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
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
raider1011


Chinese destroyers respond to USS Lassen

news.com.au

Quote:
 
October 28, 2015

The guided missile destroyers Lanzhou and Taizhou will enforce China’s sovereignty on the area and deter any ‘illegal’ activity’, the state-owned People’s Daily reports.

A US defence official told media that the USS Lassen had been ‘shadowed’ by Chinese vessels and aircraft for ‘weeks’ before it moved into the contentious 12 mile (21km) zone around the artificial islands. ...

The US official said the Chinese ships maintained a safe distance and that there were ‘no incidents’ as the USS Lassen travelled 116km through contested waters. ...

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kong said such actions by the US might end up spurring further advances in Chinas defence capabilities. ...

He rejected suggestions the US was demonstrating freedom of passage by also sailing through waters claimed by Vietnam and the Philippines.

“Gimmicks like conducting patrols around South China Sea features built up by Vietnam and the Philippines — which have illegally occupied some of China’s islands — cannot conceal to which side the United States is tilted.”
Edited by raider1011, Oct 28 2015, 11:24 AM.
God grant me the courage not to give up what I think is right even though I think it is hopeless.

|| Chester W. Nimitz

Loyalty to the Nation ALL the time, loyalty to the Government when it deserves it.

|| Mark Twain
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
emesber
Trainee
[ *  * ]
.

Posted Image
The US flags pointed to the location where the US Navy warship USS Lassens passed within 12 miles of the artificial islands re Subi Reef (Zamora Reef) and Mischief Reef (Panganiban Reef)


While the US Navy warships were patrolling the West Philippine Sea, it will be prudent and advisable for our government especially the Armed Forces of the Philippines to start strengthening / fortifying the Philippines remaining territories in the West Philippine Sea and other maritime features in our 200 miles Exclusive Zones like the Recto Bank (Reed Bank) and other areas near Palawan coast like the Hasa Hasa Shoal (Half moon shoal).


Posted Image
Edited by emesber, Oct 28 2015, 08:07 PM.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
MSantor
Member Avatar

PDFF Mod Group
As expected:

Philippine Star

Quote:
 
China summons US ambassador to protest ship near reef
By Christopher Bodeen and Robert Burns (Associated Press) | Updated October 28, 2015 - 8:41pm

BEIJING — China summoned the American ambassador to protest the U.S. Navy's sailing of a warship close to one of China's artificial islands in the South China Sea, in an act that challenged Chinese sovereignty claims.

China's Foreign Ministry said on its website Wednesday that Executive Vice Minister Zhang Yesui told Max Baucus that the U.S. had acted in defiance of repeated Chinese objections and had threatened China's sovereignty and security. While offering no details, Zhang said Tuesday's "provocative" maneuver also placed personnel and infrastructure on the island in jeopardy.

China was "extremely dissatisfied and a resolutely opposed" the U.S. actions, the ministry said. The U.S. State Department declined to confirm the Tuesday meeting, or comment on any remarks made on the issue.

China says authorities monitored and warned the destroyer USS Lassen as it entered what China claims as a 12-mile (21-kilometer) territorial limit around Subi Reef in the Spratly Islands archipelago, a group of reefs, islets, and atolls where the Philippines has competing claims.

(...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
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
MSantor
Member Avatar

PDFF Mod Group
The latest news, plus more food for thought in the 2nd article which surprisingly shows that even China benefits from the USN FONOPS, ironically:

(even if I sometimes take Diplomat writer Dingding Chen's articles with a grain of salt given his pro-China bias in some cases)

Diplomat

Quote:
 
Top US, Chinese Naval Officials Meet to Discuss South China Sea Tensions

Top officials from the U.S. and Chinese navies will meet to discuss recent tensions in the South China Sea.

By Ankit Panda
October 29, 2015

Admiral Wu Shengli, the current commander of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army-Navy (PLAN), and Admiral John Richardson, the U.S. Navy’s Chief of Naval Operations, will hold an hour-long video conference on Thursday, two days after the United States sent a guided-missile destroyer within 12 nautical miles of a Chinese artificial island in the South China Sea, to discuss current tensions in the region.

The meeting will be the first high-level interaction between U.S. and Chinese senior military leaders over tensions in the Spratly Islands since the patrol by the USS Lassen on Tuesday, October 27. The USS Lassen, accompanied by P-8A Poseidon and P-3 Orion surveillance aircraft, asserted high seas freedoms within 12 nautical miles of Subi Reef in the Spratly Islands.

The conversation between Wu and Richardson will focus on the freedom of navigation patrol and on related issues. China’s Ministry of Defense notes that Wu will present China’s “solemn position on the U.S. vessel’s entry without permission,” echoing language used by the Chinese foreign ministry. According to Reuters, Thursday’s video conference will be the third of its kind between the top officers of both the U.S. Navy and the PLAN.

(...SNIPPED)



Diplomat

Quote:
 
Both the US and China Benefit From US Navy's Freedom of Navigation Assertions

And so U.S.-China tensions over the South China Sea enter a new era. What can be expected?

GPPi-II-129 (1)
By Dingding Chen
October 29, 2015

(...SNIPPED)

What are the benefits to the U.S. with this move?

First, by entering the 12 nautical mile zone of China’s man-made islands, the U.S. directly challenges China’s sovereignty claims. The main U.S. claim is that the two features—Subi and Mischeef reefs—do not enjoy a 12 nautical mile territorial sea status as they are submerged at low-tide features. Interestingly, China has not previously made any officials claims that the two features do have territorial sea status. Nonetheless, this new U.S. move is believed to put pressures on China to clarify its position on such features and the larger nine dash line issue in the future.

Second, this move shows to the whole world that the U.S. is still the real leader in global affairs and that its navy can go anywhere it wants to demonstrate its power.

Third, the U.S. move has won support from its allies in Asia, particularly Japan and the Philippines. These allies have long argued for a tougher U.S. policy toward China regarding the South China Sea, and finally the U.S. is answering the call. Finally, this particular operation ended safely without causing any conflict with the Chinese navy, thus paving some ground for future more regular operations.

(...SNIPPED)



Quote:
 
While it might seem that the U.S. has won some points with this new operation, China has actually also benefited some from this tension. This might be hard for some to believe, but a low-level tension between China and the U.S. is not all that bad for China.

The U.S. intrusion would give China a more legitimate reason to militarize these maritime features. The logic is this: the U.S. started this game and we are just responding to it. Indeed, this has been the pattern of China’s foreign policies in the last few years, as I have discussed elsewhere . Defensive assertiveness is the main feature of Chinese foreign policy these days and we should expect this pattern to be continued in the ongoing U.S.-China showdown.

Moreover, tensions in the South China Sea strengthen the CCP’s domestic rule, even though this might be an unexpected outcome from the U.S. perspective. A number of scholars have studied the ‘rally round the flag’ effect during an international crisis, concluding that domestic criticisms of government policies drop sharply during international crises. Given the already high-level of nationalistic sentiments in China, a crisis involving China and the United States would only strengthen the CCP and President Xi Jinping’s popularity in China.

(...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
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
Go to Next Page
« Previous Topic · West Philippine Sea · Next Topic »
Add Reply