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China tightening grip on Spratlys; merge threads, updates
Topic Started: Jun 25 2012, 06:46 PM (30,288 Views)
raider1011


More details emerge on China's reclamation activities in Spratlys

04 July 2014

Satellite imagery analysis suggests that China is not building an artificial island at Fiery Cross (Yongshu) Reef in the Spratly Islands, in contrast to widespread reports in Southeast Asian media. ...

Satellite imagery of the site dated 20 April 2014 shows no dredging had taken place at either end of the reef, suggesting that China is using its facilities there as a base from which to conduct land reclamation at nearby reefs.

These reefs include Johnson South Reef, part of the Union Reefs, Cuateron Reef, and Gaven Reefs. AISLive data shows that Ting Jing Hao 's visits to these features have lasted for longer than its stays at Fiery Cross, while satellite imagery confirms that major reclamation is under way at Johnson South Reef. Recent imagery of the Cuateron and Gaven reefs is not available.

China has had a presence at Fiery Cross Reef since at least 1988. Its facilities there currently include communications equipment, a greenhouse, a wharf, a helipad, and coastal artillery. Images released by the Chinese Ministry of National Defense also show PLA marines in residence, coastal artillery, and a DP-65 anti-diver grenade launcher on the wharf. ...

Chinese officials have refused to clarify the government's plans for the Spratlys, although plans for an island in the South China Sea published by a state-run shipbuilding firm show a runway, aircraft hangars, port, wind turbines, and other facilities. Given the reclamation under way, Johnson South Reef is the most likely candidate for this facility. ...

Most analysts outside China believe that Beijing is attempting to create 'facts on the ground' and to assert better control of this area of the South China Sea: none of the Spratly Islands it controls have an airfield or secure docking, unlike other claimant nations.

Jane's

Edited by raider1011, Jul 4 2014, 07:22 PM.
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
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Ayoshi
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^ from same source...
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The northeastern portion of Fiery Cross (Yongshu) Reef in the Spratly Islands shows no sign of land reclamation from March 2013 to April 2014. (PLEIADES CNES 2013, Distribution Airbus DS / Spot Image / IHS)
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Ayoshi
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New law to boost military security in China-claimed waters - report [philstar] - July 7, 2014
Quote:
 
According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress has enacted the Law of People's Republic of China on the Protection of Military Installations, which is expected to be implemented on August 1.

The SCMP said the new law is a revision of a 1990 legislation of the same name which had failed to include in its statutes the protection of military restricted waters, airports and radio channels.

It also reported that according to the official newspaper of the Chinese military, there have been more "innocuous breaches" to secured zones, such as fishermen sailing into restricted waters.

The new law is also seen as a response to concerns about spying. A military report released during a legislative meeting last month revealed that many of China's military zones had been exposed to foreign intelligence, the SCMP said.
Edited by Ayoshi, Jul 8 2014, 01:39 AM.
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Ayoshi
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Chapter I General Provisions

Quote:
 
Article 2 The term "military installations" referred to in this Law denotes the following buildings, sites and equipment used by the State directly for military purposes:

(1) Command organs, ground and underground command structures and operations structures;

(2) Military airfields, harbours and docks;

(3) Barracks, training grounds and testing grounds;

(4) Military cave storehouses and warehouses;

(5) Military communication stations, reconnaissance stations, navigation stations, observation posts, survey markers, navigation markers and navigation aid markers;

(6) Special military highways and railways, military communication lines and transmission lines, military oil and water pipelines; and

(7) Other military installations as prescribed by the State Council and the Central Military Commission.


sources:
* china.org.cn
* npc.gov.cn
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MSantor
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PDFF Mod Group
Major update at China section of the World Military Current Events board of PDFF:

China deploys 3 Jin class SSBNs to the South China Sea
"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

Hong Nam
Jun 29 2014, 07:53 PM
A hawk's point of view and he pretty much spells it out in "capital letters".
Quote:
 

No choice: Destroy China's future PH military bases now
By Ted Laguatan
Friday, June 27th, 2014


Inquirer


The million dollar question: Would your mutual security partners acquiesce to this? :scared:
More hawks are gathering and slowly circling... :scared:


U.S. Should Act Unilaterally To Protect The Smaller Nations Of The South China Sea
Anders Corr, Ph.D., Huong Mai Nguyen, M.A., and Priscilla Tacujan, Ph.D.



The Philippines, Vietnam and the United States would benefit by more aggressively defending 200-mile exclusive economic zones in the South China Sea, including through unilateral military measures. If unanswered by significant and proportional military response with an economic cost to China, that country's taking of islands and shoals near the Philippines, and deployment of billion-dollar oil rigs near Vietnam, will embolden China to take more territory, cripple the reputation of the United States, and intimidate other countries into concessions.

Special operations and plausible deniability would have the greatest likelihood of keeping military actions against Chinese expansion focused on the offending assets, and from spiraling towards conventional war.

While assistance from the United States in defending the Philippine maritime territory would be optimal, this cannot be solely relied upon. The United States signed the Mutual Defense Treaty of 1951 with the Philippines, but is arguably neglecting its obligations to defend the Philippines in the South China Sea against Chinese incursions.

While the Philippine military cannot come close to defeating China in a conventional naval battle, the Philippines could use special operations tactics against structures and Chinese naval assets on Panatag shoal to make China's incursions prohibitively costly.

The acquiescence of Asian-Pacific countries to China's maritime and territorial bullying is likely explained by China's economic clout as expressed in both legitimate trade relations and illegitimate bribery and corruption of state officials.

Given China's use of economic power to encourage weak responses by the Philippines, Vietnam, and United States, China relatively easily executes maritime encroachment on its weakest neighbors.

A more robust and potentially unilateral military response to Chinese incursions is in the interests of the United States, Vietnam, and the Philippines. At stake is the future of Asia and the reputation of the United States.


Forbes




Edited by Hong Nam, Jul 9 2014, 03:49 AM.

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Constructions Mecaniques de Normandie - C Sword 90



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Hong Nam
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Bought by China

Where Would Beijing Use External Distractions?
Should the CCP find itself in dire straits, could provoking external conflicts boost its legitimacy at home?

By J. Michael Cole
July 10, 2014


Throughout history, embattled governments have often resorted to external distractions to tap into a restive population's nationalist sentiment and thereby release, or redirect, pressures that otherwise could have been turned against those in power. Authoritarian regimes in particular have used this device to ensure their survival during periods of domestic upheaval or financial crisis.

For an external distraction to achieve its objective (that is, taking attention away from domestic issues by redirecting anger at an outside actor), it must not result in failure or military defeat. In other words, except for the most extreme circumstances, such as the imminent collapse of a regime, the decision to externalize a domestic crisis is a rational one: adventurism must be certain to achieve success, which in turn will translate into political gains for the embattled regime. Risk-taking is therefore proportional to the seriousness of the destabilizing forces within.

Rule No. 1 for External Distractions: The greater the domestic instability, the more risks a regime will be willing to take, given that the scope and, above all, the symbolism of the victory in an external scenario must also be greater.


1. South China Sea

The South China Sea, an area where China is embroiled in several territorial disputes with smaller claimants, is ripe for exploitation as an external distraction. Nationalist sentiment, along with the sense that the entire body of water is part of China's indivisible territory and therefore a "core interest," are sufficient enough to foster a will to fight should some "incident," timed to counter unrest back home, force China to react. Barring a U.S. intervention, which for the time being seems unlikely, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has both the numerical and qualitative advantage against any would be opponent or combination thereof. The Philippines and Vietnam, two countries which have skirmished with China in recent years, are the likeliest candidates for external distractions, as the costs of a brief conflict would be low and the likelihood of military success fairly high. For a quick popularity boost and low-risk distraction, these opponents would best serve Beijing's interests.

2. Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh

3. East China Sea and Japan

4. Taiwan

5. United States


Facing serious domestic instability that does not immediately threaten to topple the CCP, Beijing's likeliest candidates for succor in external distraction would be Options 1 and 2; much more substantial unrest would probably make Option 3 the most appealing. Given the costs and low chances of success, Options 4 and 5 are extremely poor choices.


The Diplomat

Edited by Hong Nam, Jul 11 2014, 01:32 AM.

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Mckoyzzz
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Ipsa Scientia Potestas Est
PDFF Mod Group
Chinese oil rig moved away from disputed waters off Vietnam
By John Ruwitch and Nguyen Phuong Linh
SHANGHAI/HANOI Wed Jul 16, 2014 4:39am EDT


(Reuters) - A Chinese oil rig has finished drilling near the disputed Paracel islands in the South China Sea after finding signs of oil and gas and is being moved away from the area, more than two months after its deployment damaged relations with Hanoi.

The Vietnamese coastguard said the $1-billion rig had been towed from contested waters. China's official Xinhua news agency said the rig would be relocated off the southernmost island province of Hainan. It gave no timeframe.

The rig's relocation could reduce tensions between the two neighbours after one of the worst breakdowns in ties since they fought a brief war in 1979.

Its movement toward Hainan is also likely to be welcomed by Washington, which had criticised China's decision to put the rig in waters disputed with Vietnam, calling it a "provocative" act.

<snipped>

China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), the country's dominant oil and gas producer, said in a statement the rig "smoothly completed" its drilling on Tuesday and found signs of oil and gas. The next step would be to analyse the geological data and evaluate the layers of oil and gas, it said.


<snipped>

China's popular Twitter-like microblogging service Weibo lit up with criticism of the move. Many people said the government had bowed to the United States, underscoring the domestic pressure Beijing faces to be tough in its territorial disputes.

But China's Foreign Ministry said the decision was made in accordance with commercial decisions and had "no relation to any outside factor".

Reuters

________________________________________________


IMO, the "outside" pressure is too much for China to take, notably the recent US Senate resolution specifically urged that China must remove it's rig... The "reason" given was just a saving-face move.

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"Do not condemn the judgment of another because it differs from your own. You may both be wrong -- Dandemis"
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Mckoyzzz
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US Welcomes China Oil Rig Relocation
Victoria Macchi, Tra Mi
July 16, 2014 5:20 PM


The U.S. on Wednesday praised China's removal of an oil rig from disputed waters in the South China Sea, two months after its placement near the Paracel Islands sparked tensions with Vietnam.

<snipped>

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki Wednesday said the U.S. wants the issue resolved diplomatically.

"The oil rig incident has highlighted the need for claimants to clarify their claims in accordance with international law to reach a shared understanding on appropriate behavior and activities in disputed areas," said Psaki.

<snipped>

Moving the rig may, in part, be weather-related. Typhoon season has sent several storms through Southeast Asia already.

But the relocation still has political ramifications, says Carl Thayer, a security analyst with the Australian Defense Force Academy and a South China Sea expert. Primarily, he says, the move keeps the issue a bilateral one between China and Vietnam.

"It's to influence the debate in Hanoi, to prevent Vietnam from taking legal action against China as has been threatened, and to prevent Vietnam from aligning or stepping up its security cooperation with the United States," said Thayer.

VOA
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"Do not condemn the judgment of another because it differs from your own. You may both be wrong -- Dandemis"
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baukiki
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I dont think China will let go of Spratlys islands especially they indeed found OIL and GAS at paracels island.

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/07/16/world/asia/china-paracel-islands-drilling-completed/index.html?hpt=ias_c2

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