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China tightening grip on Spratlys; merge threads, updates
Topic Started: Jun 25 2012, 06:46 PM (30,276 Views)
MSantor
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Diplomat

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China Enforcing Quasi-ADIZ in South China Sea: Philippine Justice
Beijing is already effectively implementing an air defense identification zone.


By Prashanth Parameswaran
October 13, 2015

China is effectively enforcing an air defense identification zone (ADIZ) in the South China Sea, a Philippine justice said at a Washington, D.C.-based think tank last week.

Since China enforced an ADIZ – a publicly defined area where unidentified aircraft can be interrogated or intercepted before entering sovereign airspace – in the East China Sea, many have speculated that it is only a matter of time before Beijing will impose one in the South China Sea as well.

But Antonio Carpio, a senior associate justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, said at a lecture at the Center for Strategic and International Studies that China was already effectively enforcing a quasi-ADIZ in the South China Sea. Any Philippine plane that flies over the Spratlys, Carpio explained, now receives a stern warning from China via radio to “stay away from the area.”

(...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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TheSaint
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[ *  * ]
China to US: We will use force to stop your warships

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"If the US encroaches on China's core interests, the Chinese military will stand up and use force to stop it," the paper warned.
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MSantor
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China’s Maritime Trap

China needs to rethink its approach to its maritime disputes.
By Wei Zongyou
October 24, 2015

Just days after the summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama, news spread that the U.S. Navy would soon challenge China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea, sending a ship within 12 nautical miles of some of China’s man-made islands built on top of reefs in the Spratly Islands. True or not, the news soon drew worldwide attention and effectively overshadowed any outcomes from the summit during what is a testing time for China-U.S. relations.

In recent years, and especially since Xi Jinping became president, China has paid increasing attention to the sea and to its maritime interests and rights. At the 18th CPC National Congress, China officially put forward the vision of building a maritime power to effectively defend its maritime interests and rights. In a first, China’s Defense White Paper 2013 has four paragraphs devoted to emphasizing the importance of safeguarding China’s maritime interests and rights. The Defense White Paper 2015, under the sub-section of National Security Situation, warns that China’s maritime interests and rights are being eroded by some of its neighbors who are taking provocative actions by strengthening their military presence and construction on the illegally occupied islands and reefs of China, and claims some powers from outside the region are also interfering in the South China Sea issue and that one country even goes so far as to conduct intense surveillance in China’s EEZs. As a result, it said, maintaining its maritime interests and rights will be a long-term challenge for 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
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MSantor
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Chinese J-11 Fighters Exercise in the South China Sea After US Navy Patrols

After protesting a U.S. Navy freedom of navigation patrol, the PLA flexes its airpower muscles in the South China Sea.


By Ankit Panda
November 02, 2015

Chinese fighter jets are carrying out exercises in the South China Sea. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) released images late last week that showed J-11BH/BHS fighters in the South China Sea. The jets were armed with missiles and are likely part of the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s 8th Aviation Division in Hainan Province. The fighters are companied by other aircraft and warships from the People’s Liberation Army-Navy (PLAN) South Sea Fleet. Though unconfirmed by the PLA, the J-11s are most likely flying from Woody Island (known as Yongxing Island in Chinese) in the Paracels. Woody Island is the location of the sole operational Chinese military airstrip in the South China Sea at the moment though China is thought to be building at least two additional airstrips in the Spratly Islands, where it has built man-made islands.

The aerial exercises come after a heated week in the South China Sea. On Tuesday, October 27, the United States Navy staged its first freedom of navigation operation within 12 nautical miles of Subi Reef, where China has constructed an artificial island. The U.S. freedom of navigation operation asserted high seas navigational freedoms in those waters and drew an angry response from the Chinese government. Additionally, on Thursday, October 29, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague, where the Philippines has filed a case against China over its behavior and claims in the South China Sea, decided that it had jurisdiction to assess the merits of the Philippines’ arguments. That development too drew a strong response from the Chinese government, which declared the Court “null and void,” among other things.

Under pressure to act to in the South China Sea, the PLA has evidently chosen to demonstrate its aerial force projection capabilities in the South China Sea by flying these J-11 fighters from Woody Island. Speaking to the South China Morning Post, retired Chinese General Xu Guangyu, notes that the exercises are ” a signal China sent to the US that it is serious about its claims. This is the minimum level of response China should have, or it will fail the expectation of its people.” The fighters will also renew speculation that China could be looking to eventually enforce a South China Sea air defense identification zone (ADIZ). In November 2013, Beijing unilaterally declared an ADIZ in the East China Sea, though it has had mixed results in enforcing the ADIZ.

(...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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MSantor
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Chinese Nationalist Sentiment After the US South China Sea Patrol

How did Chinese commentators respond after last week’s freedom of navigation patrol?

By Nhung Bui
November 02, 2015

On October 27, the Obama administration ordered the guided-missile destroyer USS Lassen to patrol the area near China’s man-made islands and sail within 12 nautical miles of Subi Reef. The Lassen was followed by a Chinese guided-missile destroyer and a naval patrol ship. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a news conference on the same day that the “illegal” action of the Lassen threatened China’s sovereignty and that China will not “swallow silently any damage or threat to its sovereign rights and legitimate security interests.”

This commentary will focus on the effect of the Lassen patrol on Chinese nationalist sentiment. How did Chinese commentators and the public regard the incident? Could nationalist sentiment influence China’s foreign policies or constrain leaders? Would the Chinese leadership take advantage of this tide of anti-U.S. sentiment to make bolder statements about China’s willingness to defend its “sovereignty” in the South China Sea?

Drawing from a reading of news reports and editorials in major official Chinese media outlets in both Mandarin and English (among them People’s Daily, Xinhua, and Global Times) as well as social media sites such as Sina Weibo, the tentative conclusion is that commentators and popular opinion, even though indignant about the USS Lassen patrol, differ on how China should respond to the United States. One group supports tougher policies, such as a commitment to use force and even go to war, if further transgressions of Chinese sovereignty follow, while another group argues that China should not exaggerate the issue and escalate tensions with the U.S. This suggests that despite the rise in assertive nationalism after Xi Jinping took power, moderate voices have not been entirely eclipsed.

(...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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MSantor
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How China might fortify the islets/atolls in its possession:

Diplomat

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What China's 'Militarization' of the South China Sea Would Actually Look Like

A closer look at the specific military concerns posed by China’s artificial islands.

By John Chen and Bonnie Glaser
November 05, 2015

(...SNIPPED)

What Might A Chinese Military Threat Look Like?

Each of the above military concerns merit further examination in spite of China’s vehement declarations that its new islands are for civilian purposes. China has a range of militarization options for its new South China Sea facilities, ranging from deploying intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) assets, to missile batteries, to augmenting power projection capabilities, each with its own particular costs, benefits, and escalatory severity.

Deploying ISR assets to reclaimed land formations would significantly enhance Chinese situational awareness in the contested region. A long-range surveillance radar could detect ships and aircraft up to 320 km away from Chinese-occupied features in the South China Sea. Chinese Y-8X maritime patrol aircraft launching from a 3,000 meter runway on Fiery Cross Reef would be able to locate and track ships and aircraft operating up to 1,600 km away, putting most of Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines within range of Chinese surveillance aircraft. While neither of these steps would overtly threaten other military forces, intelligence gathered by these systems could easily be used for targeting purposes.

Chinese missile systems deployed to reclaimed land formations would tangibly increase the risk and cost of military operations by other states, posing a much more concrete military threat to both regional claimants and the United States in the South China Sea. The Chinese military has expended considerable effort over the last 20 years to strengthen its missile capabilities, and is now deploying formidable surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) and anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs) in large numbers in its army, navy, and air force. SAMs such as the HQ-9 and S-300 PMU-1 can destroy aircraft at ranges of 150-200km, and ground-launched YJ-62 and YJ-83 ASCMs could render large swaths of the South China Sea vulnerable to accurate, destructive fire up to 120-400km away from Chinese-occupied land formations. These missile threats would force regional powers to think twice about operating ships or aircraft in the region against Beijing’s wishes.

(...SNIPPED)



Edited by MSantor, Nov 5 2015, 11:18 AM.
"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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MSantor
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Chinese ship spotted near Pag-asa Island during Apec

Inquirer - November 19th, 2015

Quote:
 
A Chinese Coast Guard vessel was spotted near the Philippine-occupied Pag-asa Island (Thitu) in the Spratlys in the South China Sea where it stayed for several days, its town mayor said.

“It suddenly showed up on November 9 a few hours after our ship arrived in the morning,” Kalayaan Mayor Eugenio Bito-onon Jr. told INQUIRER.net by phone on Thursday.

<snipped>

Meanwhile, the Chinese Coast Guard vessel with bow number 2305 was four miles southwest from the shore and stayed there for nine days. As of noontime of Nov. 17, it had already left. It was spotted on that morning, and the island’s administrator was able to take photos.



Posted Image
A Chinese Coast Guard vessel spotted near the Philippine-occupied Pag-asa Island in the Spratlys. Photo courtesy of Mayor Eugenio Bito-onon Jr.



Edited by MSantor, Nov 21 2015, 05:49 AM.
"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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MSantor
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What a load of c r a p !

:headbang:

Diplomat

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Military Facilities Aren't Militarization in the South China Sea: Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister

What does China mean when it speaks about militarization in the South China Sea?
AVw7kxXY
By Ankit Panda
November 23, 2015

Speaking at the 10th East Asia Summit in Malaysia on Sunday, China’s deputy foreign minister, Liu Zhenmin, clarified China’s position on the militarization of the South China Sea. Since 2014, China’s activities in the South China Sea have come under close scrutiny after Beijing began a spate of artificial island-building and construction activities on several features in the Spratly Islands at a historically unprecedented pace. Satellite imagery analysis has long shown that China is undertaking construction to facilitate military activities, including setting up new radar facilities, helipads, and airstrips.

In Kuala Lumpur, Liu reiterated China’s long-standing position that the purpose of these islands is to “provide public service” in the region. He noted the value of these facilities for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions. “One should never link the military facilities with efforts to militarize the South China Sea,” Liu added. “This is a false argument. It is a consistent Chinese position to firmly oppose the militarization of the South China Sea.” Liu’s language echoed assurances made by Chinese President Xi Jinping during his September visit to the United States. During a press conference with U.S. President Barack Obama, Xi said that China would never militarize the South China Sea.

(...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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MSantor
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Philippine Star

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Chinese enter Philippines, search for ship’s missing crew
By Edu Punay (The Philippine Star) | Updated November 30, 2015 - 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines - Two Chinese vessels backed by two airplanes entered Philippine waters over the weekend to join search and rescue operations for 11 crewmen of a Chinese cargo ship that sank off Vigan last week.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported yesterday that two Chinese Coast Guard tugboats and two aircraft from Hong Kong entered the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) to support the search for the missing crewmembers of the M/V Fortune Life, a Panamanian-registered cargo vessel that sank Thursday.

As of yesterday, 11 crewmembers remained missing while eight had been rescued.

The PCG said the crew of the Fortune Life included 18 Chinese and one Vietnamese.

(...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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MSantor
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Philippine Star

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China airstrips on artificial islands to quadruple
(Associated Press) | Updated December 7, 2015 - 12:00am


(...SNIPPED)

China now operates one airfield at Woody Island in the Paracel island chain, and satellite photos show what appears to be work on two, possibly three, additional airstrips on newly built islands in the Spratly archipelago to the east.

The bases could have a “significant impact on the local balance of power” by helping bolster the forward presence of Chinese coast guard and navy forces, said Euan Graham, director of the International Security Program at the Lowy Institute in Sydney, Australia.

As with most South China Sea developments, China has remained opaque about its plans for the island airstrips. At a recent monthly briefing, Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian declined to say how many China planned to build or what their purpose would be, repeating only that all military infrastructure was “purely for defensive purposes.”

(...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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