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| The Kalayaan, Panatag & other disputed islands; Future conflict zones? | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Feb 2 2005, 08:00 PM (156,003 Views) | |
| caterwaul | Nov 5 2011, 06:32 PM Post #1211 |
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and most disturbingly, saber rattling in China is not limited to the media hawks, there are high level PLA commanders who have been prattling about a coming war in the SCS |
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| arnie | Nov 5 2011, 07:23 PM Post #1212 |
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You can not differentiate the two. Media in China is state controlled. Whatever comes out in Chinese media is approved by peoples party and almost all the time it is govt. sponsored. |
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| Hitman | Nov 9 2011, 08:16 PM Post #1213 |
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Philippines roils South China Sea By Al Labita MANILA - Tensions are rising again as China and the Philippines bump boats and trade diplomatic barbs over the contested Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. Adding fuel to the fire were recent "war games" staged by 3,000 American and Filipino marines near the hotly disputed maritime territory. The latest row was sparked by alleged intrusions into each other's claimed area in the potentially oil-and-gas rich chain of islands, where more than 50% of the world's merchant fleet tonnage passes each year. It also comes ahead of a crucial East Asian Summit meeting later this month in Bali, Indonesia where world leaders will be in attendance and the issue on the agenda. The latest incident, the ninth since March between the two rival Asian claimants, involved a Philippine warship that China alleges strayed into its sovereign waters on October 19. The Philippine ship became entangled with the cables of a Chinese fishing vessel, which at the time was towing 23 unmanned dinghies. Filipino naval authorities admitted that its warship, the BRP Rizal, experienced a steering problem that led to its "accidental" collision with the cables of the Chinese fishing boat, which abandoned the dinghies and immediately left the scene. The Chinese vessel was spotted near the Reed Bank, which lies near the island of Palawan within the Philippines' 250-mile exclusive economic zone stipulated under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Reed Bank, which China refers to as Liyue Bank, is the same spot where in March Chinese patrol boats cut the cables of a vessel operated by the UK-based Forum Energy. The company was operating under an exploration contract with Manila. In 2005, Forum Energy's seismic data of the Sampaguita area inside Reed Bank revealed a natural gas find with potential reserves of up to 20 trillion cubic feet. Earlier exploration of the area in the 1980s was halted due to China's complaints. With those potential riches at stake, both sides have dug in their heels. Beijing has demanded that Manila return "unconditionally" the seized dinghies, which the Philippine warship retrieved and brought to its naval base on the island of Palawan. Philippine foreign affairs officials have said they regret the latest incident but ruled out issuing any formal apology, reasoning that the Chinese vessel had illegally poached within Philippine waters. "No apologies were necessary and none was given," Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said. He also said the disposition of the dinghies will go through a legal process before being returned, a stance that has drawn the ire of Spratly Island watchers and pro-China propagandists in Beijing. The Global Times, the English language companion of the China Communist Party's People's Daily newspaper, warned the Philippines against provoking China into taking retaliatory military action. "A counter-attack is likely," the newspaper said in a strongly worded editorial, adding that the Philippines "should prepare for the sound of cannons" from China. In the same paper, Chinese columnist Long Tao urged Beijing to wage "tiny-scale battles" against both the Philippines and Vietnam "to teach them a lesson." Vietnam has backed the Philippines' proposal to resolve the Spratlys dispute peacefully in accordance with international laws. The two Southeast Asian neighbors recently signed a series of cooperative naval agreements in an apparent attempt to counterbalance China's rising assertiveness in the region. Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary del Rosario felt it necessary to address the not-so-veiled threat in comments to local journalists. "It sounds like a grossly irresponsible, saber-rattling statement in contrast with the Philippine position which seeks the UN's rules-based solution to the West Philippine Sea issue," he said, using the official Philippine name for the contested maritime area. Show of force That war of words came against the backdrop of annual US-Philippine military exercises, known as Phiblex 2011, where the two sides tested and updated their inter-operability in line with their broad strategic alliance. The maneuvers were previously limited to ground warfare and focused on counter-terrorism operations, but in recent years the exercises have shifted to the seas, including in areas near the Spratlys. The exercises included a mechanized amphibious assault, small boat raid, parachute operations, combined arms exercises utilizing aircraft and mortars, and artillery and live-fire training, according to the US Marines website. The US 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, the only forward deployed marine expeditionary unit and US's force in readiness in the Asia Pacific region, took part in the exercises, according to the website. Certain Chinese analysts have said the shift from land to sea is deliberately provocative and has exacerbated tensions between and among Spratly Island claimants, which also include Brunei, Taiwan and Malaysia. The mouthpiece Global Times wrote in a recent editorial that the US-Philippine military drills near the Spratlys "provide no better excuse for China than to strike back". Despite the show of force, US and Filipino military officials gave their assurances that the nearly three weeks of drills held in October were not held to address security issues specific to the Spratlys. "I don't think this exercise will have any adverse implication on the security situation in the region," Philippine Marine Corps deputy commandant Brig Gen Eugenio Clemen said. "We have been doing this for years," he said, apparently referring to critics' claims that the war games are directed against other claimants. In a recent public forum in Manila, former US envoy to the Philippines Frank Wisner said any future misunderstanding among claimants could be avoided if a binding regional code of conduct was put in place. "We have noted with concern that the parties have not yet agreed on binding guidelines for implementation, a fact that leaves room for misunderstandings and the possibility of increased tensions," he said. Wisner, a former US under secretary of defense for policy, said a code of conduct would serve the interests of all Asia-Pacific stakeholders, including the US. "The United States is a Pacific power; our destiny is linked to this region. America's security and economic well-being depend heavily on Asia and this fact will grow in importance in the years ahead," he said. Wisner noted that 80% of China's and a large percentage of Japan's and South Korea's oil is shipped through sea lanes of the South China Sea. "The right of free passage and freedom of navigation and the orderly and consensual exploitation of the resources of the South China Sea are matters of huge importance to all nations," the former US official said. In the same forum, Chen Shiqiu, professor at the government-affiliated China Foreign Affairs University, cautioned against US involvement in the Spratlys dispute. "Internationalizing the South China Sea issue is undesirable as that will only further complicate the situation," he said. Echoing Beijing's official line, Chen also said that the UNCLOS is not a basis for asserting territorial claims as it only prescribes the regime of maritime zones. "The 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea has no provisions on sovereignty nor does it regulate sovereignty over islands of their original status," Chen said. "UNCLOS can in no way serve as a basis for a country's territorial claim, nor can it change China's indisputable legal status as having sovereignty over the Nansha islands," he said, using China's term for the Spratlys. He cited four possible scenarios to resolve the territorial dispute, including resolution by threat or use of force; the "let it be" scenario where claimants would engage in a "war of words" or actions based on their unilateral claims; resolution through direct dialogue and peaceful means; and putting aside the dispute for joint development. "Joint development will not only bring benefits to all parties concerned, but also create a favorable environment and atmosphere for settling disputes in the long run," Chen said. According to him, joint development should be "the most practical, feasible and win-win way" for the claimants. That cooperative rhetoric has been contradicted by both sides' recent actions and without the implementation soon of a binding code of conduct the risk is rising that a war of words escalates into the use of force in the South China Sea. |
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| AVBsupersonic | Nov 16 2011, 05:30 PM Post #1214 |
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Clinton in Manila amid ASEAN row over South China Sea By Manuel Mogato and Paul Eckert | Reuters – 20 hours ago MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines criticised fellow Southeast Asian nations on Tuesday for failing to take a united stand against China over maritime rights in the South China Sea, a crucial commercial shipping lane thought to contain valuable oil and minerals. The comments by Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario coincide with the arrival of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Manila for a two-day visit in which the Philippines is likely to press Washington to help resolve disputes in the sea lanes claimed by China. "They're concerned from a security point of view and are looking at us to identify ways to work together," a senior U.S. defence official travelling with Clinton told reporters. "We're very sensitive to making sure that this does not in any way alarm or provoke anybody else." Regional leaders gather in Bali, Indonesia, this week for back-to-back summits of the ASEAN and East Asia groupings where the issue is also expected to be raised. The summits follow a meeting in Honolulu this past weekend of leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. Beijing claims that entire maritime region, which contains rich energy and fisheries resources, pitting it against coastal states Vietnam and the Philippines in a test of wills that erupted in violent clashes in recent years. Diplomats in Vietnam and the Philippines have privately expressed concern that Beijing is using its economic influence on some members of the 10-state Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to prevent the regional bloc from steering negotiations over conflicting claims. The Philippines has proposed a "Zone of Peace, Freedom, Friendship and Cooperation", or ZoPFFC, to define which areas are disputed and which are under the sovereignty of a country. That would pave the way for a joint cooperation area. In the first sign of discord as regional foreign ministers met on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, del Rosario reprimanded Southeast Asia, suggesting it was failing to flex its diplomatic muscle in the face of pressure from China. "We have been given the impression that political and economic considerations have hindered a fruitful and mutually acceptable outcome on the discussions of the ZoPFFC," Rosario said in a statement in Manila on Tuesday that was read by his deputy at an ASEAN foreign ministers meeting in Bali. "ASEAN must play a decisive role at this time if it desires to realise its aspirations for global leadership." Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, whose country holds the rotating ASEAN chairmanship, said the Philippine proposal failed to find traction in the region. "The core problem is to define which areas are in dispute and which areas are not," he told reporters in Bali. "So to many countries, this almost appeared to be a non-starter." OBAMA TO ADDRESS SECURITY Maritime security will be front and centre when U.S. President Barack Obama attends the East Asia Summit in Bali this weekend, the first U.S. leader to join the annual meeting of Asian leaders and dialogue partners. Obama is expected to respond to China's territorial sea claims which the Philippines and other U.S. allies regard as economically and militarily threatening. Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei are other claimants to parts of the South China Sea. Those countries, along with the United States and Japan, have pressured Beijing to try and seek some way forward on sovereignty, which has flared again this year with often-tense maritime stand-offs. But China, growing in confidence and military power, sees no reason to back down. Countries such as the Philippines are increasingly concerned and fear their Asian allies will succumb to Beijing's influence on the issue. Del Rosario said there was no full participation of ASEAN member states in an ASEAN Maritime Legal Experts' Meeting, making it difficult to reach consensus on the issue. Manila hosted the legal experts' meeting in September but Laos and Cambodia -- both of which have benefited from waves of Chinese investment in recent years -- did not turn up despite indicating they would, preventing a joint position. "ASEAN is now at a critical junction of playing a positive and meaningful role to contribute in the peaceful resolution of the disputes in the South China Sea," del Rosario said. China and Taiwan also claim the whole of the world's second-busiest sea lane, which has rich deposits of oil and gas and is also a major fisheries resource. Beijing wants to resolve the dispute through bilateral negotiations and has rejected calls for United Nations arbitration, but other claimants prefer a multilateral approach, including an indirect role for the United States. Washington has supported Manila's multilateral and rules-based approach to resolve the issue and has pledged military assistance to upgrade the Philippines' ability to patrol its maritime borders in the area. Clinton will sign a partnership agreement to mark 60th anniversary of the countries' Mutual Defence Treaty. Briefing journalists travelling with Clinton, a senior U.S. state department official said Washington will continue efforts in the country's restive south to help fight Islamic militants but "are focusing more on maritime capabilities and other aspects of expeditionary military power." "We are working on a whole list of things that improve their own indigenous capabilities to be able to deal with maritime challenges," he said, adding the U.S. has provided the Philippines with a destroyer and a second ship will come soon. http://ph.news.yahoo.com/clinton-manila-am...-125918816.html http://ph.news.yahoo.com/us-philippines-bo...-010429443.html What "Destroyer" are they talking about?? the USS Fitzgerald...?
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| "Some are just lucky that they're not under oath and are not classified!"- Blue badge | |
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| spearhead | Nov 16 2011, 11:12 PM Post #1215 |
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DoctorNO, Your Neutral Observer.
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^^ITS the PF15. "Its either will be armed with ASW or it was just another media error. |
"Men of War must learn the art of numbers or he will not know how to array his troops." - Plato![]() ![]() | |
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| spearhead | Nov 16 2011, 11:16 PM Post #1216 |
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DoctorNO, Your Neutral Observer.
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Its kindda obvious why most of the ASEAN countries were not that supportive with the philippines because they simply dont care about us anymore. After we let them in to our country decades ago and gave them educations from our various big time universities from the 50's to 70's, this is what we get in return. Its utterly disgusting. Kulang nalang eh sipain na tayo at itakwil na tayo as an asean nation then instead identify us as a lost latin nation. |
"Men of War must learn the art of numbers or he will not know how to array his troops." - Plato![]() ![]() | |
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| ctrlaltdel | Nov 17 2011, 02:41 PM Post #1217 |
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Clinton warns against intimidation in South China Sea dispute http://www.brecorder.com/general-news/sing...99/172/1252013/ |
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| THE_NEWS_MAN | Nov 21 2011, 03:13 PM Post #1218 |
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ASEAN deadline for draft Code of Conduct on South China Sea set for July 2012 21-Nov-11, 12:19 PM | Chichi Conde, InterAksyon.com MANILA, Philippines -- Member-states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) have set a July 2012 deadline for a draft Code of Conduct on the South China Sea, Foreign Affairs Albert del Rosario said on Monday. “By July 2012, the Asean senior officials will report on the progress of the working group to the foreign ministers. A draft of the CoC should be presented sometime in July next year,” del Rosario said. “That will now fall within the purview of Cambodia (as the incoming Asean chairman),” he added. During the recently concluded Asean-China commemorative summit in Bali, Indonesia, Beijing agreed with leaders of the bloc that it was time to move toward a binding CoC. The Philippines has been pushing for a Zone of Peace, Freedom, Friendship, and Cooperation (ZoPFFC) in the disputed maritime areas. The Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, and Malaysia -- all Asean member-countries -- along with China and Taiwan, have conflicting claims in the South China Sea . http://www.interaksyon.com/article/17807/a...t-for-july-2012 |
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| udf21 | Nov 21 2011, 08:36 PM Post #1219 |
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I suppose there is some truth to that. Why do you think that is? |
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| ni84 | Nov 21 2011, 09:19 PM Post #1220 |
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We are just kind but not in the right place. Sad but true. |
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We shall not fail or falter; we shall not weaken or tire...Give us the tools and we will finish the job. Sir Winston Churchill, BBC radio broadcast, 1941 We'll settle this the old navy way: first guy to die, loses. President Thomas 'Tug' Benson, Hot Shots! Part Deux ![]() Raketnye voyska strategicheskogo naznacheniya Rossiyskoy Federatsii 15,000 nukes and enough for another 40,000 | |
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8:31 AM Jul 11