Konflikti Kiinan merellä

[ctg]

An opposition lawmaker filed an impeachment complaint in the Philippine Congress on Thursday against President Rodrigo Duterte, calling for his removal for what he said were high crimes, betrayal of public trust and abuses of power.

Lower house representative Gary Alejano accused Duterte of offences he said were worthy of impeachment, from concealing assets and conflicts of interest, to drug-related extrajudicial killings and running an alleged “death squad” when he was mayor of Davao city.

Duterte has rejected similar allegations levelled at him in the past. His spokesman on Thursday said Alejano was trying to create doubts among the public about the administration.

Alejano said his aim was to give Filipinos a chance to speak up against a powerful president.

“Our goal with this complaint is to be a vehicle for Filipinos to have a voice to oppose and fight against the abuses and crimes of President Duterte,” Alejano told a televised news conference.

“We know it’s an uphill battle … but we believe that many will support this complaint.”

He said Duterte’s actions were a “culpable violation of the constitution, engaging in bribery, betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption and other high crimes“.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...peachment-papers-filed-in-philippine-congress

Regional military attaches and experts believe the work shows China's determination to build up its network of reefs and islets, even if it is seeking to avoid a fresh confrontation with the new administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

An image of North Island in the Paracels group taken on March 6 shows recent work including land clearing and possible preparation for a harbor to support what experts believe may be eventual military installations. Initial work was damaged in a typhoon last year.

The pictures, provided by private satellite firm Planet Labs, follow reports in January showing work undertaken on nearby Tree Island and other features in the Paracels, which are also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan.

Diplomats briefed on latest Western intelligence assessments say Beijing is pursuing efforts to dominate its maritime 'backyard', even if it tweaks the timing of moves to avoid being overtly provocative.

"The Paracels are going to be vital to any future Chinese attempt to dominate the South China Sea," said Carl Thayer, a South China Sea expert at Australia's Defence Force Academy.

"We can see they are committed to militarization, whatever the official rhetoric tells us, even if they are going to do it bit by bit."

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-southchinasea-china-paracels-idUSKBN16L2SS

China may be building a large port in the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea, according to Taiwan's Central News Agency.

The new construction could be taking place as China continues to militarize other areas of the South China Sea, including the disputed Spratly Islands, where Beijing has built military runways and possibly missile shelters.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-N...sputed-South-China-Sea-islands/9321489567840/

 

[Gibson]

Pientä harjoitusta. US Marines conduct air assault exercise in the East China Sea today. https://already-happened.com/2017/0...assault-exercise-in-the-east-china-sea-today/

 

[ctg]

The controversial president said overnight that his militarily inferior country can’t stop China’s expansionist actions in contested waters.

He pointed out even the might of the United States was not deterring Beijing.

Beijing has already reclaimed large areas around several islets and reefs in the Spratly archipelago and elsewhere in the South China Sea, as well as installing military facilities on some of them.

However analysts warn that building on Scarborough Shoal would radically change the situation since it is just 230km from Luzon, the most populous island in the Philippines.

Duterte’s outburst comes after reports China plans to do exactly that.

http://www.news.com.au/world/chinas...s/news-story/f0afa0c876852852a052b58c34bc3c97

 

[ctg]

The Chinese military issued a warning to a U.S. Air Force B-1 bomber flying in the East China Sea Wednesday morning amid escalating tensions in the region, two U.S. officials told Fox News.

The Chinese said the U.S. bomber was flying in international airspace. American officials tell Fox News the bomber was flying in international airspace and continued on its mission---albeit without its wingman

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/0...ng-to-us-bomber-flying-in-east-china-sea.html

 

[ctg]

China has largely completed three major military bases in the South China Sea that have naval, air, radar and missile-defence facilities, according to a US thinktank.

“Beijing can now deploy military assets, including combat aircraft and mobile missile launchers, to the Spratly Islands at any time,” said the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), part of Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The thinktank published images taken this month of what it calls the “big three” island air bases – Subi, Mischief, and Fiery Cross reefs – which it has analysed via commercial high-resolution satellite imagery for two years.

“China’s three air bases in the Spratlys and another on Woody Island in the Paracels will allow Chinese military aircraft to operate over nearly the entire South China Sea,” AMTI said. “The same is true of China’s radar coverage.”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/28/beijing-military-bases-south-china-sea-ready

https://amti.csis.org/chinas-big-three-near-completion/

 

[ctg]

As China expands its influence in the disputed South China Sea, an arms race has developed among other nations with claims in the area.

http://learningenglish.voanews.com/...tary-build-up-in-south-china-sea/3790851.html

There’s been a lot of media hype over China’s ongoing military buildup in the South China Sea. But as always, the truth lies beyond the headlines.

Chinese action has so far been largely contained to two island groups: the Spratly Islands and the Paracel Islands.

http://www.businessinsider.com/maps-explain-south-china-sea-2017-3?IR=T

 

[ctg]

Kiinassa on vaikea selvittää, mitä maan poliittinen johto todella ajattelee Suomesta. Viralliset kommentit on kuorrutettu niin paksulla liturgialla, että sen alta on vaikea erottaa mitään.

Näin liturgia yleensä menee:

Kiina arvostaa edelleen sitä, että Suomi tunnusti vuonna 1950 vikkelästi Kiinan kansantasavallan ensimmäisten länsimaiden joukossa. Luonnon puhtautta ihaillaan aidosti, ja suomalaisesta huipputekniikasta haluttaisiin parhaat palat Kiinaan.

Liturgiassa on epäilemättä paljon totta.

http://yle.fi/uutiset/3-9544791

Etelä-Kiinan merellä pulaan joutunut suomalaisalus ilmoitti varhain tiistaiaamuna, että merenkäynti on tyyntynyt niin, että purjehtiminen on taas mahdollista. Asiasta kertoo Turun meripelastuskeskus, joka on ollut yhteydessä suomalaisalukseen sen jälkeen, kun alus ilmoitti lauantaina olevansa vaikeuksissa.

http://yle.fi/uutiset/3-9545107

 

[ctg]

Chinese coastguard vessels maintain a near-constant presence around reefs claimed by Malaysia in the South China Sea, ship-tracking data shared with the Guardian has revealed.

The findings show the extent of Beijing’s military ambitions far south of its borders, antagonising south-east Asian countries and deepening a potentially explosive foreign policy crisis with the US president, Donald Trump.

During the first two months of 2017, three Chinese ships patrolled the Luconia Shoals, an area of islets and reefs that are more than 1,000 miles (1,600km) from mainland China and only about 90 miles (145 km) north of Malaysian Borneo.

The ships were traced by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), part of Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies, and the non-profit Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS).

The US-based groups said the two months were not unusual and were consistent with regular rotations of up to 11 Chinese patrol ships it had traced in the area since late 2015.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...ol-ships-keep-presence-around-malaysian-reefs

 

[ctg]

Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessels maintain a near-constant presence at Luconia Shoals off the coast of Malaysia’s Sarawak State. That uncomfortable fact does not garner much attention, either in the Malaysian or international press, but it speaks to Beijing’s determination to establish administrative control throughout the nine-dash line. The reefs, which are divided into the North and South Luconia Shoals, are located between the hotly contested Spratly Islands to the north and James Shoal, which China often calls its southernmost territory, to the south. Like James Shoal, the Luconia Shoals are underwater at high-tide, meaning they cannot be claimed as territory and constitute part of Malaysia’s continental shelf.

In September 2013, a CCG vessel dropped anchor at South Luconia Shoals and reportedly did not leave until late November 2015, just before Malaysia hosted that year’s ASEAN and East Asia Summits. During that time, the CCG presence at the shoals provoked hearings in the Malaysian Parliament and repeated complaints from government officials—a minister in the Prime Minister’s Department even posted aerial photos of the ship to Facebook in June 2015, sparking outrage. But with the CCG’s withdrawal ahead of the Kuala Lumpur ASEAN Summit and Prime Minister Najib Razak’s subsequent outreach to Beijing, the issue largely disappeared from public discourse in Malaysia.

Unfortunately, the CCG withdrawal at the end of 2015 was short-lived. In collaboration with the Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS), AMTI has monitored the movement of ships around Luconia Shoals using C4ADS’ unique data and analytics.

The map below shows the movement of CCG and Malaysian government vessels at the shoals over a 60-day period, from the end of December 2016 to late February 2017. The playback can be paused and the slider manually manipulated to explore ship locations on any given date. The map can also be zoomed in or out and individual objects can be hovered over for more information. In some cases, the same ship may appear more than once on the map, indicating that its transponder signal was received more than once during the period shown.

https://amti.csis.org/tracking-chinas-coast-guard-off-borneo/

Jos naapurin alukset olisivat erehtyneet noin syvälle meidän aluevesille niin siitä olisi syntynyt jotakin muuta kuin noottikriisi. Malesia ei voi muuta kuin levitellä käsiään kun ei ole laivastoa ottamaan yhteen lohikäärmeen kanssa.

 

[Torrakko]

Duterte on käskenyt valtaamaan saaria tältä merialueelta..

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte said Thursday he has ordered military personnel to occupy all Philippines-claimed islands in the disputed South China Sea.
"We tried to be friends with everybody but we have to maintain our jurisdiction now, at least the areas under our control. And I have ordered the armed forces to occupy all these," he said during a visit to a military camp on the Philippines island of Palawan.
Duterte said he may raise the Philippines flag on Pagasa Island, also known as Thitu Island, on the country's independence day on June 12.
Thitu is in the Spratly island chain, parts of which are claimed by the Philippines, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam.

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/06/asia/philippines-duterte-south-china-sea/index.html

Jos Duterte seuraa sanojaan teoilla niin voip mennä mielenkiintoiseksi tämä vääntö.

 

[SJ]

Duterte on käskenyt valtaamaan saaria tältä merialueelta..


http://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/06/asia/philippines-duterte-south-china-sea/index.html

Jos Duterte seuraa sanojaan teoilla niin voip mennä mielenkiintoiseksi tämä vääntö.

Hieman ailahtelevaiselta vaikuttaa, mutta ehkä hän oletti diplomatian auttavan kiinan valta ambitioihin.

 

[ctg]

A Chinese fighter plane has been spotted on a Chinese-held island in the South China Sea, the first such sighting in a year and the first since U.S. President Trump took office, a U.S. think tank reported on Thursday.

The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), part of Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the J-11 fighter was visible in a satellite image taken on March 29 of Woody Island in the Paracel island chain.

News of the sighting came as Trump was in Florida for meetings with China's President Xi Jinping on Thursday and Friday at which he is expected to air U.S. concerns about China's pursuit of territory and militarization of outposts in the South China Sea.

"This isn’t a first, but it’s the first time in a year," AMTI director Greg Poling said of the jet sighting.

Referring to the single fighter plane visible in the image, he said: "There are likely more in the hangars nearby."

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-southchinasea-idUSKBN1782LQ

At first glance Rodrigo Duterte's order to deploy Philippine troops to 10 small islands and reefs in the flashpoint waters of the South China Sea is a serious escalation of a dispute that could engulf the world's major powers.

But like so many comments made by the 72-year-old firebrand President since he took office last June, it is unclear whether he is joking, stirring patriotic sentiments at home or is serious.

http://www.smh.com.au/world/south-c...terte-be-taken-seriously-20170407-gvfu3i.html

 

[ctg]

Reports of Chinese oceanographic research vessels operating off the western coast of the Philippines in late 2016 have stirred up controversy in Manila this month. In this AMTI podcast, Greg Poling speaks with Peter Dutton, director of the China Maritime Studies Institute at the U.S. Naval War College, and Jay Batongbacal, director of the University of the Philippines’ Institute for Maritime Affairs and the Law of the Sea, to assess what the Chinese vessels were doing, whether it was legal, the public response, and what the controversy says about future cooperation between China and the Philippines.

https://amti.csis.org/podcast-benham-rise-dutton-batongbacal/

 

[ctg]

For Filipino fishermen, a trip to the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea is an uncomfortable one at the best of times.

Hours working in the scorching sun, a monotonous diet of rice, spam and fish, sometimes for weeks, all the while watching for tropical storms that could wreck their modest wooden boats.

For a team of Reuters landlubbers making a reporting trip to the disputed shoal, there were other challenges - the lack of any toilets apart from the sea, sleeping wedged on the open deck, and most of all, the constant worry that the Chinese coastguard would try to drive us away.

Five years after China forcibly blockaded the rich waters from all but its own fishermen, the visit last week confirmed that Beijing had made concessions. Philippine vessels were allowed to fish again, and small boats could enter the lagoon.

But while an international panel last year ruled the shoal should be freely fished by all, China's coastguard was still clearly calling the shots.

Alerted to our presence by Chinese fishermen holding cameras and two-way radios, a coastguard vessel sped towards us before losing track of our boat in the mass of similar looking craft surrounding the prized fishing grounds.

Months in planning, the 200-km (124-mile) journey from the Philippine coast to the shoal took 18 hours in a narrow, 12m (40ft) fishing boat.

For a graphic on the Scarborough Shoal, click here

Earlier trips had to be canceled when storms made the crossing too dangerous. On this journey a second vessel was hired to accompany us as a precaution against bad weather or breakdowns.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-southchinasea-china-philippines-witne-idUSKBN17E09O

 

[ctg]

LOL

The Philippines’ president, Rodrigo Duterte, has cancelled a planned visit to an island the Philippines claims in the disputed South China Sea, after Beijing warned him against the visit.

The brash Philippine leader last week announced his plan to raise the Philippine flag in the island of Thitu, in the Spratlys chain, and fortify it with barracks, setting off alarm bells.

“Because of our friendship with China and because we value your friendship I will not go there to raise the Philippine flag,” Duterte said in a speech before the Filipino community in Riyadh late Wednesday.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...h-china-sea-island-after-warning-from-beijing

 

[ctg]

President Trump’s decision to launch a missile strike against the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad diverted the world’s attention from the much-anticipated first summit meeting between Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping. But back at Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump was giving President Xi exactly what Xi wanted – photo ops, smiles, and the red-carpet treatment – and getting little in return. If anything, the summit reaffirmed for the Chinese leader that his U.S. counterpart talks a big game, but backs down easily.

China has long been a target of Trump’s explosive rhetoric. On the campaign trail, he proffered a scapegoat for his message of American economic decline: “We can’t continue to allow China to rape our country,” he said. In the runup to last week’s summit, he talked about how “difficult” his first meeting with Xi would be, even threatening unilateral action against North Korea if China wouldn’t help.

But after the bluster and threats, Mr. Trump shied away from tough talk at Mar-a-Lago. In public, at least, he barely mentioned China’s worrying actions on trade, North Korea, and in the South China Sea. Instead, he sounded conciliatory: “We have made tremendous progress in our relationship with China.” Muted notes of public concern were left to cabinet members after the meeting.

Public criticism is no substitute for a strategy, but carefully calibrated public pressure is essential to getting what the United States wants. China cares deeply about how it is perceived. At home, the Chinese government wants to show the American president treating China’s leader with nothing but respect. Abroad, Chinese diplomats want photos and boilerplate public comments to help undercut America’s position with its partners in Asia. Public criticism is a stick the United States must wield consistently and carefully; Mr. Trump didn’t use it.

What he did was far worse than squander an opportunity to apply pressure. He reaffirmed the emerging Chinese perception of the American president as a paper tiger. Having created an opportunity to address concerns while standing next to China’s leader – never an easy task for American leaders and diplomats – Mr. Trump blinked. Twitter criticism is easy. Face-to-face diplomacy is hard.

http://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2017/04/trump-blew-it-his-china-summit/136985/?oref=d-river

 

[ctg]

Towards the end of 2016, Rodrigo Duterte’s Philippines said goodbye to the United States—and hello to China, its new suitor.

Duterte made much of the pivot away from America, a long-term ally, but also sounded a warning to Beijing: “I am no lapdog of any world power,” he said.

A few months on and it may be that Duterte did not realize what being friends with one of the world’s largest superpowers entailed.

Last week, Duterte said he would take control of territorial matters in the South China Sea by planting a flag on land claimed by the Philippines on their independence day, on June 12.

His plan had been to head to Thitu, one of the disputed islands in the Spratlys, which are claimed by China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Brunei and Malaysia.

“I have ordered the armed forces to occupy all—these so many islands, I think nine or 10—put up structures and the Philippine flag,” he told reporters. “And in the coming Independence Day of ours, I may go to Pag-asa island to raise the flag there. Even those that are vacant, let us habitate there. ”

But just days later he canceled his plans in the face of a warning from Beijing.

“Because of our friendship with China and because we value your friendship I will not go there to raise the Philippine flag,” Duterte said in a speech before the Filipino community in Riyadh. “They said: ‘Do not go there [...] please. I will correct myself because we value our friendship with China.”

http://www.newsweek.com/phillipines-already-being-called-heel-its-new-ally-583673

Around $5.3 trillion in trade passes through the South China Sea every year and the Council for Foreign Relations has suggested the risk of conflict over ownership of its islands is “significant”.

The Philippines has talked proudly about its allies in Beijing and Moscow, with Duterte recently claiming “ there are three of us against the world—China, Philippines and Russia. It's the only way .” He has described his new relationship with China being in a “new spring time.”

But despite bidding farewell to the U.S., Duterte hasn’t completely abandoned Washington as a partner. The country recently accepted a weapons delivery from the U.S. in February, which contained 400 grenade launchers, 85 sniper rifles, and three unmanned aerial vehicles, which were given by the U.S. to help fight terrorism.

varoitus kuusi sivua luettavaa

China's occupation is an affront to the Phillippines' sovereignty, territorial integrity and the Constitution of 1987, according to which “The State shall pursue an independent foreign policy. In its relations with other states the paramount consideration shall be national sovereignty, territorial integrity, national interest, and the right to self-determination,” and that “ The State shall protect the nation’s marine wealth in its archipelagic waters, territorial sea, and exclusive economic zone , and reserve its use and enjoyment exclusively to Filipino citizens.”

If allowed to continue, Chinese occupation of the shoal degrades the Philippine environment, sovereignty, and the likelihood that it will eventually regain control of the shoal. The longer China has control of the shoal, the more likely it is to build planned military facilities there, and the less likely it will return the shoal to the Philippines. It is critical for the natural habitat at Scarborough, and for the Philippines’ sovereignty and territorial integrity, that the Philippines, U.S., and allies immediately increase pressure on China, through economic sanctions and activation of the defense treaty if necessary, to vacate the shoal and return it to Philippine administration.

China is in the process of large scale environmental destruction at Scarborough Shoal and other parts of the South China Sea (SCS), including through widespread destruction of endangered coral and harvesting of endangered species such as giant clams and sea turtles. China has been turning barely-submerged shoals in the South China Sea into militarized artificial islands, replete with military runways and docks large enough for aircraft carriers and nuclear missile submarines. Some analysts think China may eventually create underwater submarine bastions or harbors in the South China Sea, including at Mischief Reef and Scarborough. A Chinese military source and maritime experts said last year that China plans to turn Scarborough into a military base.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/anders...-sovereignty-in-south-china-sea/#f72e7186ed38

Because China is using its increasing military and economic advantages to gain territory in the South China Sea, East China Sea, and Himalayas, it is unlikely to set a precedent against itself by voluntarily agreeing to cede territory or go to the ICJ where those military and economic advantages have little to no effect. "I don't see much chance of anything bringing China around to ceding sovereignty or going to arbitration (which on Scarborough it would likely lose), at least not in any reasonable time frame,” said Poling in an email.

Some analysts, perhaps representing the mainstream of opinion in the U.S. given its inaction on Philippine sovereignty within its EEZ, think the U.S. should not take sides in sovereignty disputes between China and the Philippines. “If either China or [t]he Philippines refuses to do so [arbitrate the Scarborough sovereignty disputes at the ICJ], the role of the international community is to support stability until such time as the parties can agree on how to resolve their dispute,” Dutton said by email. “In my view it is not the role of the United States to champion the Philippine claim. Our role is to help maintain overall regional stability, not to provoke conflict by choosing a side.”

These armed Chinese acts, combined with Chinese occupation of the sovereign territory of the Philippines, arguably combine to constitute an “armed attack”. The treaty further says, “For the purpose of Article IV, an armed attack on either of the Parties is deemed to include an armed attack on the metropolitan territory of either of the Parties, or on the island territories under its jurisdiction in the Pacific or on its armed forces, public vessels or aircraft in the Pacific.” Last year, the PCA found Scarborough Shoal to be a “rock”, which is a legal subcategory of an “island” according to UNCLOS. So the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty appears to apply to Scarborough.

Any attempt to further split legal hairs on the wording of the treaty and its relevance to Scarborough would not reflect well on American defense commitments. The appearance of avoiding or reneging on a U.S. treaty commitment to protect Philippine territory in the South China Sea, including Scarborough Shoal, could make the U.S. look weak as an ally, not only to Filipinos, but to the world. Ukraine already blames the U.S., rightly or wrongly, for not sufficiently fulfilling security guarantees in the Budapest Agreement of 1994, when Russia invaded Crimea. Adding a failure to protect the Philippines from China could further tarnish our reputation. The longer that China is allowed to administer Scarborough Shoal with the China Coast Guard, the more China, and international lawyers, will start to see it as China’s de facto sovereign territory. And, possession is 9/10 of the law.

Some international lawyers already think China has the right to act as a sovereign at Scarborough. “I think China is acting as sovereign -- as it has a right to do -- when it fishes in and around Scarborough Shoal,” said Dutton. “I agree it is not engaging in artisanal fishing when it uses industrial sized vessels. But a sovereign has an unfettered right to choose how to fish in its own territorial sea and internal waters. The [PCA] arbitral opinion merely acknowledged that China and the Philippines (and others) have artisanal fishing rights at Scarborough without limiting other rights that might pertain to the sovereign. So I do not conclude China is acting unlawfully.”

Voi näitä kansainvälisen lakien porsaanreikiä.

While some lawyers may be able to justify China’s industrial fishing at Scarborough based on a hypothetical sovereignty, combined with one interpretation of international law, China’s destruction of the environment in what most people think is the EEZ of another country is a dangerous precedent, and flies in the face of common sense values.

Those common sense values that indicate the Philippines should have sovereignty over Scarborough Shoal start with Scarborough being much closer to the Philippines than to China. Just look at a map. Any reasonable person would say that China should not be “administering” Filipino fishermen at their own shoal. Second, Scarborough is within the Philippine EEZ. Scarborough at high tide is a small collection of rocks, the largest of which is not much bigger than a car. This should not give China the right to claim it as territory, along with a 12 nm radius of territorial sea. Third, when the Philippines administered Scarborough up to 2012, the shoal was for the most part sustainably fished by Filipino fishermen. Now it is being destroyed by China, which has acted aggressively against Filipino fishermen. China is likely seeking to build a military base at the shoal that will increase regional instability. Fourth, the Philippine maps of Scarborough predate by centuries the Chinese maps that purportedly claim the shoal, and Philippine fishing at Scarborough predates China’s territorial claim. Fifth, China likely refuses to arbitrate the sovereignty dispute at the ICJ, which would place China and its actions squarely outside the international rule of law.

 

[ctg]

Naapurin suunnitelmat kiinan merelle.

Russia’s policies regarding the South China Sea (SCS) dispute are more complex than they might seem. Moscow’s official position presents Russia as an extra-regional actor with no stakes in the dispute. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Russia “had never been a participant of the South China Sea disputes” and considers it “a matter of principle not to side with any party.” However, behind the façade of formal disengagement is Russia’s military build-up in the Asia-Pacific region, and the multi-billion dollar arms and energy deals with the rival claimants. These factors reveal that even though Moscow may not have direct territorial claims in the SCS, it has strategic goals, interests, and actions that have direct bearing on how the SCS dispute evolves.

One-fourth of Russia’s massive military modernization program through 2020 is designated for the Pacific Fleet, headquartered in Vladivostok, to make it better equipped for extended operations in distant seas. Russia’s military cooperation with China has progressed to the point that President Putin called China Russia’s “natural partner and natural ally.” The two countries’ most recent joint naval exercise – “Joint Sea 2016” – took place in the SCS, and became the first exercise of its kind involving China and a second country in the disputed SCS after The Hague-based tribunal ruling on China’s “nine-dash line” territorial claims. However, Russia’s relations with Vietnam are displaying a similar upward trend: Russia-Vietnam relations have been upgraded to a “comprehensive strategic partnership” comparable to the Russia-China relationship. Russia and Vietnam are developing joint gas projects in the SCS, and Moscow also is trying to return to the Cam Ranh naval base and to sell Hanoi advanced weapon systems that enhance Vietnam’s defense capabilities.

Moscow’s actual behavior, therefore, hardly conforms to the neutrality of its official statements. The simultaneous enhancements of military cooperation with both Beijing and Hanoi – two of the major direct disputants in the SCS – make Russia’s intentions hard to interpret, and require a more holistic framework that encapsulates different levels of Russia’s foreign policy interests.

http://oilprice.com/Geopolitics/International/Putins-Plan-In-The-South-China-Sea.html

Russia’s policies also resonate with Beijing’s strategic calculations. While the Russia-Vietnam strategic partnership with its strong military component may look anti-China, in reality it works for Beijing’s interests because it helps to prevent the consolidation of a Hanoi-Washington alliance. While being unhappy about Russia’s arms transfers to Vietnam, Beijing recognizes that a decline or termination of such transfers would result in Hanoi shifting from its current policy of diversifying military contacts, to a stronger lean towards Washington; this shift would close the U.S.-led containment ring around China. Therefore, despite the emphatic resistance against the internationalization of the SCS dispute, Beijing accepts Russia’s greater involvement as well as Russia-Vietnam military cooperation.

 

[ctg]

MANILA — The Philippines sent its top military officials on Friday to an island it occupies in the disputed South China Sea to reinforce the country’s claim.

Even before the military C-130 transport aircraft reached Pag-asa Island, also known as Thitu, the Chinese challenged the flight at least four times on radio as it passed through the region. China claims the island, as do Vietnam and Taiwan.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, who led the trip, sought to play down the challenge from the Chinese, saying it was their “protocol” to question aircraft flying over what they regarded as their airspace. “No untoward incident happened,” he added.

Pag-asa is part of the Spratly Islands, an archipelago of about 14 islets and dozens of reefs and shoals. It is believed to lie atop vast reserves of natural deposits, and the varying claims are a point of conflict for the region.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/21/world/asia/philippines-south-china-sea.html

Philippine authorities are working to confirm reports that Chinese Coast Guard vessels harassed and drove away Filipino fishermen at Union Bank in the Spratly group in the South China Sea. According to early reports, Chinese Coast Guard vessels fired warning shots to deny fishermen access to disputed waters. The location of the incident, which occurred on Thursday, is close to Gaven Reef, which is home to one of China’s seven artificial islands in the Spratly group.

The Philippine military was cautious in assessing the incident early on, describing “alleged harassment” by the Chinese vessels. Others have been less charitable to China. For example, Rep. Gary Alejano, a Philippine congressman, condemned “in the strongest terms” the “aggressive acts” of the Chinese Coast Guard in the incident, according to the Inquirer. Gen. Eduardo Año, chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, has said the incident is under investigation.

A Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesperson meanwhile noted that Manila would seek to raise the issue with China through bilateral channels should the incident be verified. “With the current positive momentum in PH-China relations, we have mechanisms in place where the Philippines can raise such issues. This includes the bilateral consultation mechanism, which is meant to tackle issues of concern in the West PH Sea,” DFA Spokesperson Robespierre Bolivar told reporters, using the Philippine name for the South China Sea.

http://thediplomat.com/2017/04/sout...ny-philippine-fishermen-access-to-union-bank/

BEIJING -- China will look into reports that Filipino fishermen have been driven away allegedly by the Chinese Coast Guard from Union Bank in the South China Sea said Lu Kang, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, on Friday, April 21. ”I honestly do not know anything about what you said. You yourself mentioned that the vessels are unidentified, and all sides are in the process of verifying the situation. China also needs to check on that,” Lu Kang said. The Philippines’ foreign affairs and national defense departments are still confirming media reports on the harassment of the Filipino fishermen. Lu said China will continue to work with the Philippine side to “properly” resolve the South China Sea or West Philippine Sea maritime and territorial dispute under the leadership of President Rodrigo Duterte. ”Our position on the South China Sea issue is consistent and clear. We would go on working with the Philippine side to properly deal with relevant maritime issues and create favorable conditions for the sound and steady development of bilateral relations,” the spokesman said. He reiterated that the bilateral relations between the Philippines and China have turned around and started to improve quickly “with all-around cooperation moving forward steadily.” Duterte is set to return to Beijing next month to participate in the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. “Overall, both sides are able to build upon the consensus of the two leaders and manage maritime issues through negotiations and coordination,” Lu said. (PNA)

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/network/n...ssment-filipino-fishermen-disputed-sea-537857

 

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The United States is reaffirming its engagement with Southeast Asian nations at a time when analysts say there are concerns that North Korea's threats are overshadowing territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

https://www.voanews.com/a/us-reassure-asia-allies-south-china-sea-dispute/3820668.html