[🇨🇳] South China Sea

New rules allow arrest in South China Sea
Agence France-Presse . Shanghai 15 June, 2024, 23:44

New Chinese coast guard rules took effect Saturday, under which it can detain foreigners for trespassing in the disputed South China Sea, where neighbours and the G7 have accused Beijing of intimidation and coercion.

Beijing claims almost the entirety of the South China Sea, brushing aside competing claims from several Southeast Asian nations including the Philippines and an international ruling that its stance has no legal basis.

China deploys coast guard and other boats to patrol the waters and has turned several reefs into militarised artificial islands. Chinese and Philippine vessels have had a series of confrontations in disputed areas.

From Saturday, China's coast guard can detain foreigners 'suspected of violating management of border entry and exit', according to the new regulations published online.

Detention is allowed up to 60 days in 'complicated cases', they say.

'Foreign ships that have illegally entered China's territorial waters and the adjacent waters may be detained.'

Manila has accused the Chinese coast guard of 'barbaric and inhumane behaviour' against Philippine vessels, and President Ferdinand Marcos last month called the new rules a 'very worrisome' escalation.

China Coast Guard vessels have used water cannon against Philippine boats multiple times in the contested waters.

There have also been collisions that injured Filipino troops.

Philippine military chief General Romeo Brawner told reporters on Friday that authorities in Manila were 'discussing a number of steps to be undertaken in order for us to protect our fishermen'.

Philippine fishermen were told 'not to be afraid, but just to go ahead with their normal activities to fish there in our Exclusive Economic Zone', Brawner said.

The Group of Seven bloc on Friday criticised what it called 'dangerous' incursions by China in the waterway.

'We oppose China's militarisation, and coercive and intimidation activities in the South China Sea,' read a G7 statement at the end of a summit on Friday.

The South China Sea is a vital waterway, where Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei also have overlapping claims in some parts.

Most recently, however, confrontations between China and the Philippines have raised fears of a wider conflict over the sea that could involve the United States and other allies.

Trillions of dollars in ship-borne trade passes through the South China Sea annually, and huge unexploited oil and gas deposits are believed to lie under its seabed, though estimates vary greatly.

The sea is also important as a source of fish for growing populations.

China has defended its new coast guard rules. A foreign ministry spokesman said last month that they were intended to 'better uphold order at sea'.

And the Chinese defence minister warned this month that there were 'limits' to Beijing's restraint in the South China Sea.

China has also been angered in the past by US and other Western warships sailing through the South China Sea.

The US Navy and others undertake such voyages to assert the freedom of navigation in international waters, but Beijing considers them violations of its sovereignty.

Chinese and US forces have had a series of close encounters in the South China Sea.​

Quad decries dangerous South China Sea actions
Pledges to bolster maritime security in the region; Beijing says the bloc "artificially creating tension"



Foreign ministers from Australia, India, Japan and the United States said yesterday they were seriously concerned about intimidating and dangerous manoeuvres in the South China Sea and pledged to bolster maritime security in the region.

The joint statement came after talks between the so-called 'Quad' countries in Tokyo, attended by Australia's Penny Wong, India's Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Japan's Yoko Kamikawa and Antony Blinken from the US.

In security talks between the US and Japan on Sunday, the two allies labelled China the "greatest strategic challenge" facing the region.

"We are seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas and reiterate our strong opposition to any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion," the ministers said in the statement, which did not directly mention China.

They also expressed serious concern about the militarisation of disputed features and coercive and intimidating manoeuvres in the South China Sea, including dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels.

Asked about the statement at a regular news briefing yesterday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said the Quad was "artificially creating tension, inciting confrontation and containing the development of other countries".

Chinese vessels have repeatedly clashed with Philippine ships seeking to resupply its troops on the disputed Second Thomas Shoal in recent months, although the two countries in July reached a provisional agreement that aims to ease tensions.

The Quad group said they were working on a series of initiatives to maintain "the free and open maritime order" including helping partners improve domain awareness via satellite data, training and capacity building. They also announced a plan to set up a new maritime legal dialogue.

"We are charting a course for a more secure and open Indo-Pacific and Indian Ocean region by bolstering maritime security," Blinken said in remarks to reporters after the meeting.

"In practical terms what does this mean? It means strengthening the capacity of partners across the region to know what's happening in their own waters," he added.

He said the US would continue to work with its partners to ensure freedom of navigation and the unimpeded flow of lawful maritime commerce.

The US announced plans on Sunday for a major revamp of its military command in Japan. It was among several measures announced by the allies to address what they said was an "evolving security environment", noting various threats from China including its muscular maritime activities.

"Uncertainty surrounding the international order as well as the international situation has been increasing with Russia continuing its aggression in Ukraine, attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by force in the East China Sea and South China Sea, and the launch of ballistic missiles by North Korea," Japan's Kamikawa said after the talks.

The Quad ministers also pledged to advance cooperation in cybersecurity to protect supply chains and critical infrastructure, including undersea cables.

After leaving Tokyo, Blinken and Austin will hold security talks with another Asian ally, the Philippines, as the Biden administration seeks to counter an increasingly bold China.​

Took ‘control measures’ against Philippine ships
Says China amid row over a shoal in S China Sea



China said yesterday it took "control measures" against two Philippine Coast Guard ships that had entered waters near the disputed Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea.

The China Coast Guard accused Manila of sending two ships to "illegally barge into waters near Xianbin Jiao", using the Chinese name for the Sabina Shoal.

The ships "continued to dangerously approach normally sailing Chinese coast guard ships, inciting hype", it said in a statement.

"The Chinese coast guard took control measures against the Philippine ships in accordance with the law," it added.

Beijing claims most of the strategic South China Sea and has been involved in maritime confrontations with Manila in recent months, sparking fears of armed conflict that could draw in the United States, a Filipino military ally.

Multiple confrontations have taken place in recent days around the Sabina Shoal, located 140 kilometres west of the Philippine island of Palawan and about 1,200 kilometres from Hainan island, China's nearest major landmass.

"The Philippine Government deplores the repeated aggressive, unprofessional and illegal actions displayed by Chinese maritime forces against Philippine vessels and aircraft over the past week," Manila's National Maritime Council said.Both sides have in recent months stationed coast guard vessels near Sabina, where the Philippines fears China is about to build an artificial island.​

China pushes rivals’ limits in regional disputes
AFP Beijing
Published: 30 Aug 2024, 17: 25


A Philippine Coast Guard rigid hull inflatable boat passes by the Japanese Coast Guard Akitsushima (PLH-32) during a trilateral Coast Guard drill of the U.S., Japan and Philippines, near the waters of the disputed South China See in Bataan province, Philippines, on 6 June 2023AP/UNB file photo

China’s campaign of confrontation, from remote reefs in Southeast Asia to Taiwan and far-flung Japanese islands, is designed to wear down regional rivals competing with it for contested territories, analysts say.

Beijing in recent years has asserted its claims in the long-running disputes far more boldly as its military strength has grown.

The escalating actions -- over islands in the East China Sea claimed by Japan, the self-ruled territory of Taiwan and the South China Sea -- have also come as Beijing’s rivals have drawn closer to the United States.

“(China) believes its strong-arm tactics are paying dividends,” Duan Dang, a Vietnam-based maritime security analyst, told AFP.

China has in recent months deployed military and coast guard vessels in a bid to eject the Philippines from a trio of strategically important reefs and islands in the South China Sea.

“The number of fronts where an accident could spiral suddenly is very real,” Dylan Loh, an assistant professor at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, told AFP.

The latest flashpoint is Sabina Shoal, just 140 kilometres (86 miles) west of the Philippine island of Palawan and roughly 1,200 kilometres from China’s nearest major landmass, the island of Hainan.

On Monday, Beijing said it took “control measures” against two Philippine Coast Guard ships that “illegally” entered the waters near Sabina Shoal.

Manila countered that Chinese vessels had stopped Philippine ships from resupplying their own coast guard vessels in the area -- slamming Beijing as the “biggest disruptor” to regional peace.

‘Push the envelope’

China has for years sought to expand its power in the South China Sea, brushing aside an international ruling that its claim to most of the waterway has no legal basis.

It has built artificial islands armed with missile systems and runways for fighter jets, and deployed vessels that the Philippines says harass its ships and block its fishers.

In 2012, Beijing seized control of Scarborough Shoal, another contested area close to the Philippines.

And in June, Chinese coast guard personnel brandishing weapons boarded Philippine vessels near the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, a confrontation in which Manila said one of its sailors lost a thumb.

The recent incidents have come as the Philippines has strengthened ties with traditional ally the United States, with which it has a mutual defence treaty.

Duan said the pact might “deter outright war”, but Beijing still saw a chance to tighten the screws on Manila while Washington was distracted by the ongoing Middle East conflict and the uncertainties around its own presidential election in November.

However the Philippines on Thursday flagged the possibility of US escorts for its resupply missions.

Chong Ja Ian, an associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore (NUS), told AFP China was trying to “wear down” Filipino resolve.

Beijing is posing a “direct challenge to the Philippines’ ability to administer and make use of its exclusive economic zone”, he said.

They are “trying to push the envelope (but stay) below the threshold of aggression”, he explained.

“They don’t want to lose control of the escalation.”

Not isolated

China’s recent assertiveness has extended far beyond the South China Sea.

Around Taiwan, it has sent increasing numbers of fighter jets, drones and naval vessels as part of a strategy that analysts say is designed to keep the democratic island exhaustingly vigilant against a possible invasion.

Beijing says Taiwan is part of its territory and has refused to rule out using force to unify with it.

China has also in recent years ratcheted up pressure over a disputed island group controlled by Japan in the East China Sea.

Tokyo in June protested after four Chinese vessels that were believed to be armed approached the islands, known as the Diaoyu in China and the Senkaku in Japan.

And this week Japan said a Chinese military plane flew into its airspace for the first time, a “serious violation” of its sovereignty.

Beijing has not admitted the incursion near the uninhabited Danjo Islands -- uncontestedly Japanese territory -- but has said it would have been unintentional.

However, analysts said it may have deliberately aimed to probe Japan’s air defence network and collect electronic intelligence.

“People sometimes look at the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait and the East China Sea... as isolated,” said Chong, of NUS.

“They are not. These are all areas where (China) hopes to be able to establish more control,” he said.

“They’re trying to see how far they can push.”​

China says protecting ‘rights’ after Philippine ship collision
Agence France-Presse . Beijing 03 September, 2024, 00:01

Beijing insisted on Monday it was defending its ‘rights’ in the South China Sea, after the Philippines released footage appearing to show a Chinese coast guard vessel ramming one of its ships during an at-sea confrontation.

Both countries accused each other on Saturday of deliberately ramming their coast guard ships near a flashpoint shoal in the South China Sea, the latest in a spate of similar incidents in recent weeks.

The incident took place off the disputed Sabina Shoal, located 140 kilometres west of the Philippine island of Palawan and about 1,200 kilometres from Hainan island, the nearest major Chinese landmass.

Footage released by the Philippine coast guard of the incident appeared to show the Chinese vessel coming up from behind the ship and ramming it.

Another clip also showed what appeared to be a deliberate collision.

Asked about the footage on Monday, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning reiterated Beijing’s claim the Philippines had ‘deliberately rammed’ the Chinese vessel.

‘The root cause of the current situation, or the current escalation of the situation, is that the Philippines sent coast guard ships to linger in the lagoon of the Xianbin Reef for a long time and attempt to permanently occupy it,’ Mao said, using the Chinese name for the shoal.

‘China’s actions on Xianbin Reef are rights protection actions to safeguard China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, which is legal and above-board,’ she added.

Beijing claims almost all of the economically vital South China Sea despite competing claims from other countries and an international court ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.

Saturday’s collision was the fifth incident of Chinese maritime harassment in August, Philippine coast guard spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela said.​

China opposes new Philippine maritime law
Vows to protect South China Sea ‘sovereignty’

China rejected Philippine maritime claims yesterday, saying new legislation "severely infringes on" Beijing's territorial sovereignty and rights in the South China Sea, and vowing to protect its own interests.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marco Jr signed two laws on Friday to define the country's maritime entitlements and set designated sea lanes and air routes to reinforce sovereignty.

"China firmly opposes this and will continue to take all necessary measures in accordance with the law to resolutely defend China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests," the foreign ministry said.

Beijing claims sovereignty over nearly all of the South China Sea, including areas claimed by the Philippines, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam.​