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| Southeast Asia | |||
| Philippines accuses China of maritime intrusions | |||
| 2012-01-09 | |||
MANILA: The Philippines has protested to China over three Chinese vessels that allegedly intruded into its waters last month, in the latest flaring of tensions over disputed South China Sea regions.
Regional military commander Lt. Gen. Juancho Sabban said a Philippine navy patrol ship and an air force plane kept watch from a distance until the Chinese vessels left the country’s territorial waters. The three vessels apparently came from the Chinese-occupied Mischief Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands then cruised into Philippine waters on their way back to China as part of a regular shifting of forces, he said. “We were watching them. They did not drop anchor or unload construction materials and appeared to be just passing through,” Sabban told The Associated Press. In Beijing, Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin told the official Xinhua News Agency that the situation in the South China Sea “is peaceful and stable.” China will always opt for negotiations to peacefully resolve disputes on “some islands ... and the demarcation of parts of the sea,” Liu said. Claimants should set aside the disputes and pursue common development ahead of a solution, Liu said, reiterating that outside “forces” should not meddle in the conflicts. China has repeatedly warned the US not to intervene in the disputes.
China, the Philippines and four other claimants have long been locked in a tense dispute over potentially oil- and gas-rich South China Sea territories, including the Spratlys. Many fear the region could be AsiaÂ’s next flashpoint for conflict. The Philippines and Vietnam separately accused Chinese vessels of repeatedly intruding into Spratlys areas under their control and sabotaging oil explorations in their regular territorial waters in the first six months of last year. China denied the claims and reiterated its sovereignty over most of the South China Sea. Amid the disputes, the Philippines turned to the United States, a defense-treaty ally, to strengthen its underfunded military, one of AsiaÂ’s weakest. The Philippine navy relaunched an old US Coast Guard cutter as its biggest warship last month to guard its waters near the Spratlys. President Benigno Aquino III and other top Philippine officials plan to travel to the United States this year to seek two more ships and a squadron of F-16 jets, according to del Rosario.
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| Posted by:Steve White |
| #3 CHINA is repor dismissing the Philippines claims of illegal intrusion as "baseless", arguing that the Sabina Shoal has a CHINESE NAME + CHINESE HISTORICITY ERGO CHINA'S SHIPS, PLA OR OTHER, CAN VISIT OR PATROL CHINESE TERRITORY AT ANY TIME. In more SINA/CINA NEWS, ... * DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > CHINA MINISTRY OF DEFENSE WARNS US TO BE "CAREFUL" IN MILITARY REFOCUS. * CHINA DAILY FORUM > POSTER OPED = CHINA'S NEW GOAL: STRIKE ANYWHERE IN EARTH IN 24 HOURS OR LESS. IOW, China + PLA should copy US PROMPT GLOBAL STRIKE + BMD, in response to new US Asia-Pacific strategy emphasizing China + Iran as LT security threats to the US. * SAME > CHINA FACES LEHMAN-STYLE BANKING MELTDOWN, as due to massive, internal Govt. corruption, mismanagement + ditto Govt-Public Debt worth Y$531.0Bilyuhn = US$84.0Bilyuhn. * SAME > CHINA'S PROVINCIAL DEBT REACHING CRISIS POINT. * SAME > IS CHINA THE NEXT [troubled] EU? * CHINESE MILITARY FORUM > CHINA LOCAL GOVT. DEBT "THREATENS [national] ECONOMY". * BHARAT RAKSHAK > CHINESE PRESIDENT HU JINTAO WARNS OF [divisive = destabilizing] CULTURAL WARFARE BY WEST AGZ CHINA. versus * CHINESE MILITARY FORUM > CHINA SAYS LOCAL GOVTS. CLEAN UP SOME DEBT IRREGULARITIES, i.e. just less than 1/2 of abovementioned Y$531.0Bilyuhn = US$84.0Bilyuhn arreared debt. * SAME > CHINA CONSIDERING SETTING UP ENERGY "SUPER-MINISTRY", + CHINA BADLY NEEDS ENERGY INDEPENDENCE. As per GWCC + 1960's-1970's GUAM TAOTAMONAS = YEEEEUUUUUUPPPP, YESSIRREE, YOU BETCHA. Once again, our mighty PRE OWG-NWO = FUTURE OWG-NWO = SPACE GOVT-ORDER GOVT, PERT CONSENSUS ON "PEAK ENERGY/RESOURCES", INCLUD BUT NOT LIMITED TO "PEAK OIL-GAS", ETC. IS THAT THERE IS NO CONSENSUS. Given the above, CHINA + other WORLD STATES are better off doing their own independent analyses+ review of CURRENT + FUTURE NATIONAL, GLOBAL RESERVES. BEIJING, etal. = can end up like the US + NASA = DEPEND + RELY ON THE RUSSIANS TO TELL THE MAINSTREAM + MEDIAS + WORLD ABOUT E.G. INCOMING SPACE ROCKS??? [GULF OF MEXICO = YEAR 2040-2070 here]. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2012-01-09 22:03 |
| #2 As wid any rising "Great Power" in antiquity, "post-US" wannabe China wants potent, iff not dominant, overseas power + influence, i.e. OVERSEAS PLA AIR, NAVAL [Space?] MILBASES + GARRISONS. As things stand, DESPITE MINOR PROGRESS ITS MAINLY NOT GETTING IT VEE THE "FIRST ISLAND CHAIN", TO INCLUD THE IOR. I don't foresee Rising China making any kind of partial or major territorial concessions ala the South China Sea unless ITS ABSOLUTE SOVEREIGNTY + REUNIFICATION WID TAIWAN IS ASSURED BY THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, + TAKES PLACE IN THE NEAR-TERM. As its PLA + economy is still modernizing, Beijing will likely "tolerate" the passage of foreign military forces in + around the disputed China-claimed SCS, but the PLA will always be there, returning again + again + again, etc. until the day Beijing decides it is ready for a de facto shooting war. Lest we fergit, CHINA MIL BLOGGERS = argue that MANILA = PHILIPPINES IS A WEAK + FAILED/FAILING STATE, + THAT IT SHOULD EITHER BECOME A DPRK-STYLE VASSAL STATE OF CHINA, OR ELSE GIVE ITS NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY + BECOME AN OVERSEAS PROVINCE OF CHINA. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2012-01-09 19:37 |
| #1 "Historical hegemony" is a claim the Japanese could make as well - just more recent history. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2012-01-09 19:25 |