China's Peaceful Rise

[JasonJ]

The title of the video.

 

我们的黄岩岛！—— 走进中国海监与渔政船

"Our Scarborough Shoal！ ---- Into Chinese ocean surveillance ship and fishery"

 

Don't understand much of the Chinese in the video. Take it as however you may

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ9_6JaEFqA

[Corinthian]

That is lacist!

[chino]

(Before posting on this topic I must always remind folks that I do not support China's 9-dash line claims.)

 

I am often curious about the different maritime agencies that China employs instead of the PLAN or PLAAF. In the video posted above, the spokesperson - military university professor with the rank of general - reiterates that China looks for peaceful means to settle things and therefore PLAN will not be used as PLAN or PLAAF is a combat force.

 

Below I describe the two most used agencies in all these confrontations:
- Chinese Marine Surveillance 海监 (literal translation Sea Supervisor):

While Wiki describes the CMS as a "paramilitary maritime law enforcement agency... responsible for law enforcement within China's territorial waters, exclusive economic zones (EEZ), and shores... also charged with protecting the maritime environment, natural resources, navigation aids and other facilities, and carried out maritime surveys," the general insists CMS is not an armed organization and does not include combat as one of its functions.

 

Personnel wear civilian police uniforms:

 

 

But while their ships are "not armed", the personnel could be:

 

 

In the pic below, you can see the CMS ship (in front) and the Japan Coast Guard ship behind, have almost identical livery. The JCG ship is most definitely armed.

 

....

 

 

- Fisheries Law Enforcement Command 渔政 (literal translation Fishery Administration) :

Falls under the "Ministry of Agriculture... responsible for the enforcement of laws concerning fishing and maritime resources in Chinese territorial waters and exclusive economic zones (EEZ)... charged with protecting Chinese fishing vessels and personnel, resolving disputes in fishing activities, preventing illegal fishing, and protecting maritime resources."

 

This agency received two very large and modern ships. 2,580-tonne Yuzheng-310 is one of them (pictured below). It carries one helicopter.

So far I had been unable to find out what armaments these ships carry. In the pic you can clearly see 3 weapon stations on the raised deck. The middle one could just be a water canon, but the other two at the sides are covered. They were also shown covered in the video above. This article alleges they are armed but didn't say with what.

 

 

The general and the show host did not talk about the ships armament. But one quick frame clearly shows what looks like a canvas-covered small artillery piece.

 

 

This article alleges they are quad-mount (or IMO dual-mount) 14.5mm like these:

 

 

This article indicates the Japs speculates the Yuzheng 310 has heavy weaponry.

 

 

Yuzheng personnel wear PLAN uniforms.

Edited May 10, 2016 by chino

[JasonJ]

About the noted armed JCG ship, there's nothing particularly unusual about a coast guard ship being armed. Other examples can be found in the US coast guard, for example. PL53 in the photo is armed with a 40mm bofers. It just raises the stakes a little more if its an armed coast guard ship intruding into territorial waters of another country rather than an unarmed coast guard ship.

[JasonJ]

The US carried out a FONOPs at Fiery Cross Reef.

 

BEIJING/HONG KONG A U.S. navy warship sailed close to a disputed reef in the South China Sea on Tuesday, a U.S. Department of Defense official said, prompting anger in Beijing which denounced the patrol as illegal and a threat to peace and stability.

 

The USS William P. Lawrence guided-missile destroyer traveled within 12 nautical miles (22 km) of Chinese-occupied Fiery Cross Reef, Defense Department spokesman Bill Urban said. The so-called freedom of navigation operation was undertaken to challenge excessive maritime claims by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam which were seeking to restrict navigation rights in the South China Sea, he said.

 

These excessive maritime claims are inconsistent with international law as reflected in the Law of the Sea Convention in that they purport to restrict the navigation rights that the United States and all states are entitled to exercise, Urban said in an emailed statement.

 

Beijing and Washington have traded accusations that the other is militarizing the South China Sea as China undertakes large-scale land reclamations and construction on disputed features while the United States has increased its patrols and exercises in the region.

 

Facilities on Fiery Cross Reef include a 3,000-meter (10,000-foot) runway and Washington is concerned China will use it to press its extensive territorial claims at the expense of weaker rivals.

 

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said the U.S. ship illegally entered Chinese waters and was tracked and warned.

 

This action by the U.S. side threatened Chinas sovereignty and security interests, endangered the staff and facilities on the reef, and damaged regional peace and stability, he told a daily news briefing.

 

China claims most of the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also have overlapping claims.

 

The Pentagon last month called on China to reaffirm it has no plans to deploy military aircraft in the disputed Spratly Islands after Beijing used a military plane to evacuate sick workers from Fiery Cross.

 

Fiery Cross is sensitive because it is presumed to be the future hub of Chinese military operations in the South China Sea, given its already extensive infrastructure, including its large and deep port and 3000-meter runway, said Ian Storey, a South China Sea expert at Singapores ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute.

 

The timing is interesting, too. It is a show of U.S. determination ahead of President (Barack)Obamas trip to Vietnam later this month, Storey added.

 

Speaking in Hanoi ahead of Obamas visit, Daniel Russel, the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific, said freedom of navigation operations were important for smaller nations.

 

If the worlds most powerful navy cannot sail where international law permits, then what happens to the ships of navy of smaller countries?, Russel told reporters before news of the operation was made public.

 

If our warships cant exercise its legitimate rights under international law at sea, then what about the fishermen, what about the cargo ships? How will they prevent themselves from being blocked by stronger nations?

 

China has reacted with anger to previous U.S. freedom of navigation operations, including the overflight of fighter planes near the disputed Scarborough Shoal last month, and when long-range U.S. bombers flew near Chinese facilities under construction on Cuarteron Reef in the Spratlys last November.

 

U.S. naval officials believe China has plans to start reclamation and construction activities on Scarborough Shoal, which sits further north of the Spratlys within the Philippines claimed 200 nautical mile (370 km) exclusive economic zone.

 

The move also comes as tough-talking Rodrigo Duterte looks set to take the Philippines presidency. He has proposed multilateral talks on the South China Sea.

 

Criticism of China over the South China Sea will rebound like a coiled spring, a Chinese diplomat said Friday, as a U.S. warship visited Shanghai against a backdrop of rising tension in the region.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/05/10/asia-pacific/u-s-sails-warship-near-chinese-claimed-reef-south-china-sea/#.VzIofHgay0d

Edited May 10, 2016 by JasonJ

[Roman Alymov]

Not military, but sign of new world power growing rude

http://shanghaiist.com/2016/05/11/queen_calls_chinese_officials_rude.php

[JasonJ]

Not military, but sign of new world power growing rude

http://shanghaiist.com/2016/05/11/queen_calls_chinese_officials_rude.php

 

:lol:

 

So much like the Nigeria related clip too.

 

[JasonJ]

How China responded to the 3rd FONOPs.

 

...

China scrambled two fighter jets to expel the USS William P Lawrence, denouncing it as an illegal threat to peace which only went to show its defence installations in the area were necessary.

 

China's Defence Ministry said three warships also shadowed the US ship, telling it to leave.

 

The US patrol "again proves that China's construction of defensive facilities on the relevant reefs in the Nansha Islands is completely reasonable and totally necessary", it said, using China's name for the Spratly Islands where much of its reclamation work is taking place.

 

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said the US ship illegally entered Chinese waters.

 

"This action by the US side threatened China's sovereignty and security interests, endangered the staff and facilities on the reef, and damaged regional peace and stability," he told a daily news briefing.

...

http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-12/us-ship-exercised-rights-sailing-in-south-china-sea-bishop-says/7407220

[Corinthian]

Cute.

 

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/566053/news/world/china-says-has-wide-support-for-stance-on-south-china-sea-case/just_in

 

 

"If you look at who is talking about international law all the time, it is always politicians and non-professionals with ulterior motives. It is them who really need to learn something about international law," he added.

The foreign ministry has in recent weeks been claiming support for its South China Sea position from countries as diverse as Cambodia and Yemen.

 

Xu said no country would accept compulsory arbitration when core interests were at stake.

 

"Actually there are a number of voices of reason on this issue from genuine international law experts who have had some serious and objective comments, but (all those comments) have been intentionally and selectively neglected or ignored by some people," he said.

 

"Everyone must abide by the laws and the facts. Some people are trying to change the concept stealthily to confound right and wrong and black and white. They may be able to mislead public opinion for some time but eventually lies are lies and even repeated a thousand times will not become truth," Xu said.

 

China had always been a firm defender and practitioner of international law, he said.

 

So adorable.

 

[Stuart Galbraith]

Cute.

 

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/566053/news/world/china-says-has-wide-support-for-stance-on-south-china-sea-case/just_in

 

 

"If you look at who is talking about international law all the time, it is always politicians and non-professionals with ulterior motives. It is them who really need to learn something about international law," he added.

The foreign ministry has in recent weeks been claiming support for its South China Sea position from countries as diverse as Cambodia and Yemen.

 

Xu said no country would accept compulsory arbitration when core interests were at stake.

 

"Actually there are a number of voices of reason on this issue from genuine international law experts who have had some serious and objective comments, but (all those comments) have been intentionally and selectively neglected or ignored by some people," he said.

 

"Everyone must abide by the laws and the facts. Some people are trying to change the concept stealthily to confound right and wrong and black and white. They may be able to mislead public opinion for some time but eventually lies are lies and even repeated a thousand times will not become truth," Xu said.

 

China had always been a firm defender and practitioner of international law, he said.

 

So adorable.

 

 

Im not sure Tibet would agree...

[JasonJ]

Speaking of Tiber..

 

China confirmed Thursday it had denied entry to a German parliamentarian who reportedly denounced rights violations in Tibet.

Michael Brand, chairman of the German Bundestag Human Rights Committee, was barred by the Chinese government from visiting China for participating in activities of Tibet Initiative Deutschland, a Germany-based association claiming to support the "autonomy and liberation of Tibet," the German newspaper Bild reported Tuesday.

Lu Kang, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, said at a press conference on Thursday that Brand was refused entry because he blatantly breached the commitment of the German government to the "one China" policy and stuck his heels in advocating for "Tibet independence," which is so wrong.

"I can say for sure that China will not welcome such a man. I have to say that the Human Rights Committee of the Federal German Parliament is very unwise in issuing the statement and hurling accusations at China," Lu said.

According to Bild, Brand had planned to visit China with a parliamentary delegation at the end of May, which includes a visit to Tibet.

Brand asked for a clear response from the German foreign ministry and the Human Rights Committee would discuss this event, the report said.

"Politicians like Brand involved in the affairs of Tibet are engaged in a publicity stunt and are motivated to gain public support," Zhang Shengjun, an international politics professor at Beijing Normal University, told the Global Times on Thursday.

"Merkel's government has always supported human rights and democracy, which is also reflected in its policy toward Syrian refugees. Such policies create a strange, rare and emotional atmosphere, in which the government and the public are both unreasonable while overlooking the truth in some issues," Zhang said.

"China and Germany have made a partnership in all areas, so Brand's remarks that ignore the basic principles on Tibet will not harm the relationship between the two countries in the long run," Zhang pointed out.

Bild reported that even though Brand's visa was rejected, the Human Rights Committee will be allowed to enter China.

The Chinese Embassy in Germany has done a lot of work preparing for the visit of the Human Rights Committee of the Federal German Parliament, Lu said.

 

 

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/982847.shtml

[Nobu]

Surprised to see India and Pakistan high up on the air-pollution list--was under the impression that China was far ahead of both based on economic and automobile sector growth.

 

---

Air pollution rising at an 'alarming rate' in world's cities

The Guardian / May 11, 2016 / John Vidal

 

Outdoor pollution has risen 8% in five years with fast-growing cities in the developing world worst affected, WHO data shows

Outdoor air pollution has grown 8% globally in the past five years, with billions of people around the world now exposed to dangerous air, according to new data from more than 3,000 cities compiled by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

 

While all regions are affected, fast-growing cities in the Middle East, south-east Asia and the western Pacific are the most impacted with many showing pollution levels at five to 10 times above WHO recommended levels.

 

According to the new WHO database, levels of ultra-fine particles of less than 2.5 microns (PM2.5s) are highest in India, which has 16 of the world’s 30 most polluted cities.

 

China, which has been plagued by air pollution, has improved its air quality since 2011 and now has only five cities in the top 30. Nine other countries, including Pakistan and Iran, have one city each in the worst 30.

 

For the larger, but slightly less dangerous PM10 particles, India has eight cities in the world’s top 30. Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan each have two cities in the top 10. The true figure for the growth in global air pollution is likely to be worse because only a handful of African cities monitor their levels.

 

The most polluted city in the world, according to the WHO data, is Onitsha, a fast-growing port and transit city in south-eastern Nigeria that recorded levels of nearly 600 micrograms per cubic metre of PM10s - around 30 times the WHO recommended level of 20 micrograms per cubic metre.

 

Air pollution levels were generally much lower for cities in developed countries with Sydney, New York and London registering 17, 16 and 22 micrograms per cubic metre for PM10s respectively. However, the data only includes measurements for particulates and does not include forms of air pollution such as NO2 and ozone.

 

“We have a public health emergency in many countries. Urban air pollution continues to rise at an alarming rate, wreaking havoc on human health. It’s dramatic, one of the biggest problems we are facing globally, with terrible future costs to society,” said Dr Maria Neira, director of public health at the WHO in Geneva.

 

“The cost for countries is enormous. Air pollution affects economies and people’s quality of life. It leads to major chronic diseases and to people ultimately dying,” she said.

 

The new data, drawn from city and academic records, shows a rapid deterioration in air quality as low-income cities grow unchecked and populations become unable to escape clouds of smog and soot from transport, industry, construction sites, farming and wood-burning in homes.

 

Outdoor air pollution causes more than 3m deaths a year - more than malaria and HIV/Aids - and is now the biggest single killer in the world. The toll is expected to double as urban populations increase and car numbers approach 2bn by 2050.

 

Air pollutants such as sulphates, nitrates and black carbon penetrate deep into the lungs and into the cardiovascular system, posing the greatest risks to human health, says the UN.

 

“As urban air quality declines, the risk of stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, and chronic and acute respiratory diseases, including asthma, increases for the people who live in them. When dirty air blankets our cities the most vulnerable urban populations - the youngest, oldest and poorest - are the most impacted,” said Flavia Bustreo, WHO assistant director general.

 

Encouragingly, there is evidence from the WHO data that many cities are addressing air pollution. More than half of the monitored cities in high-income countries and more than one-third of those in low- and middle-income countries reduced their air pollution levels by more than 5% in five years. Delhi, one of the most polluted cities in the world, has banned large diesel cars from going into the city centre.

 

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/may/12/air-pollution-rising-at-an-alarming-rate-in-worlds-cities

[Corinthian]

Well... That is China after all, which cooked the books WRT its economy, so it's possible they cooked the books WRT air pollution too.

Because we all know that China is good, cute, adorable, and will never never never never never never never never never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever violate any laws, treaties, whatsoever.

 

[chino]

China's J-10. Apparently they keep losing power mid-flight and crashing.

 

3 in the last three months of 2015 alone. IN other countries they would have grounded the entire fleet. But that would hurt foreign sales.

[Josh]

Got any links for that?

[JasonJ]

A senior Chinese diplomat said on Thursday that the arbitral tribunal on the South China Sea had no jurisdiction and its ruling would be invalid under international law.

 

The tribunal misinterpreted the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), catered to the Philippines' claims and violated the basic principle that rulings must be based on facts and laws. Its stance is neither fair nor objective, and its decision on jurisdiction would be unconvincing, said Xu Hong, the Foreign Ministry's director general of treaties and law.

 

He told a press conference that an application for arbitration has to meet at least four preconditions, and the Philippines, who initiated the South China Sea arbitration against China at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in early 2013, had not met any of them.

 

According to Xu, if the subject matter is beyond the scope of the UNCLOS, the dispute shall not be settled by compulsory arbitration.

 

For example, issues of territorial sovereignty may not be settled by compulsory arbitration. In January 23, 2013, one day after the arbitration process began, the Philippines issued a document that clearly stated that the arbitration was about sovereignty, Xu said.

 

Any signatory to the UNCLOS may declare that it will not accept compulsory arbitration with respect to disputes concerning maritime delimitation, historic bays or titles, military and law enforcement activities, prohibiting other UNCLOS contracting states from initiating arbitration, Xu said.

 

China has declared that compulsory dispute settlement procedures do not apply to maritime delimitation, therefore the Philippines is wrong to have gone to arbitration, Xu said.

 

If disputing parties have agreed on other means of settlement, compulsory arbitration is not an option. According to Article IV of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), signed between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2002, all sides, including the Philippines, agreed to settle territorial disputes through negotiation and consultation by the countries directly concerned.

 

Parties involved in disputes are also obliged to discuss the means of settlement first, which, Xu said, the Philippines did not do.

 

"These preconditions bar UNCLOS contracting states from initiating arbitration," Xu said.

 

The tribunal in this case has failed to comply with the preconditions, and China will neither accept not recognize the decision made by the tribunal, Xu said.

http://www.china.org.cn/world/2016-05/12/content_38443762.htm

[JasonJ]

Some Arab countries supporting China's stance on the SCS, according to Xinhua and a number of other Chinese news web pages. I guess it's to be seen if they really mean it or not. Maybe it is a handy bargaining chip for them to have when dealing with the US.

 

BEIJING, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Arab countries are praiseworthy for supporting China's stance on the South China Sea issue, a Chinese diplomat has said.

 

In a statement issued Thursday at the seventh Ministerial Meeting of the China-Arab Cooperation Forum held in Doha, capital of Qatar, the participating Arab countries said they support China's efforts to peacefully resolve territorial and maritime differences with certain nations through friendly dialogues and negotiations.

 

They also stressed that the rights of sovereign nations as well as the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea signatories to choose how they solve their disputes should be respected.

 

"It is praiseworthy that Arab League Secretary-General Nabil al-Araby, some Arab countries and the Doha statement confirmed their support for China's stance on the South China Sea issue," Gong Xiaosheng, China's special envoy on the Middle East issue, said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua on Friday.

 

Top diplomats from Algeria, Comoros, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Yemen, in their separate meetings with Wang on the sidelines of the China-Arab forum, expressed their support for China's position on the South China Sea issue, stressing that related disputes should be solved through negotiations.

 

"One outstanding point of the ministerial meeting of the forum is that China and Arab countries support each other on the issues of common concern," Gong said.

 

At the meeting under the theme of "Working together on the Belt and Road Initiative and deepening China-Arab strategic cooperation," around 200 representatives from 22 Arab countries discussed the future development of China-Arab relations with the Chinese delegation led by Wang.

 

Both China and the Arab world agreed to use the Belt and Road Initiative as the lodestar to promote their relations, Wang told reporters Thursday.

 

The Belt and Road Initiative, which comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, was announced in 2013 by Chinese President Xi Jinping. The aim is to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road.

Wang said the initiative is a historic opportunity for China and the Arab nations to boost common development and national rejuvenation, while urging the two sides to be each other's most reliable and long-lasting partners.

 

"The economy of Mideast countries, especially Gulf countries, and the Chinese economy are highly complementary. Therefore, both sides are eying broad prospects for their cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative," Gong said.

 

The Chinese envoy said the Belt and Road Initiative will be the most important contribution China makes to the Mideast peace process.

Against the backdrop of the Mideast turbulence rooted in its economic and social problems, China proposes resolving the Middle East issue through negotiations, enhancing cooperation and jointly combating terrorism, which is in the basic interests of regional countries, Gong said.

 

"The Belt and Road Initiative put forward by China highlighting economic cooperation and resolving economic problems through development is at least a good way to solve regional issues," Gong said.

 

"The reason why China's proposal is welcomed and supported by Arab countries is that they see there is no better solutions (than developing the economy)," he added.

 

The China-Arab Cooperation Forum is a very practical cooperative mechanism, under which both parties have made new progress at every meeting and carried out concrete projects, Gong said.

 

"China and Arab countries now enjoy content-rich bilateral cooperation in politics, economy and people-to-people exchanges," Gong said, adding that the two sides are cooperating in such areas as railways, harbors, energy and telecommunication.

 

 

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-05/14/c_135359047.htm

[Nobu]

The Washington Post published its take on the WHO's latest air pollution report yesterday--in a nutshell, Delhi is no longer at the top of the list.

 

Comparisons with cities like Los Angeles after using the Guardian's city pollution finder are reassuring and provide hope for the future for the industrialized and industrializing countries of Asia, as the difference is lower by up to a factor of 10 or more. There was a time, the pre-unleaded era of the 70s I believe, when a U.S. city or two might have made the top 20.

 

Still would not want to be downwind of Pakistan, India, and Iran.

[JasonJ]

Here's a neat site showing a map indicating air quality index.

http://aqicn.org/map/world/#@g/39.452/-243.3506/9z

 

Although it challenges one's bandwidth. So some pictures..

 

LA

 

Osaka not so great.

 

Tokyo is actually a little better than Osaka.

 

Hainan island and Hong Kong in the south part of China not so bad. A few bad spots.

 

Shanghai itself is ok but a little further west is bad.

 

Beijing and Tianjin are bad. Although IIRC since the last time I looked at this site sometime last year (I think), the numbers have improved a bit.

 

As for other places.. Europe is very green, Turkey is not so great, Israel surprisingly has a lot of red. There are very few index tags for India but for the few that there are, Mumbai has one tag with 405 and Kanpur has.. 830... New Delhi has 7 tags, 1 orange, 4 red, and 2 purple (232 and 297). No index tags for Pakistan.

[JasonJ]

China-Thailand military exercises.

BEIJING – China and Thailand will hold joint exercises beginning this month, China’s Ministry of Defence said Friday, in another sign of improving relations since the Thai military seized power in 2014.

 

Thailand’s military has sought to counterbalance traditionally close ties with the United States by engaging more with China since the May 2014 coup that the United States and other Western countries objected to.

 

The May 19-June 10 exercises will involve land and sea operations, the ministry said, as well as training in humanitarian relief and maritime transport.

 

China has rattled nerves in Southeast Asia with its increasingly assertive action in the South China Sea, where it rejects rival claims over parts of the sea by Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei.

 

Thailand does not have claims in those disputed waters.

 

Thailand’s relations with the United States have cooled since the military overthrew an elected government two years ago.

 

The United States has downgraded its military exercises and training with Thailand saying the programs would be restored after a general election. The military government says an election will be held next year.

 

China is a major investor in Thailand and among the projects the two countries are involved in is a plan to build a rail link from southern China through Laos to Thailand.

 

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/05/14/asia-pacific/china-thailand-set-hold-joint-military-exercises/#.Vzde-eQXWj-

[Panzermann]

China's Cultural Revolution: 50th anniversary unmarked by state media (the beeb)

 

On Monday, the main state media outlets made virtually no mention of the anniversary, focusing on

coverage of the South China Sea and other domestic issues. No official events were planned by the

authorities to mark the 50-year milestone.

Embarrassed by their own history?

[JasonJ]

Can they actually say that hell on Earth finally ended when Mao finally died?

[JasonJ]

MANILA – Philippine fishing authorities said Tuesday they had detained 25 Chinese crew of two seized fishing boats on suspicion of poaching, a move that could further strain ties between two countries at odds over maritime sovereignty.

 

A joint team from the Philippine coast guard and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) captured the Chinese vessels Monday sailing without permits between waters off Babuyan Island and Batanes province in the northern Philippines.

 

The Chinese vessels were in waters that are not part of the disputed South China Sea, which China claims almost entirely. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan also have conflicting claims.

 

Tension between the Philippines and China has risen as an international tribunal at the Hague prepares to deliver a ruling in the next few months in a case lodged by Manila in 2013.

 

The Philippines is seeking a clarification of United Nations maritime laws that could undermine China’s claims to 90 percent of the South China Sea. China has rejected the court’s authority.

 

The fishing boats were flying an inverted Philippine flag when apprehended Monday, BFAR said in a statement.

Speaking at a regular news briefing in Beijing, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said he had no information and needed to further understand the situation.

 

Documents seized by Philippine authorities showed the vessels were Chinese registered. The fishermen failed to show permits required to enter Philippine waters, BFAR said.

 

“Based on existing rules, the fact that both foreign fishing vessels were flying a Philippine flag gave rise to the presumption that they are engaged in poaching,” BFAR chief Asis Perez said.

 

A Philippine court fined nine Chinese fishermen $102,000 each in late 2014 after they were caught with hundreds of sea turtles in the disputed Half Moon Shoal in the Spratly Islands of the South China Sea.

 

At the time, China protested against the arrests and refused to recognize their trial.

 

 

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/05/17/asia-pacific/crime-legal-asia-pacific/philippines-detains-25-chinese-fishermen-suspected-poaching/#.VztC6-QXWj9

[JasonJ]

BEIJING – China is staging joint war games featuring mock beach landing, helicopter assaults and tank battles along its east coast facing Taiwan, just days before the inauguration of the self-governing island’s new independence-leaning president.

 

The Defense Ministry said Wednesday the air, land and sea drills were aimed at “testing and upgrading the ability to respond to security threats and complete military missions.”

 

The drills were “not aimed at any specific target and relevant persons shouldn’t read too much into it,” the ministry said. The statement in question-and-answer format did not mention Taiwan.

 

China maintains a standing threat to use force to achieve its goal of absorbing Taiwan and the timing of the drills was noticed widely both on Taiwan and in China’s entirely-state controlled media.

 

Without detailing the consequences, Beijing has warned that delicate relations between the sides would be destabilized unless Taiwanese President-elect Tsai Ing-wen explicitly endorses Beijing’s view that Taiwan and the mainland are both part of a single Chinese nation. The outgoing Nationalist Party government of Ma Ying-jeou endorsed the so-called “’92 Consensus” and signed a series of agreements on trade and other non-political topics during its eight years in power.

 

China last staged military drills and missile launches in 1995-96 in a bid to intimidate voters ahead of Taiwan’s first direct presidential elections. The effort was seen as an abject failure that further alienated Taiwanese from Beijing.

 

Chinese state media said the latest drills involved mock landing operations and the use of attacks helicopter and tanks. The largest drills were carried out by the People’s Liberation Army’s 31st Group Army based in the city of Xiamen that looks directly out onto the 160 kilometer-wide Taiwan Strait, the China Daily newspaper said.

 

Armaments used included WZ-10 attack helicopters — China’s most powerful — along with ZTD-05A amphibious assault vehicles, Type-96 main battle tanks and HJ-9 anti-tank missile launchers.

 

In recent weeks, China’s navy has also staged a number of live firing drills in the disputed South China Sea and deployed its massive Ukrainian Zubr military hovercraft.

 

 

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/05/18/asia-pacific/china-stages-war-games-days-ahead-of-taiwan-inauguration/#.Vzx6vOQXWj9

 

There is high attention as to whether or not Tsai's inauguration speech will touch on, in some way, and give an interpretation to what "One China" means, however subtle it may be. Technically speaking, it's not really possible to both satisfy the DPP and appease China. Tsai may muddle the point very much since completely ignoring it might not give a good result either. Whichever wordings promote the "status que."

 

 

President-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday declined to confirm a media report that the so-called “1992 consensus” is to be omitted from her inauguration speech on Friday next week, which has been the subject of much rumor and speculation.

 

Citing an unidentified source in Tsai’s camp, the Chinese-language Next Magazine yesterday reported that despite Beijing’s repeated attempts to browbeat Tsai into taking a public stance on the “1992 consensus” and the “one China” principle, the president-elect has decided to mention neither in her inaugural speech as a way of responding to her mandate from the electorate.

 

“The problem with cross-strait issues does not lie in whether Tsai is willing to recognize the ‘1992 consensus’ or the ‘one China’ principle, but rather if these concepts are accepted by the majority of Taiwanese,” the source was quoted as saying.

 

“It is impossible for the new Democratic Progressive Party [DPP] government to fall in line simply because of Beijing’s intimidation,” the source said, urging China to realize that the DPP would not follow in the footsteps of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), a party that supports the “1992 consensus” and the “one China” principle, and which was voted out of office in January.

 

The “1992 consensus” — a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) admitted making up in 2000 — refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party that both sides acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.

 

The magazine also quoted a member of Tsai’s speech-writing team as saying that the DPP chairperson’s speech consists of three main points: the significance of the nation’s third transfer of power, the predicaments facing Taiwan and her cross-strait policies.

 

“For cross-strait policies, Tsai is to stick to the fundamentals ... and will reiterate her determination to maintain the ‘status quo’ based on Taiwan’s internal consensus, as it is by far the most beneficial option for all concerned parties,” the team member said.

 

When asked by reporters whether the “1992 consensus” is indeed absent from her speech, Tsai simply smiled and did not reply as she walked into a meeting of the DPP’s Central Standing Committee in Taipei yesterday.

 

Speculations about what tone Tsai is going to adopt toward China in her speech has been growing, particularly following a spate of incidents where Beijing has stepped up its efforts to belittle Taiwan in the international arena.

 

Most notably, the incidents included the forced deportation of Taiwanese fraud suspects to China last month and the unprecedented “one China” proviso attached to Taiwan’s invitation for this year’s World Health Assembly meeting.

 

DPP spokesman Ruan Jhao-syong (阮昭雄) yesterday downplayed China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Ma Xiaoguang’s (馬曉光) remarks that “the ball is in the court of Taiwan’s new leader” in terms of the future direction of cross-strait ties.

 

Praising the “1992 consensus” as an integral part of the cross-strait “status quo,” Ma said both sides could continue their amicable interactions should the incoming government recognize the “1992 consensus.”

 

“We are not asking any more from Taiwan’s new leader other than what we have already asked for since 2008,” Ma told a news conference in Beijing yesterday.

 

Ruan said Tsai’s stance on cross-strait issues has been unequivocal, which is to maintain the “status quo,” Taiwan’s freedom and democracy, and peaceful and stable cross-strait development.

 

“This stance is not only in the best interests of all parties, but is also backed by the consensus opinion of Taiwanese,” Ruan said, adding that responsibility for maintaining cross-strait peace and stability lies with both Beijing and Taipei.

 

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2016/05/12/2003646058/1

[JasonJ]

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon says two Chinese fighter jets flew within about 50 feet of a U.S. Navy reconnaissance plane Tuesday in international airspace over the South China Sea.

 

The Pentagon characterized the incident as an unsafe intercept and said it is being reviewed.

 

A U.S. military official says the two Chinese J-11 fighters flew out to intercept the U.S. EP-3 Aries aircraft and came so close that they forced the pilot to descend a couple hundred feet in order to avoid a collision. The U.S. surveillance plane was conducting routine operations in the region.

 

The official says the incident took place in the northern part of the sea, south of Hong Kong. The official was not authorized to discuss details of the incident publicly, so spoke on condition of anonymity.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/pentagon-chinese-jets-fly-close-to-us-spy-plane/2016/05/18/421a6f5c-1d46-11e6-82c2-a7dcb313287d_story.html