Without permission, eh ? And how many miles are they from the Philippine mainland ?
Printable View
Without permission, eh ? And how many miles are they from the Philippine mainland ?
FIFY.Quote:
Originally Posted by Latindancer
Battle of the Paracel Islands
"The Paracel Islands, called Xisha Islands (西沙群岛; Xīshā Qúndǎo) in Chinese and Hoang Sa Islands (Quần Đảo Hoàng Sa) in Vietnamese, lie in the South China Sea approximately equidistant from the coastlines of the PRC and Vietnam (200 nautical miles). With no native population, the archipelago’s ownership has been in dispute since the early 20th century.
China first asserted sovereignty in the modern sense to the South China Sea’s islands when it formally objected to France’s efforts to incorporate them into French Indochina during the Sino-French War (1884–1885). Initially, France recognized Qing China's sovereignty over the Paracel and Spratly archipelagos, in exchange for Chinese recognition of Vietnam as a French territory. Chinese maps since then have consistently shown China’s claims, first as a solid and then as a dashed line. In 1932, one year after the Japanese Empire invaded northeast China, France formally claimed both the Paracel and Spratly Islands; China and Japan both protested. In 1933, France bolstered their claim and seized the Paracels and Spratlys, announced their annexation, formally included them in French Indochina. They built several weather stations on them, but they did not disturb the numerous Chinese fishermen found there. In 1938 Japan took the islands from France, garrisoned them, and built a submarine base at Itu Aba (now Taiping / 太平) Island. In 1941, the Japanese Empire made the Paracel and Spratly Islands part of Taiwan, then under its rule.
In 1945, in accordance with the Cairo and Potsdam Declarations and with American help, the armed forces of the Republic of China government at Nanjing accepted the surrender of the Japanese garrisons in Taiwan, including the Paracel and Spratly Islands. Nanjing then declared both archipelagoes to be part of Guangdong Province.
In 1946 it established garrisons on both Woody (now Yongxing / 永兴) Island in the Paracels and Taiping Island in the Spratlys. France promptly protested. The French tried but failed to dislodge Chinese nationalist troops from Yongxing Island (the only habitable island in the Paracels), but were able to establish a small camp on Pattle (now Shanhu / 珊瑚) Island in the southwestern part of the archipelago.
In 1950, after the Chinese nationalists were driven from Hainan by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), they withdrew their garrisons in both the Paracels and Spratlys to Taiwan. In 1954 France ceased to be a factor when it accepted the independence of both South and North Vietnam and withdrew from Indochina.
In 1956 North Vietnam formally accepted that the Paracel and Spratly islands were historically Chinese" ...
The South Vietnamese fleet also received warnings that U.S. Navyradarhad detected additional Chinese guided missile frigates and aircraft on their way from Hainan.
South Vietnam requested assistance from the U.S. Seventh Fleet, but the request was denied.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Paracel_Islands
Chlna > French > China (Qing China) > China > French > Japan > China (ROC) > China (PRC) .
Vietnam sovereignty seems to missing!
Initially, France recognized Qing China's sovereignty over the Paracel and Spratly archipelagos, in exchange for Chinese recognition of Vietnam as a French territory.
So a deal was done. And nothing to do with whether China really had a valid claim....
As alwaysQuote:
Originally Posted by Latindancer
Christmas Island ?Quote:
Originally Posted by Latindancer
Falklands?
Manila Rejects China’s Designation of 2 New Sea Districts
The Philippines on Thursday “strongly” protested China’s creation of two districts in the disputed South China Sea, saying Beijing’s move violated the Southeast Asian nation’s territorial sovereignty.
Manila had been protesting Beijing’s self-declared Sansha City “and the extent of its administrative jurisdiction” since 2012, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement. It marked the latest in a series of recent protests by the foreign office over Chinese actions in the sea.
“The Philippine government strongly protests the establishment of the so-called districts of ‘Nansha’ and ‘Xisha,’” it said.
On Thursday the Philippines also rejected the designation of Kagitingan Reef within the administrative center for the so-called “Nansha district.” The Kagitingan Reef is within the Kalayaan Island Group and, Philippine officials said, is an integral part of Philippine territory.
Manila “does not recognize Sansha, nor its constituent units, nor any subsequent acts emanating from them,” the department said.
“The Philippines also objects to and does not recognize the Chinese names given to some features in the Kalayaan Island Group,” the statement read.
“The establishment and supposed extent of jurisdiction of ‘Sansha City’ of which the new two districts are part, violate Philippine territorial sovereignty over the Kalayaan Island Group and Bajo de Masinloc, and infringes on Philippine sovereign rights over the waters and continental shelf in the West Philippine Sea,” the DFA said.
Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, a vital waterway through which about U.S. $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes annually, while Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan also claim parts of those waters.
Thursday’s statement from the Philippine foreign office came eight days after Manila filed a diplomatic protest against Beijing after Filipino officials said Chinese sailors had pointed a radar gun at a Philippine Navy ship. Manila at the same time filed a separate diplomatic note regarding the Chinese move to name the districts.
On Thursday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang responded to a reporter’s question related to the alleged laser-gun incident.
“According to what we know, the Philippine side’s accusation about laser gun-pointing is not true,” he told a daily press conference.
“The Chinese warship was patrolling in relevant waters of China’s Nansha Islands,” he said, using the Chinese name for the contested Spratly Islands. “Its operation was professional and standard, which accords with international law and relevant security rules. China has lodged representations with the Philippine side, asking certain individuals on the Philippine side to respect facts and refrain from issuing groundless remarks.”
Earlier this month, the State Council, China’s top administrative body, approved the creation of two new municipal districts – Nansha District, which is based at Fiery Cross Reef, an artificial island built by China that it said will oversee all of the Spratly Islands and their surrounding waters; and Xisha District, based on Woody Island, which will oversee the Paracel Islands.
In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague sided with the Philippines in its arbitration case against China. The international community, including the United States, hailed that win as historic, but Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte never enforced the ruling and instead sought closer ties with Beijing.
The DFA statement on Thursday also called on China to “adhere to international law” and impose self-restraint in conducting activities in the South China Sea, which is believed to lie atop vast mineral and oil deposits.
It underscored that the international arbitral tribunal’s ruling had “comprehensively addressed China’s excessive claims and illegal actions in the South China Sea.”
Manila has been protesting the passage of Chinese warships as well as fishing boats near its sea territory. Last year, Duterte held talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping after a Chinese trawler rammed into a Filipino fishing boat, leaving 22 Filipino fishermen adrift at sea.
But Duterte’s government subsequently accepted China’s apology for the incident, with the president saying he had no choice but to do so because he had to consider Beijing’s military might.
The Philippines’ stronger position against China came shortly after Duterte spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump recently. While complete details of the dialogue were not released to the press, the U.S. Embassy in Manila said the two leaders had agreed to maintain the “strong and enduring” ties between the allies.
This week, a resolution filed at the Philippine Senate urged Duterte’s government to “exert legal and diplomatic pressure” against China over its activities in the South China Sea. The resolution called for reparations by China to damage it has caused on Philippine territory in the sea region.
Also this week, the U.S. Navy’s USS Bunker Hill, a guided missile cruiser, completed an “innocent passage” maneuver in the disputed waters. It was the U.S. government’s second freedom of navigation operation in the area in just two days.
Manila Rejects China’s Designation of 2 New Sea Districts
This is why the chinkies only like UN bodies that they can blackmail.
Quote:
BY EJECTING its neighbours’ forces, building up its navy and constructing artificial islands, China has for years sought to assert vast and ambiguous territorial claims in the South China Sea. These alarm its neighbours and have led to military confrontations. They also challenge America’s influence in Asia. Now the Permanent Court of Arbitration, an international tribunal in The Hague, has declared China’s “historic claims” in the South China Sea invalid.
https://www.economist.com/china/2016/07/16/courting-trouble
Not much to read there.
Can I borrow your password ?
That new weasel word will be placed below "highly probable", OK?Quote:
Originally Posted by harrybarracuda
"ambiguous
ADJECTIVE
open to more than one interpretation; not having one obvious meaning."
It's dated 16/7/2016 FFS.Quote:
Originally Posted by helge
Quote:
Originally Posted by harrybarracuda
Attachment 50038
Yes, saw that in the link, before I openedQuote:
Originally Posted by OhOh
4 years old court ruling is still a ruling
Not from an illegal court.Quote:
Originally Posted by helge
At the time, as I then pointed out, the court did not have legal jurisdiction to issue anything.
If you wish to review the courts own "rules", you will find, both parties in the dispute have to agree that the court has jurisdiction.
Article 1/4.
PCA Arbitration Rules | PCA-CPA
China did not.
The chinkies won't accept any organisations jurisdiction if it goes against them.
But if even the most mickey mouse, contrived kangaroo court hints in their favour, they squeal like a bunch of schoolgirls.
I couldn't even read the article, and took Harry's word for itQuote:
Originally Posted by OhOh
My mistake ?:rolleyes:
Super Powers a la carteQuote:
Originally Posted by harrybarracuda
Not so "exceptional" case nowadays...Quote:
Originally Posted by harrybarracuda
The courts own rules are there for you read.Quote:
Originally Posted by harrybarracuda
China as a law abiding country informed the court of their position. What the court decided upon, after it's receipt, you must ask the court.
Yes.... so The chinkies won't accept any organisations jurisdiction if it goes against them.Quote:
Originally Posted by OhOh
^Wondering whether there are other states that do not give a damn about ICC? (Or is ICJ? it doesn't matter, all the same...)
You thinking of the exceptionel ones?:)Quote:
Originally Posted by Klondyke
But they are exceptionel, for god sake
Do you think, more than the chinkies?Quote:
Originally Posted by helge
Doesn't matter what you and I think.Quote:
Originally Posted by Klondyke
What does "they" think of themselves
China might not be there yet, but their president seems to be quite the unpleasant fellow, so they are getting nearer
If the countries should be measured whether their president is "unpleasant" or "pleasant"? (the world would be much better off...)
Rockwell B-1 bombers fly over South China Sea in latest foray into contested space
The U.S. military continued its weeklong show of force in the South China Sea with a sortie over the contested waters on Thursday by two Air Force bombers.
Attachment 50438
The B-1B Lancers from the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., flew a 32-hour round trip to conduct operations over the sea as part of a joint bomber task force by the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and U.S. Strategic Command, the Air Force said in news release Thursday.
The mission further demonstrated the service’s new “dynamic force employment model,” which is intended to make its global bomber presence less predictable, the Air Force said.
China has claimed sovereignty over much of the South China Sea, an assertion disputed by other nations with competing claims, such as Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei.
During the past week, Navy warships operated near the Spratly and Paracel islands, two of the archipelagos China has claimed most vehemently.
The guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill sailed near the Spratlys on Wednesday as part of its so-called freedom-of-navigation operations. They are intended to challenge assertions by China and other claimant nations that military passing near the islands must first receive authorization.
The U.S. contends that international law allows for direct passage through the contested archipelagos.
On Tuesday, the guided-missile destroyer USS Barry sailed near the Paracel Islands.
The Air Force sortie on Thursday follows a similar B-1 bomber round trip April 22 from Ellsworth to Japan, where a B-1B Lancer joined 15 Japanese fighters for training near Misawa Air Base.
Air Force bombers fly over South China Sea in latest foray into contested space - Pacific - Stripes
Attachment 50439
:)
How generous from them taking such effort - and spending money so much now needed - to keep the islands "uncontested". Perhaps some country - from far away - would like to declare it for their territory and build there a military base.... (something like on Diego Garcia, Guam, you name it...)Quote:
Originally Posted by Looper
Seems a mild insult, unless you attended Winchester College:Quote:
Originally Posted by helge
Attachment 50462
How many insulting phrases do you have?
If say ten to choose from where does "quite the unpleasant fellow" fit GT 50%, LT 50%
I guess the old chinkies haven't managed to nick the B-1 plans yet then.
US Sends another Ship near South China Sea Survey Site
Updated at 8:22 a.m. ET on 2020-05-09
The commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet called on China to end its “bullying” behavior in the South China Sea as the U.S. sent a warship near the spot where a Malaysian-contracted oil exploration ship is operating and close to a recently deployed Chinese survey vessel.
The U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet said in a press release that on Thursday it had sent the USS Montgomery and transport ship USNS Cesar Chavez near the West Capella, the oil exploration ship which is operating within Malaysian waters.
The Chinese survey ship Hai Yang Di Zhi 8, escorted by China Coast Guard (CCG) ships and maritime militia, has been conducting a survey nearby since April 15. That is widely viewed as an attempt to intimidate Malaysia out of exploiting resources in waters that China also claims.
The USS Montgomery is the second American littoral combat ship to sail in that area of the South China Sea within two weeks, after the USS Gabrielle Giffords patrolled there on April 26.
“The Chinese Communist Party must end its pattern of bullying Southeast Asians out of offshore oil, gas, and fisheries. Millions of people in the region depend on those resources for their livelihood,” Adm. John Aquilino, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, said in a press release.
Tensions
Tensions have been rising in the resource-rich South China Sea, which China largely claims for itself, notwithstanding conflicting territorial claims involving five other governments. Assertive behavior at sea and recent Chinese declarations of administrative authority over the contested area have drawn protests from both neighboring countries and the U.S. government.
China frequently sends research vessels, coastguard ships, and paramilitary forces to assert its claims. The CCG is much bigger and better armed than most navies in the region, including that of Malaysia. But experts said that by sending ostensibly civilian law enforcement ships, China increases pressure on its rivals without allowing territorial disputes to spiral into war.
James R. Holmes, a professor of maritime strategy at the U.S. Naval War College, said the recent deployments of U.S. littoral combat ships hint at a new role for these advanced but smaller vessels, which may be better suited to countering gray-zone tactics employed by China.
The U.S. Navy rotates its four littoral combat ships in and out of Singapore’s Changi Naval Base.
“A littoral combat ship, especially one bulked up with naval strike missiles, may provide a good tool for this mission because it outguns anything in the China Coast Guard or maritime militia, yet it’s outclassed by heavy ships from the PLA Navy. It’s intermediate in capability,” Holmes said.
If the U.S. Navy were to send more muscular warships, it would risk looking more provocative than China and potentially escalating the situation, he said.
Malaysia signaled its discomfort when the U.S. sent two bigger warships, the USS America and USS Bunker Hill, on an exercise in the same area on April 18. The littoral combat ships are smaller and less heavily armed.
“For my money this is a form of diplomatic jujitsu we ought to test out in the South China Sea,” Holmes said.
The littoral combat ships ran into numerous difficulties during their development and commissioning into the U.S. Navy. There were originally meant to be 55 of the ships built, but the Navy decided not to acquire any more after the first four, and in February, the Navy’s budget director recommended decommissioning them.
The United States has accused China of exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic to expand its unlawful claims in the South China Sea.
China has said that the Hai Yang Di Zhi 8 survey ship is conducting normal activities and have accused U.S. officials of smearing Beijing.
But adding to the current tensions, China last week announced a unilateral fishing ban in a large area of the South China Sea until Aug. 16, prompting protests from fisheries’ associations in Vietnam and the Philippines.
On Friday, Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also officially rebuked China over the ban.
“Vietnam demands that China not further complicate the situation in the South China Sea,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said in a statement.
Her comment follows a conversation Wednesday between U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh. They agreed on the “importance of ensuring freedom of the seas, and the unfettered pursuit of economic opportunity throughout the Indo-Pacific region,” the State Department said in a statement.
Also this week, in an apparent reference to the recent Chinese and U.S. naval activities in the South China Sea, Indonesia’s top diplomat called on “all relevant parties to exercise self-restraint and to refrain from undertaking actions that may erode mutual trust and potentially escalate tension in the region.”
Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi urged restraint while negotiations for a code of conduct (CoC) in the contested sea region were being delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Indonesia continues to follow closely recent developments in the South China Sea,” she said Wednesday during a news conference in Jakarta about COVID-19, according to a transcript.
“Indonesia expresses its concerns on recent activities in the South China Sea which may potentially escalate tensions at a time where global collective efforts are vital in fighting COVID-19.”
Indonesia, the foreign minister added, “underlines the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea, including to ensure freedom of navigation and over-flight and to urge all Parties to respect international law.”
Ahmad Pathoni in Jakarta contributed to this report.
https://www.benarnews.org/english/ne...020162056.html
It isn't for a de facto dictator, whom I despice. Why wouldn't I ? Do you like him ?Quote:
Originally Posted by OhOh
Do I have to "understate" it more ?Quote:
Originally Posted by OhOh
He is an anti socialist and a desk murderer, so do the math yourself.Quote:
Originally Posted by OhOh
You don't find me in the "hate America-love China or Putin and vice versa category.
Seems to be the thing for you, Too easy for me
So usually I'd agree with you half the time :)
[Quote:
Originally Posted by misskit
Awaiting Greta and co's condemnation of some Asian countries desire to decimate fish stocks in the SCS.Quote:
Originally Posted by misskit
I presume sanctions against the two Asian countries, from a fringe Pacific Ocean country, will be the next step.
Criticising the US is fair game and practiced by fairly well everyone here with no pushback aside from rpeeters, but criticism of China and Russia isn't accepted by OhOh and Klondyke, who will simply dig up something that happened in the US previously, unrelated usually, as a type of 'nah nah nah nah nah'.Quote:
Originally Posted by helge
Putin and Xi are dictators in oppressive regimes. Simple. Are other countries also ruled by autocrats or leaders whose best interest lies with themselves and their cronies? Yes. Does this make Xi and Putin less autocratic ad murderous? No.
But that wouldn't be good enough. In a discussion abut the US and its failings - yup. In a discussion about China, deviating to the US - nope.Quote:
Originally Posted by helge
^ A Caucasian battling pollution thrown out by:
Quote:
Countries Putting The Most Plastic Waste Into The Oceans
China and Indonesia are the top countries in the world with mismanaged plastic waste polluting the oceans.
Attachment 50617
Filthy, filthy filthy - no respect for the environment
Countries Putting The Most Plastic Waste Into The Oceans - WorldAtlas.com
China - Number 1 :1st:
10 year old data. Do keep up.Quote:
Originally Posted by panama hat
Quote:
Originally Posted by panama hat
Let's hide our filth over there, the idiots will blame them.https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies/rolleyes.pngA Chinese ban on rubbish imports is shaking up the global junk trade
1 China 8.82 2 Indonesia 3.22 3 Philippines 1.88
https://teakdoor.com/images/imported/2020/05/328.jpg
But the ban could help the West improve its recycling systems
Special report
Sep 27th 2018
"ON THE FIRST day of 2018, a huge shock hit the global recycling industry. China, which is the world’s biggest scrap importer, stopped accepting virtually any recycled plastic and unsorted scrap paper from abroad, and severely curbed imports of cardboard. The amount of recovered material that America, the world’s biggest exporter of scrap, sent to China was 3m tonnes less than in the first half of 2018 than a year earlier, a drop of 38%. China plans to phase in bans on most other rubbish, of which it imports $24bn-worth a year. At recycling plants across the Western world, bales of mixed paper and polymers now languish in forecourts awaiting offers."
Exit the dragon - A Chinese ban on rubbish imports is shaking up the global junk trade | Special report | The Economist
The Chinese import ban and its impact on global plastic waste trade
- Amy L. Brooks,
- Shunli Wang and
- Jenna R. Jambeck*
- College of Engineering, New Materials Institute, University of Georgia, Riverbend Research Lab South, 220 Riverbend Road, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
Science Advances 20 Jun 2018:
Attachment 50620
From
The Chinese import ban and its impact on global plastic waste trade | Science Advances
The topical source v "reported" conundrum.
I'm sure some consider the authors "experts" respectable, their analysis thorough and utilised data impeccable/secure.
:rolleyes:
Originally Posted by OhOh
This page was last updated on September 18, 2019
.By Khushboo Sheth
Countries Putting The Most Plastic Waste Into The Oceans - WorldAtlas.com
As opposed to your 'input' . . . no-one (aside from Klondyke perhaps) would consider it "respectable". :)Quote:
Originally Posted by OhOh
What was updated, the table is dated 2010?Quote:
Originally Posted by panama hat
You figure it out.
There is data everywhere, why do you close your eyes to this?
Attachment 50622
The irony is that Tamsui, in Taiwan, means "fresh water" in Mandarin.
I had a girlfriend in Tamsui many years ago.....
China’s Naval Aviation Force Shows up at Fiery Cross Reef
Chinese military aircraft have been sighted once again at its largest base in the disputed Spratly Islands, suggesting that People’s Liberation Army Navy Air Force could be starting to use it as a base of operations, according to Jane’s.
The reported presence of the PLANAF at Fiery Cross Reef is the latest sign of China’s efforts to assert control over the South China Sea from the bases it finished building atop reefs and rocks in 2016. It comes amid a slew of Chinese actions at sea and administrative measures that appear intended to reinforce Beijing’s sweeping maritime claims.
Jane’s, which covers defense and intelligence issues including the capabilities of other countries’ militaries, says commercial satellite imagery taken Monday shows two kinds of surveillance aircraft alongside a military helicopter at Fiery Cross Reef, which is the seat of China’s new “Nansha” administrative district spanning the entire Spratly chain.
China has placed aircraft on its artificial islands and bases in the South China Sea before including the first H-6K bomber landed on Woody Island in 2018, which lies north in the Paracel Islands. However, those deployments came from the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). The aircraft spotted by Jane’s belongs to the PLANAF, the fast-growing aviation wing of China’s navy.
“Two sightings of surveillance aircraft within a month could indicate that the PLANAF is beginning to periodically base aircraft on Fiery Cross Reef,” Sean O’Connor, principal analyst at Jane’s, said in a press release. “Aircraft could be regularly rotated through the base from other PLANAF units in the South Sea Fleet.”
He said sufficient hangar space is available for at least three surveillance aircraft, although others could be parked in the open.
Jane’s said satellite imagery also showed a Type 071 amphibious transport ship docking at Fiery Cross Reef – another display of China’s growing naval and expeditionary might as it militarizes the South China Sea and intimidates other claimants to its waters.
These most recent deployments were preceded by the appearance of a Y-8 military transport or KJ-200 maritime patrol aircraft on Fiery Cross on May 3 – both types of aircraft are closely related and appear similar when viewed from above.
Previously, China promised not to use its string of artificial islands in the Spratlys as a base for military action. Speaking at the White House in September 2015 after a meeting with then-U.S. President Barack Obama, Chinese President Xi Jinping pushed back on U.S. concern over this issue, telling a news conference: “there is no intention to militarize.”
Since then, China appears to have backtracked on that commitment. Fiery Cross boasts hangars for fighter jets, bombers, and military transport planes, and has a deep harbor for accommodating warships and ships of the China Coast Guard traveling far out into the South China Sea. China has also deployed surface-to-air missiles and anti-ship cruise missiles on Fiery Cross Reef, threatening any nearby navies and aircraft.
Fiery Cross has become a center of operations for a wide range of activities by China. It set up an ecological monitoring station there in January, a station for deep-sea research in March, and has permanently stationed ships of the China Rescue Service at Fiery Cross Reef’s new search and rescue bureau as of February.
Then on April 19, China announced two new administrative districts governing the South China Sea, with “Nansha District” holding jurisdiction over the Spratly Islands despite claims by Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Taiwan to the area. The announcement was immediately condemned by Vietnam.
The United States has stepped up its own shows of military might in the South China Sea in recent weeks.
After China sent a survey ship and a formidable escort of ships into Malaysian waters where a Malaysian-contracted oil drillship was operating, U.S. and Australian warships sailed nearby to show their presence. The littoral combat ship USS Gabrielle Giffords has deployed twice in two weeks, most recently on Tuesday after another littoral combat ship, the USS Montgomery, took a turn patrolling the area on May 7.
“There is no better signal of our support for a free and open Indo-Pacific than positive and persistent U.S. Naval engagement in this region.” Rear Adm. Fred Kacher said in a statement released yesterday by the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet.
But as of Tuesday, the drillship West Capella had withdrawn, according to a statement by its operator, confirmed by vessel-tracking software. The Malaysian government and Petronas, the state petroleum company that had contracted the ship, did not respond to request for comment Wednesday. The ship operator said the West Capella had “finished its planned work.”
The Chinese presence in the area of the West Capella for the past month was widely viewed as trying to pressure Malaysia out of exploring for resources in seas that China also claims. The Chinese survey ship remains in the area.
China’s Naval Aviation Force Shows up at Fiery Cross Reef
The island needs destroying and the Chinese vermin sending back to their mainland burrow...
No mention of foreign nuclear submarine escorts, and military airplanes, surveillance satellites or the "Space Force" Heavy Nuke's flying over Chinese waters?
:kma:
Towed home after breaking down? Oops, that was the USS Milwaukee and/or the the US Navy's "technologically advanced" USS Zumwalt destroyer.Quote:
Originally Posted by misskit
Foreign military ships in Chinese waters, the South China Sea. Presence noted and an attentive watching brief instigated.
Chinese surveillance aircraft keeping an attentive eye on foreign military ships in Chinese waters, the South China Sea.Quote:
Originally Posted by misskit
PPPPP.Quote:
Originally Posted by misskit
Ensuring the many bulk carriers, freighters, container ships and tankers, sailing peaceably through the SCS to all of Asia and elsewhere in the world, don't get accidentally rammed by .... military ships a la, in Japanese waters.
China takes care of all the worlds commercial shipping, whilst traversing the SCS.
Doing what survey ships do, surveying.Quote:
Originally Posted by misskit
Sounds awfully confusing. Who is supposed to put the bits back on the planes after they fall off?Quote:
People’s Liberation Army Navy Air Force
Chinese Survey Ship Leaves Malaysian Waters
On the same day as a call between the defense ministers of Malaysia and China, a Chinese survey ship on Friday left the site of a controversial pressure campaign in Malaysian waters that at one point drew Malaysian, Australian, and U.S. warships into the South China Sea.
The Hai Yang Di Zhi 8 survey vessel had been operating for the past month in the vicinity of a Malaysian-contracted drillship, the West Capella, in what was widely seen as an attempt to pressure Malaysia to stop oil exploration in waters China claims – even though it was operating within Malaysia’s 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Vessel tracking software shows the Hai Yang Di Zhi 8 sailing out of the area on Friday morning – just three days after the West Capella ceased its operations and sailed back to the Bay of Brunei. The escort force of China Coast Guard (CCG) and maritime militia ships sent with the Hai Yang Di Zhi 8 have now dispersed to other parts of the South China Sea.
The West Capella had been exploring for resources within Malaysia’s continental shelf and in parts of a joint Malaysia-Vietnam claimed zone in the South China Sea. The drillship held a contract to continue its activities through May 20, but its operator confirmed on May 12 that it had finished its work and left.
The subsequent departure of the Hai Yang Di Zhi 8 coincided with a call by Chinese Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe and his Malaysian counterpart Ismail Sabri Yaakob. They discussed a “mutual interest in the regional and international security challenges, including the South China Sea,” according to a Malaysian Defense Ministry statement. Ismail also expressed “his gratitude to the medical aid sponsored by China” as Malaysia deals with the COVID-19 pandemic within its borders, it said.
The statement made no mention of the month-long presence of the Chinese survey ship in Malaysian waters and its departure on Friday.
The Hai Yang Di Zhi 8’s survey was one in a series of provocative actions by China to assert its sweeping maritime claims to the South China Sea. It sparked a series of responses from the United States.
U.S. and Australian warships participated in a joint exercise near the site of the survey on April 18 and the U.S. sent its littoral combat ships nearby the West Capella on three separate occasions, the most recent being May 12.
The U.S. naval presence did not apparently reassure Malaysia, which monitored the situation with its own navy but also released a statement on April 22 calling on all parties not to send more coast guard and warships into the area, as it “may affect peace, security and stability in the region.”
Malaysia is one of five governments with territorial claims in the South China Sea that overlap with those of China, which claims virtually all of it. The others are Brunei, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.
https://www.benarnews.org/english/ne...020180009.html