‘China won’t abandon Panatag Shoal’

MANILA, Philippines - Despite the reported departure of Chinese vessels from Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal off Zambales, China will still not give up its claim over the area, a defense expert said yesterday.

“China will not abandon Panatag Shoal after exerting efforts to establish control of the area despite international pressure against it,” Rommel Banlaoi, vice president of the Philippine Association of Chinese Studies, told The STAR.

He said that leaving Panatag Shoal will run counter to China’s current strategy of maintaining control and influence in maritime areas that China considers an integral part of its sovereign territories.

The STAR reported on Thursday that Chinese vessels had left the Philippine-owned shoal, located 124 nautical miles from Zambales.

A senior security official said the latest maritime and aerial monitoring has not detected any sign of the Chinese ships within the immediate vicinity of Panatag or within its 75-nautical mile radius. The Chinese intruders reportedly left the area last Tuesday.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin confirmed last Friday that the Chinese ships had left the shoal due to bad weather.

“I guess this is really what they do during inclement weather,” Gazmin said.

The defense chief, however, declined to comment when asked if the government has measures to bar the Chinese intruders from returning to the shoal.

Banlaoi, however, said the Philippines could only address the issue through negotiation.

“The Philippines cannot prevent China from establishing full control of Panatag Shoal except through amicable agreement and mutual understanding,” he said.

Sources said the Chinese ships that have intruded into Ayungin Shoal, an area located 105.77 nautical miles from Palawan, have also been pulled.

Both Ayungin and Panatag Shoals are well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

Chinese occupation of Panatag Shoal started on April 10, 2012, when surveillance vessels from Beijing prevented the Philippine Navy from arresting Chinese fishermen who were caught gathering endangered marine species.

The presence of Chinese intruders had displaced local fishermen who could not go near the shoal for fear of being bullied.

The Philippines has also decried the incursion of Chinese vessels in Ayungin Shoal last May, calling it a provocative act and a violation of international law.

China claims virtually the entire West Philippine Sea while the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and Taiwan have overlapping claims in the area.

Beijing has been shoring up its maritime presence in the region, raising concerns among other claimant countries.

It has built structures in Mischief Reef or Panganiban Reef – about 70 nautical miles from Palawan and Subi Reef – an islet 12 nautical miles southwest of the Philipine-occupied Pag-asa Island in the disputed Spratlys.

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Chinese general: Philippines stirs trouble for asking US help

MANILA, Philippines - A Chinese military general told foreign media Thursday that the Philippines plays the character of a "troublemaker" in the South China Sea.

"The role of the Philippines in the South China Sea is actually, in my view, a troublemaker," People's Liberation Army Major General Luo Yuan, known as "The Hawk" among Beijing's military leaders, said in his first interview with foreign media.

Luo said the Philippines attempted to provoke the Chinese government by asking help from the United States, whom he called "biased" over the maritime dispute.

A Chinese news analyst had also called the Philippines a "troublemaker" for seeking help from other nations in pursuing its claims over parts of the potentially oil-rich Spratlys region.

Luo, who is also vice minister of World Military Research Department of the Academy of Military Sciences in Beijing, also took a swipe at India and warned the country not to increase its military power at the Depsang Valley border amid China's incursion since April.

"No other major country in this world has been subjected to foreign aggression and invasion by other major countries, so that is why no other country is more eager than China to become strong," Luo said.

China has kept disputed islets being occupied by Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam under surveillance, as it also claims ownership of the territory. China is claiming almost the entire South China Sea.

In an interview with China Internet Information Center in 2012, Luo claimed that the Philippines has an agenda for making a hard line stance on its claim over Scarborough Shoal (called "Huangyan" by China and "Panatag" by the Philippines).

"The Philippine claim that the Huangyan Island belongs to them is based on their own understanding of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea ... The Philippines is testing whether the international community will accept their actions, and whether China will acquiesce," Luo said.

The military academic added that if the Philippines becomes successful in its campaign over the shoal, it will build confidence in its neighbors to also pursue their claims on parts of the South China Sea, which may eventually force China into losing the islands.

"The Philippines wants to find out whether China will completely rule out military action in any event during this period of "strategic opportunity," or even exchange the island in a peace settlement," he said.

Luo also believes that the country is testing the effectiveness of its relations with the US and see whether Washington will take its side on the standoff.

Luo is also famous for his blogs and social media postings. Among the most contentious posts he had written on Chinese networking site Weibo earned over 200,000 comments, according to a report

"Protect the nation's rights externally, punish the traitors internally," he said in the post.

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China Agrees to Asean Sea Talks Amid Philippines Warning

China agreed to talks with Southeast Asian nations on a set of rules to avoid conflict in the South China Sea, winning praise from diplomats even as the Philippines warned of increased “militarization” of the waters.

Wang Yi, China's foreign minister, center, listens during a ASEAN-China Ministerial Meeting in Brunei's capital Bandar Seri Begawan on June 30, 2013.

Talks on a code of conduct between China and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations will begin in September, according to a joint statement released after the two sides met in Brunei yesterday. The move represents a reversal from a year ago, when Asean failed to show a united front amid Chinese pressure to avoid discussing the topic at regional meetings.

“China and Asean countries are close neighbors and we are like members of one big family,” China Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters. “We believe that a united, prosperous and dynamic Asean that seeks greater strength through unity is in China’s strategic interest.”

May 21 (Bloomberg) -- Philippine President Benigno Aquino talks about the challenges facing the nation's economic growth. Aquino also discusses reforms to the domestic judicial system and the territorial dispute with China. He spoke May 8 in Manila with John Dawson on Bloomberg Television's "Asia's Business." (Source: Bloomberg)

China had resisted the talks as competition for oil, gas and fish in the waters increased tensions with fellow claimants including the Philippines, which has boosted military ties with the U.S. and Japan. Secretary of State John Kerry is in Brunei today to attend the annual meetings after holding talks with Palestinian and Israel leaders.

The Philippines said yesterday “the massive presence of Chinese military and para-military ships” around two land features it claims in the South China Sea posed “threats to efforts to maintain maritime peace and stability in the region.” At the same time, the country backs Asean’s bid for a binding code of conduct, it said in a statement.

Situation ‘Stable’

Wang, in his first Asean meeting as foreign minister since President Xi Jinping took office in March, called the overall situation in the South China Sea “stable.” He pledged to upgrade an Asean-China trade agreement and “push forward” talks on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, which includes Asean, China and five other Asia-Pacific countries.

Two years ago, Asean and China approved guidelines to implement the 2002 agreement that called on countries to avoid occupying disputed islands, inform others of military exercises and resolve territorial disputes peacefully. Since then, China had rebuffed Asean’s efforts to start talks on a code of conduct, saying it would only do so “when conditions are ripe.”

The U.S.’s declared interest in maintaining freedom of navigation in the waters has irked China, which prefers solving the disputes through direct dialogue with claimants. U.S. officials have repeatedly called for China and Asean to agree on a code of conduct, most recently Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel in a visit to Singapore in early June.

‘Enduring Presence’

Kerry’s visit to the region gives the U.S. another chance to assure its allies that its military shift to the region is sustainable, even as it faces as much as $500 billion in defense budget cuts over nine years, and to tell China that what has become known as the “Asia pivot” is not about containing its strategic aspirations.

The U.S. would preserve its greater engagement in Asia, Kerry told Asean leaders after arriving in Brunei today. “We take our Pacific responsibilities and our partnerships seriously, and we will continue to build an active and enduring presence in every respect,” Kerry said. “But I want to emphasize importantly our actions are not intended to contain or to counterbalance any one country.”

‘Strategic Misjudgment’

President Benigno Aquino’s government last week said it’s crafting an agreement that would give the U.S. military access to Subic Bay. The Philippines needs allies to help with security or “bigger forces will bully us,” Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said on June 28.

Last week, Wang said that moves by countries to rely on “external forces” to push territorial claims are “futile and will eventually prove to be a strategic misjudgment where the loss will outweigh the gain.” Yesterday he took a softer tone, while saying that China has abided by the provisions of the non-binding 2002 agreement to keep peace in the waters.

“China will continue to properly handle its specific differences with some countries through friendly consultations,” Wang said.

Speaking alongside him as Asean’s representative, Thai Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul hailed the bloc’s “strong” relationship with China. Talks on a code of conduct are “a process that needs time, patience and prudence,” Surapong said.

China’s Map

Singapore Foreign Minister K. Shanmugam said that non-claimants like the city-state can’t get involved in determining which countries own certain features, adding the talks are a positive step.

“This has been something that many countries have been asking for,” Shanmugam told reporters. “Let’s not get away with the impression that, therefore, we’re all going to have an agreement very soon. But the important thing is we’ve agreed on a start date, and hopefully that sets the tone.”

Vietnam and the Philippines reject China’s map of the waters as a basis for joint development, a solution pushed by China. China National Offshore Oil Corp. estimates the South China Sea may hold about five times more undiscovered natural gas than the country’s current proved reserves, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Cables Cut

An oil research vessel said to be owned by Shanghai Offshore Petroleum Co., a unit of Sinopec, entered Japan’s exclusive economic zone near disputed islands in the East China Sea in June without giving prior notice to the Japanese government, the Sankei newspaper reported today, citing the Japan Coast Guard. A call to Sinopec’s Beijing office by Bloomberg News was unanswered before business hours.

Since 2010, China has cut the cables of survey ships working for Vietnam, chased away an exploration vessel near the Philippines and sent its first deep-water drilling rig to the region. Last year, China National Offshore invited bids for exploration blocks that Vietnam had already awarded to companies including Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) and OAO Gazprom.

While core disputes over territory remain, Asean ministers are unified on the need for a code of conduct, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said. The Philippines has sought international arbitration to settle disputes, saying that direct talks with China have failed to stem tensions.
“The common position is to try to resolve these issues through dialogue,” Natalegawa told reporters yesterday. “The code of conduct will keep things orderly so that we can have conditions conducive for these negotiations to take place.”

Bloomberg

PH slams China for retaliation threat

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines scored China’s “provocative” threat of retaliation in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) on Saturday, urging Beijing to defer instead to peaceful means of resolving maritime disputes under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

A Fililipino protester holds a slogan beside a Philippine flag during a rally outside the Chinese Consulate in suburban Makati, south of Manila, Philippines. FILE PHOTO

--> China media warns Philippines of 'counterstrike' in South China Sea

In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs reminded China of its obligation under international law to settle disputes without the use of threat or force.

“China has an obligation under international law, especially the UN Charter, to pursue a peaceful resolution of disputes, meaning without the use of force, the threat to use force such as this recent provocative statement of a counterstrike,” said DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez.

“There is no place in the relations of civilized nations to use such provocative language,” he added.
Hernandez made the statement in response to the Chinese People’s Daily’s scathing commentary on the Philippines on Saturday, which warned of a “counterstrike” as it accused Manila of “seven sins” in the disputed West Philippine Sea, which is how the Philippine government calls part of the South China Sea that is within in exclusive economic zone.

Among other things, the paper, a mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, accused the Philippines of “illegal occupation” of the Spratly Islands, part of which Manila contends to be within its exclusive economic zone.

The commentary also blasted the Philippines for advocating the “internationalization” of the waters, a critical international sea lane that has been under the close watch of Philippine allies, the United States in particular.

China issued its criticism amid war games between the Philippines and the US Navy off the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, a territory in the West Philippine Sea that saw a tense standoff between Philippine and Chinese ships last year. At least three Chinese patrol vessels are known to still be in the area.

The commentary also came out as leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations met in Brunei in hopes of drafting a legally binding Code of Conduct that is aimed at ensuring peace in the disputed waters.

Despite Beijing’s sharp statements, the DFA called for sobriety and invoked peace in hopes of averting further escalation of tensions.

“We call on China to be a responsible member in the community of nations. The way towards a peaceful resolution of disputes is through the dispute resolution mechanism under the UN Charter, which is rules-based, transparent, binding and non-provocative,” said Hernandez.

“A peaceful and rules-based resolution to the disputes in the West Philippine Sea is durable and beneficial to all and will ensure peace and stability in the region,” he added.

The Philippines haled China to arbitral proceedings in the United Nations in January in a bid to peacefully settle the maritime dispute. The move has gained the support of the United States, the European Parliament and Japan, which also has a dispute with China in the East China Sea.

Now pending before a five-member arbitral tribunal, the legal action seeks to prevent further Chinese incursions into established Philippine maritime boundaries in the West Philippine Sea and to invalidate Beijing’s “excessive” nine-dash line claim encompassing almost all of the South China Sea.

China has rejected the proceedings, asserting “indisputable sovereignty” over the West Philippine Sea.

It has been calling for a bilateral solution to its territorial disputes with the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, and Taiwan. The Philippines has meanwhile been pushing for a multilateral approach.

Inquerer Global Nation

China media warns Philippines of 'counterstrike' in South China Sea

(Reuters) - China's state media warned on Saturday that a "counterstrike" against the Philippines was inevitable if it continues to provoke Beijing in the South China Sea, potentially Asia's biggest military troublespot.

New recruits of the Chinese Navy march with their guns during the parade marking the end of their first training session in Qingdao, Shandong province, March 4, 2013.
Credit: Reuters/Stringer

The warning comes as ministers from both countries attend an Association of Southeast Asian Nations meeting in Brunei, starting Saturday, which hopes to reach a legally binding code of conduct to manage maritime conduct in disputed areas.

At stake are potentially massive offshore oil reserves. The seas also lie on shipping lanes and fishing grounds.

Both China and the Philippines have been locked in a decades-old territorial squabble over the South China Sea, with tensions flaring after the Philippines moved new soldiers and supplies last week to a disputed coral reef, prompting Beijing to condemn Manila's "illegal occupation".

The overseas edition of the People's Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, said in a front-page commentary that the Philippines had committed "seven sins" in the South China Sea.

These include the "illegal occupation" of the Spratly Islands, inviting foreign capital to engage in oil and gas development in the disputed waters and promoting the "internationalization" of the waters, said the commentary.

The Philippines has called on the United States to act as a "patron", while ASEAN has become an "accomplice," said the commentary, which does not amount to official policy but can reflect the government's thinking.

"The Philippines, knowing that it's weak, believes that 'a crying child will have milk to drink'," the People's Daily said, accusing Manila of resorting to many "unscrupulous" tricks in the disputed waters.

Beijing's assertion of sovereignty over a vast stretch of the South China Sea has set it directly against Vietnam and the Philippines, while Brunei, Taiwan and Malaysia also lay claim to other parts of the sea.

The 10-member ASEAN hopes to reach a legally binding Code of Conduct to manage maritime conduct in disputed areas. For now a watered-down "Declaration of Conduct" is in place.

On Thursday, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned that countries with territorial claims in the South China Sea that look for help from third parties will find their efforts "futile", adding that the path of confrontation would be "doomed".

Last week, China vowed to protect its sovereignty over the Second Thomas Shoal, known in China as the Ren'ai reef. The Philippines is accusing China of encroachment after three Chinese ships, including a naval frigate, converged just five nautical miles (nine km) from an old transport ship that Manila ran aground on a reef in 1999 to mark its territory.

Last year, China and the Philippines were locked in a tense two-month standoff at the Scarborough Shoal, which is only about 124 nautical miles off the Philippine coast. Chinese ships now control the shoal, often chasing away Filipino fishermen.

DFA chief notes challenges in Phl’s quest for peace

MANILA, Philippines - Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Albert del Rosario yesterday said the statement of a top US diplomat before the US Congress that there is no place for “coercion and bullying” in settling maritime disputes in the West Philippine Sea highlights the challenges the Philippines faces in the quest for peace.

“The recent testimony of Mr. Danny Russell before the US Congress in connection with his confirmation as Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific highlights the challenges that all of us face in our quest for a just and lasting peace in our region,” Del Rosario told The STAR.

Russell, the nominee to the top US diplomatic post in East Asia, declared during his Senate confirmation hearing the support for a peaceful approach to settling territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea and South China Sea.

He told a Senate panel that he will do everything in his power to “lower the temperature” in territorial disputes in the South and East China Seas and push claimants, including China, toward diplomacy.

He also said it was “unacceptable” for China to demand only bilateral negotiations with the other claimants. He voiced strong US support for efforts by Southeast Asia to negotiate as a bloc and frame a “code of conduct” to manage the disputes, an issue to be taken up at regional security talks in Brunei later this month.

Del Rosario welcomed Russell’s statement, describing it as “timely,” “relevant” and as “the insights of a key official of a crucial partner and major player.”

“Department of Foreign Affairs officials have met and dialogued with Mr. Russell and have seen the depth of his knowledge and the breath of his vision in terms of the role the US can play in supporting all efforts to ensure a durable peace in our part of the world,” Del Rosario added.

China’s suspicion against US

A defense expert, however, said Russell’s statement might confirm China’s suspicion that the US is involved in the Philippines’ strategy on the dispute.

“Russell is conveying a message to China that the US fully supports the Philippines in internationalizing the South China Sea disputes and in upholding a rules-based approach in peacefully managing the disputes,” said Rommel Banlaoi, vice president of the Philippine Association of Chinese Studies.

“But Russell’s statement may confirm China’s suspicion that the US is behind the formulation of the Philippines’ current strategy in the South China Sea,” he added.

Asked what could happen if China validates its suspicions, Banlaoi said “China will continue its current strategy of asserting its territorial claims through increased vigilance manifested through enhanced maritime patrols in its claimed waters.”

Russell is currently White House senior director for Asian affairs. He is nominee to become assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, replacing Kurt Campbell who resigned in February to enter business.

The Philippines resorted to the rule of law by initiating arbitral proceedings under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to clarify the country’s maritime entitlements in the West Philippine Sea.

The case concerns China’s interpretation and application of UNCLOS, specifically its nine-dash line claim, which interferes with the lawful exercise by the Philippines of its sovereign rights and jurisdiction in its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.

China lays claim to nearly the entire South China Sea and the East Sea. The area, delineated by a so-called nine-dash line, covers over 100 islets, atolls and reefs.

Del Rosario said that the Philippines’ recourse to arbitration is firmly rooted in the tradition of good global citizenship, and that the Philippine arbitral initiative, when objectively considered, will benefit all parties.

He explained that for China, an arbitral award would finally clarify for the Chinese its lawful maritime entitlements in the South China Sea under the UNCLOS. This will enable China to provide responsible leadership towards fostering stability in the region.

Military: Dispute settlement beneficial

The defense department also said that the country’s call to settle the West Philippine Sea dispute through international law would be “most beneficial” to all claimant countries.

Reacting to Russell’s statement, defense department spokesman Peter Galvez said adherence to international law and freedom of navigation would promote development in the region.

“Freedom of navigation and more importantly adherence to international maritime law are the pillars that would usher the region towards achieving its maximum potential for development,” Galvez told The STAR yesterday.

“It is important to acknowledge allies and the rest of the international community taking cognizance of this issue, seeing it for themselves and realizing that the position we made is indeed the position that is right and most beneficial to all,” he added.

China has been conducting patrols and constructing structures in disputed areas to assert its territorial claims, triggering concerns among other claimants in the region.

A security official said that early this month, 18 Chinese vessels have intruded into the Philippine territory, raising the need to pour more resources to defense spending.

Moreover, China has reportedly imposed an “exclusion zone” in Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, effectively barring Filipino fishermen from fishing in the area.

The shoal, also known as Bajo de Masinloc in the Philippines, is 124 nautical miles from the nearest point in Zambales and is well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

Chinese occupation of the Panatag Shoal began on April 10, 2012, when surveillance vessels from Beijing prevented the Philippine Navy from arresting Chinese fishermen who had poached endangered marine species.

China has also built a military garrison in Mischief Reef (Panganiban Reef), one of the areas being claimed by the Philippines. Mischief Reef, about 70 nautical miles from Palawan, has been occupied by China since 1995.

China initially built structures on stilts at the reef, supposedly to provide shelter for fishermen but these were later converted into a military garrison with powerful radars.

– With Alexis Romero

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