Beijing must exercise maritime self-restraint Options

[Rayzor]

The Yomiuri Shimbun

Feuds between China and Southeast Asian countries are intensifying over sovereignty and maritime interests in the South China Sea. The Chinese side should exercise self-restraint.

In late May, a Chinese patrol boat allegedly destroyed the survey cable of a Vietnamese oil research ship in the South China Sea off Vietnam's central coast. Hanoi protested and demanded that Beijing pay compensation, claiming the incident happened within Vietnam's exclusive economic zone.

The Chinese government retorted that it has sovereignty and jurisdiction over the marine area in question. Regardless, China's unilateral action is clearly unacceptable.

Around the same time, the Chinese side erected iron poles and installed buoys on a reef of the Spratly Islands, over which the Philippines claims sovereignty.

===

Pact with ASEAN broken

In 2002, China and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations signed the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, in which they agreed to refrain from building additional structures in the area. China's latest action has violated this agreement.

Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie said in his speech at the Asia Security Summit held this week in Singapore that Beijing was making efforts to keep peace in the South China Sea and the situation there was calm.

It was a matter of course that his Vietnamese and Philippine counterparts immediately disputed Liang's statement. China will never be able to win trust from the international community if what it says has little correspondence with what it does.

China has become aggressive at sea because its five-year plan from this year through 2015 emphasizes protection and expansion of its maritime interests.

===

China's 'inland sea'?

ASEAN members must be firmly united to prevent the South China Sea from becoming China's "inland sea."

ASEAN members decided at their summit meeting in early May to start talks aimed at upgrading the 2002 declaration, in which they decided to resolve conflicts in the South China Sea through talks, to a binding "code of conduct" for the parties.

China should agree to join talks over the code of conduct.

Sea lanes used by vessels carrying crude oil to Japan also go through the South China Sea.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates declared in a speech at the security summit that the United States was committed to "sustaining a robust military presence" to protect freedom of navigation and its other interests in the South China Sea.

Japan, which shares interests with the United States, needs to work with Washington to further enhance assistance to ASEAN members.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, June 10, 2011)
(Jun. 11, 2011)

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/editorial/T110610004925.htm

[windsurfer]

The a$$holeness comes back again!

[KJK]

Unilateral action?
Japan needs another nuke accident to keep itself busy at all time.

[foi2]

What can I say except China does have a problem in keeping their overzealous ships in line. Mostly because of assholes like the posters above me.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Things like this will keep happening over and over again, each time damaging relations until you setup a protocol to deal with it. Setup a channel and promise to talk to each other and have each side control the media in their country.

I think there are interested parties trying to stir things up through the media. The only way you can counter that is through agreements before hand. Otherwise, anyone can buy off fishermen and send random ships into disputed territory to stir things up.

[PCAT]

Japan, which shares interests with the United States, needs to work with Washington to further enhance assistance to ASEAN members.

Good plan. Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, and America should form a countervailing coalition based on shared interests.

[Chan-Ho]

Good plan. Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, and America should form a countervailing coalition based on shared interests.

As long as China enables the tyrannical North Korean regime, I see Koreans sharing these same interests.

This post has been edited by Chan-Ho: Jun 11 2011, 04:58 PM

[KochiGachi]

.
Otherwise, anyone can buy off fishermen and send random ships into disputed territory to stir things up.

Nobody wanted risk their life, are you sure governments are paying these illegal fishermen?

[InitialDJay]

china national interest is overlapping with asia. i see a war in the future.

[qwerty2010]

What can I say except China does have a problem in keeping their overzealous ships in line. Mostly because of assholes like the posters above me.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Things like this will keep happening over and over again, each time damaging relations until you setup a protocol to deal with it. Setup a channel and promise to talk to each other and have each side control the media in their country.

I think there are interested parties trying to stir things up through the media. The only way you can counter that is through agreements before hand. Otherwise, anyone can buy off fishermen and send random ships into disputed territory to stir things up.

There are two issues which should be treated separately here - one is sovereign boundaries and the other share of resources. The former has very little wiggle room, while the latter is more flexible. There are probably no problems with negotiating the share of economic opportunities, such as shipping, fishing and energy but it is unlikely for China to give up its defined boundaries. Anyway, these are boundaries that continue from the last two centuries, and not boundaries that are newly created.

[orange peel]

What can I say except China does have a problem in keeping their overzealous ships in line. Mostly because of assholes like the posters above me.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Things like this will keep happening over and over again, each time damaging relations until you setup a protocol to deal with it. Setup a channel and promise to talk to each other and have each side control the media in their country.

I think there are interested parties trying to stir things up through the media. The only way you can counter that is through agreements before hand. Otherwise, anyone can buy off fishermen and send random ships into disputed territory to stir things up.

it might not be such a smart idea to set up a solid protocol, since China's sway is on the upswing for the foreseeable future any concrete protocol will only decrease flexibility, whether this decreased flexibility is more important than the occasional international friction remains to be seen.

[orange peel]

china national interest is overlapping with asia. i see a war in the future.

although i don't agree with war it produces the most irrevocable consolidation in the geopolitical environment.

[Chan-Ho]

china national interest is overlapping with asia. i see a war in the future.

Not if Asian countries arm themselves with nuclear weapons. How about mutually assured destruction? It will be too bad if China's greed leads to Asia's destruction.

[Suijen]

Not if Asian countries arm themselves with nuclear weapons. How about mutually assured destruction? It will be too bad if China's greed leads to Asia's destruction.

So why are you so mad about North Koreans gaining nuclear weapons again?

[Chan-Ho]

So why are you so mad about North Koreans gaining nuclear weapons again?

I'm not mad at North Koreans for having nuclear weapons, I'm mad at the North Korean regime for enslaving its own population and at all those who support such a regime.

[port19]

Not if Asian countries arm themselves with nuclear weapons. How about mutually assured destruction? It will be too bad if China's greed leads to Asia's destruction.

What greed? China invaded Vietnam....yet?

[qwerty2010]

With drilling for oil and gas, it doesn't matter where you drill from, Vietnam's or China's side. You drain from the ENTIRE POOL of oil and gas. If you pump water out of a swimming pool, it doesn't matter where you pump the water out from, the ENTIRE POOL is drained.

Based on UNCLOS, China has a much larger share of this pool of resources, but since Vietnam has been draining it to sell, obviously, Vietnam has been selling China's share of the resources. So China's decision to keep the pool as reserves leaves it at a disadvantage - it privileges the party that tries to pump as much as they can from this collective pool.

How can the party that calls for RESTRAINT in the draining of this resource be condemned as acting without self-restraint?

How can the party that has been profiting from the collective pool accuse the party that asks it to restrain itself of "robbing" it?

This whole affair has been warped, upside down and inside out.

恶人先告状

Look who's "greedy" here. I don't wish to make a judgment on Viets, but when they insist China is "greedy" in objecting to Vietnam pumping hundreds of billions of dollars worth from this collective pool, a large share of which is owned by China, then I have to point out that the party which is CURRENTLY DRAINING THE MOST from this pool is the one most appropriately entitled to this label.

I think we Chinese are not like the Viets, I don't say "Viets are GREEDY to keep draining as much as they can from the energy resources of South China Sea", I actually say Vietnam wants to earn funds to develop their country. If this is Vietnam's objective, China can help in order to ensure that we don't deplete our own future access to energy. I believe this is the truth as well.

When we disagree, we don't roll up our sleeves and say we're ready for a FIGHT and to make martyrs out of our soldiers.

This makes Chinese and Vietnamese different peoples and cultures.

This post has been edited by qwerty2010: Jun 12 2011, 05:01 AM

[Suijen]

I'm not mad at North Koreans for having nuclear weapons, I'm mad at the North Korean regime for enslaving its own population and at all those who support such a regime.

Okay, so nuclear arms proliferation is a good thing. Er...I'll keep that in mind.

I'm not even sure how this would help the situation considering that you were calling for calm. When was the last time China threatened another country with its nukes? Conflict over the Spratleys has resulted in skirmishes at most.

[windsurfer]

Unilateral action?
Japan needs another nuke accident to keep itself busy at all time.

It's really sad. isn't it? Whenever there is a conflict when China is involved, the rest of the world including some massive a$$h@les on this board above blindly takes sides criticising China like idioits!

"QUOTE (foi2 @ Jun 11 2011, 11:12 AM)
What can I say except China does have a problem in keeping their overzealous ships in line. Mostly because of assholes like the posters above me."

China also has the freedom of natvigation! How overzealous is that?

What greed? China invaded Vietnam....yet?

I am awaiting for the first crack of bullet out of their gun-barrels tomorrow after which the belligerent Vietnam government will be sending out a stupid invitation for war!


This post has been edited by windsurfer: Jun 12 2011, 05:54 AM

[port19]

Vietnam is harbouring terrorists and they are having Weapons of MASS DESTRUCTION! China must form the Coalition of the Willings to Invade Vietnam, You are Either Against China, or part of the Axis of Evil Vietnamese Regime. China must start ammassing 1 Million troops across Vietnamese border! Operation Vietnamese Freedom! YeeeHAAA!!! Giddy Up!!! Air assault, Agent Orange, Shock & Awe across city of Hanoi!
Well, unsure if China will be such superpower in future?? Would be interesting...Yes, invite the Americans to join the Coalition...

[windsurfer]

Agent Orange?

All of the Vietnamese nationalists here on the forum have been downing American OJ which have made them forgotten what A O is?