A recent flare-up between China and the Philippines about adisputed island has renewed tensions surrounding South China Seaterritories. The spat has also highlighted a July deadline foragreement on a code of conduct in the sea between China andSoutheast Asian nations. On Thursday, China s state media said most Chinese travel agenciessuspended trips to the Philippines in an escalating andnationalistic war of words over a disputed island chain. China alsoissued a safety warning to its citizens in the Philippines becauseof anti-China protests expected this weekend.
Thursday, Foreign affairs spokesman Hong Lei demanded thePhilippines ensure that Chinese citizens are safe. The Philippinesside encouraged people both at home and abroad to launchdemonstrations against China, he said, warning authorities to takemeasures to protect the safety of Chinese nationals andinstitutions in the Philippines. The rising tension came from a face-off last month after aPhilippine warship tried to stop Chinese fishing boats in theScarborough Shoal, but were stopped by surveillance ships fromChina. The rocky islands, known as Huangyan in China, are in the SouthChina Sea, about 230 kilometers northwest of the Philippines. Manila says the shoal is within its exclusive economic zone whileBeijing claims not only those islands but almost all the territoryin the South China Sea.
That puts China in conflict with other claims in mineral andfishing-rich areas by Brunei, the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan,and Vietnam. Political analysts say Beijing s argued sovereignty of the regionis weak because it is based on historic claims rather thaninternational law. Carl Thayer, a professor at the Australian Defense Academy, pointsout that a map China gave the United Nations in 2009 that justifiedits territorial claims had nine unconnected lines drawn in the sea. [Un]til China comes clear about what the nine dash lines mean andhow they would be connected, and how the claims [are] underinternational law -- but they claim historic rights. LED Tube Light Fixture
Well, theUnited Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea came recently. So,you can t go back and say back when we had historic rights, wealso claimed international law because it didn t exist. So, we restill stuck on the Chinese ambiguity. Some argue that it scalculated. LED Lighting Panels
It suits China to keep everybody guessing," Thayersaid. Conflicts among claimants in the sea are not new and have, in thepast, involved arrests of Chinese and Vietnamese fishermen and evenbrief naval battles in the 1970s between China and Vietnam. But worries are growing about the possibility of greater conflictas China asserts its power and influence to claim resources and theUnited Sates backs up its ally, the Philippines, with increasedarms sales. To ease tensions, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations hasfor more than a decade been negotiating details on a code ofconduct in the South China Sea. LED Tunnel Light Manufacturer
The regional grouping has set a deadline for reaching an agreementin July, when Thailand will become the ASEAN-China coordinator. Thitinan Pongsudhirak, director of the Institute of Security andInternational Studies at Bangkok s Chulalongkorn University, saidThailand, as a non-claimant, is in a good position to act as anarbiter, but is coming under pressure from both Beijing and ASEAN. China prefers to deal with ASEAN on a bilateral basis," saidThitinan. "And, ASEAN itself does not have a single, commonposition on the South China Sea. So, we will see from Beijing, mostlikely, a kind of divide and deal posture.
At the same time theASEAN countries, especially the claimant countries - particularlyThe Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia - they will want ASEAN to comeup with a common position. And, this will put some pressure on Thailand. Political analysts say the Philippines and Vietnam are pushing fora binding code of conduct that also clarifies geographic claims inthe sea while China wants a weaker and ambiguous declaration. ASEAN s 10 member nations make decisions based only on consensusand China must also accept the agreement.
That makes a clear andenforceable code less likely and a watered down list of principleslike the 2002 Declaration of Conduct, or DOC, said Thayer. If it s not going to have what the Philippines wants as anenforcement mechanism, it doesn t have a status as a treaty, it snot going to be any more binding than the DOC, which, when you getdown to the bottom, makes a net assessment, is nothing more than apolitical declaration of voluntary activities. ASEAN s other members include Burma, Indonesia, Laos andSingapore.
Thursday, Foreign affairs spokesman Hong Lei demanded thePhilippines ensure that Chinese citizens are safe. The Philippinesside encouraged people both at home and abroad to launchdemonstrations against China, he said, warning authorities to takemeasures to protect the safety of Chinese nationals andinstitutions in the Philippines. The rising tension came from a face-off last month after aPhilippine warship tried to stop Chinese fishing boats in theScarborough Shoal, but were stopped by surveillance ships fromChina. The rocky islands, known as Huangyan in China, are in the SouthChina Sea, about 230 kilometers northwest of the Philippines. Manila says the shoal is within its exclusive economic zone whileBeijing claims not only those islands but almost all the territoryin the South China Sea.
That puts China in conflict with other claims in mineral andfishing-rich areas by Brunei, the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan,and Vietnam. Political analysts say Beijing s argued sovereignty of the regionis weak because it is based on historic claims rather thaninternational law. Carl Thayer, a professor at the Australian Defense Academy, pointsout that a map China gave the United Nations in 2009 that justifiedits territorial claims had nine unconnected lines drawn in the sea. [Un]til China comes clear about what the nine dash lines mean andhow they would be connected, and how the claims [are] underinternational law -- but they claim historic rights. LED Tube Light Fixture
Well, theUnited Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea came recently. So,you can t go back and say back when we had historic rights, wealso claimed international law because it didn t exist. So, we restill stuck on the Chinese ambiguity. Some argue that it scalculated. LED Lighting Panels
It suits China to keep everybody guessing," Thayersaid. Conflicts among claimants in the sea are not new and have, in thepast, involved arrests of Chinese and Vietnamese fishermen and evenbrief naval battles in the 1970s between China and Vietnam. But worries are growing about the possibility of greater conflictas China asserts its power and influence to claim resources and theUnited Sates backs up its ally, the Philippines, with increasedarms sales. To ease tensions, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations hasfor more than a decade been negotiating details on a code ofconduct in the South China Sea. LED Tunnel Light Manufacturer
The regional grouping has set a deadline for reaching an agreementin July, when Thailand will become the ASEAN-China coordinator. Thitinan Pongsudhirak, director of the Institute of Security andInternational Studies at Bangkok s Chulalongkorn University, saidThailand, as a non-claimant, is in a good position to act as anarbiter, but is coming under pressure from both Beijing and ASEAN. China prefers to deal with ASEAN on a bilateral basis," saidThitinan. "And, ASEAN itself does not have a single, commonposition on the South China Sea. So, we will see from Beijing, mostlikely, a kind of divide and deal posture.
At the same time theASEAN countries, especially the claimant countries - particularlyThe Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia - they will want ASEAN to comeup with a common position. And, this will put some pressure on Thailand. Political analysts say the Philippines and Vietnam are pushing fora binding code of conduct that also clarifies geographic claims inthe sea while China wants a weaker and ambiguous declaration. ASEAN s 10 member nations make decisions based only on consensusand China must also accept the agreement.
That makes a clear andenforceable code less likely and a watered down list of principleslike the 2002 Declaration of Conduct, or DOC, said Thayer. If it s not going to have what the Philippines wants as anenforcement mechanism, it doesn t have a status as a treaty, it snot going to be any more binding than the DOC, which, when you getdown to the bottom, makes a net assessment, is nothing more than apolitical declaration of voluntary activities. ASEAN s other members include Burma, Indonesia, Laos andSingapore.
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