Analysts cautioned that the possible US military move could disrupt regional stability and trigger dangerous confrontations in the region.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a press briefing on Wednesday in Beijing that the US side should clarify those remarks.
China has always advocated freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, Hua said. "But freedom of navigation does not give one country's military aircraft and ships free access to another country's territorial waters and airspace."
US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter had apparently requested options that include sending aircraft and ships to within 12 nautical miles (22 kilometers) around Chinese islets near the Nansha Islands in the South China Sea, according to Reuters, sourcing an anonymous official. The official said that the plan is to "assert freedom of navigation" in the area and would need White House approval.
Carter's request was first reported earlier on Tuesday by the Wall Street Journal, which said one option was to fly US navy surveillance aircraft over the islands.
China will resolutely safeguard its territorial sovereignty, Hua said, urging the US side not to take any risks or make any provocations so as to maintain regional peace and stability.
The US government has yet to make any comments about the possible plan.
Jin Canrong, a deputy dean of the School of International Studies at the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times that the US government must know the consequences of any such plan, as it could be reckless and involve great risk.
"If the plan is implemented, China for sure will make counter-measures, such as driving US military aircraft and vessels away with force," Jin said. "The US must realize that a majority of ASEAN countries do not want the US to destroy regional stability."
Zhuang Guotu, head of the Center of Southeast Asian Studies at Xiamen University, however, said that the possibility of White House approval cannot be completely ruled out.
If the White House approves the plan, it could directly jeopardize China's territorial sovereignty, Zhuang told the Global Times.
"The US may also want to show support to its Asian allies, such as the Philippines, which has disputes with China in the South China Sea," Zhuang said.
The Philippine military invited foreign journalists to visit Zhongye Island, part of the Nansha Islands, by military plane on Monday.
Hua criticized the move on Tuesday, saying that the attempt shows the Philippines is the real rule-breaker and that its attempt to seize maritime features of China's Nansha Islands is futile.
China gave a clear explanation in April this year over its construction work on some of the islands, saying that the country's purpose is to strengthen the functions of those islands and reefs, and improve the working and living conditions of personnel stationed on them.
It will also help China better carry out international responsibilities in maritime search and rescue, disaster prevention and mitigation, marine science and research, navigation safety, and in many other areas.
Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, said that statements suggesting a US military presence in the South China Sea firmly demonstrate that "the US wants to dominate the Asia-Pacific region."
The US has targeted China's construction work in disputed South China Sea areas in the past. US President Barack Obama said ahead of the Summit of the Americas in Panama in April that he was "concerned" that "China pushes around smaller countries in the region."
Li noted that the increased targeting of South China Sea issues reflects that Sino-US relations are becoming more tense as the US is concerned China has already become a threat to its global dominance.
"The US now tends to hold a tougher stance toward China and it is possible that it will adjust its diplomatic strategy in the future," Li said. "However, the US must realize that such a tough stance will only lead to failure."
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry is scheduled to visit China during the weekend. Observers believe that South China Sea issues could be on the agenda.
(Agencies contributed to this story)
By Hu Qingyun Source:Global Times Published: 2015-5-14
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Kerry to take tough approach in China over South China Sea...
ReplyDeleteU.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will leave China "in absolutely no doubt" about Washington's commitment to ensuring freedom of navigation and flight in the South China Sea when he visits Beijing this weekend, a senior State Department official said on Wednesday.
Setting the scene for what could be contentious encounters with Chinese leaders, including President Xi Jinping, the official said Kerry would warn that China's land-reclamation work in contested waters could have negative consequences for regional stability - and for relations with the United States.
On Tuesday, a U.S. official said the Pentagon was considering sending military aircraft and ships to assert freedom of navigation around rapidly growing Chinese-made artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea.
China's Foreign Ministry responded by saying that Beijing was "extremely concerned" and demanded clarification.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense David Shear told a Senate hearing the United States had right of passage in areas claimed by China. "We are actively assessing the military implications of land reclamation and are committed to taking effective and appropriate action," he said, but gave no details.
The senior State Department official said "the question about what the U.S Navy does or doesn't do is one that the Chinese are free to pose" to Kerry in Beijing, where he is due on Saturday for meetings with civilian and military leaders......reuters.com
Stop raising tensions in S. China Sea ...
ReplyDeleteThe Philippines' invitation to journalists to visit a Chinese island in the South China Sea and efforts to seek U.S. help are a sheer provocation, and the United States should not back it in any form.
Just as Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said, the fact that the Filipino military invited foreign journalists to visit Zhongye Island, part of the Nansha Islands, by military aircraft on Monday demonstrates that the Philippines is the real rule-breaker and trouble-maker.
According to the international treaties that define the territory of the Philippines, Zhongye Island and other maritime features in the Nansha Islands have never been part of the Philippines, she said.
The Philippines, although aware that its provocation is utterly unjustifiable, turned to the United States for help on Tuesday.
The United States has repeatedly committed itself to not taking sides in the South China Sea disputes, and it shoulders an inescapable responsibility to play a constructive role in the Asia-Pacific region.
However, the world's sole superpower has been far from honoring its commitment. Instead of helping put an end to Manila's trust-eroding and tension-stoking behavior, Washington has largely been fanning the flames.
Last month, close to 12,000 Filipino and American soldiers carried out a large-scale military drill, including an amphibious assault exercise, at a navy base facing China's Huangyan Island.
And recently Washington is reported to be considering sending military planes and ships to the South China Sea on the pretext of assuring freedom of navigation.............http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/2015-05/13/content_35568098.htm
13/5/15
Experts warn of military conflicts in S.China Sea ...
ReplyDeleteExperts on Sunday warned of a potential military conflict over heightened US surveillance in the South China Sea and cautioned that both sides should try their best to avoid miscalculation in the world's most important bilateral relations.
Analysts believe that recent US military activity is another example of how the US is struggling to maintain the status quo while coping with the rise of China as a global power. They urge the US to face up to the reality that China is becoming a maritime power and that China's determination to protect its sovereignty should not be underestimated.
"The South China Sea issue makes up a small portion of Sino-US ties," wrote Cen Shaoyu, an international relations commentator. "Leaders from both countries should understand that the future of China and the US, as well as the future of Asia, are far beyond just that."
China electronically jammed Global Hawk long-range surveillance drones spying on China's Nansha Islands, a possible attempt to capture a Global Hawk by causing one to crash in shallow waters, or to snatch one in flight using a manned aircraft, The Washington Free Beacon reported on Friday.
Disclosure of the jamming came as a US P-8A anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft flew over waters off China's Nansha Islands for reconnaissance activities on Wednesday.
It is the US that travelled thousands of miles to China's doorstep to force China to safeguard national territorial sovereignty and maritime interests, Peng Guangqian, a specialist in military strategy at the PLA Academy of Military Science, told the Global Times.
"China's responses were justified acts of self-defense when the US flights approached China's territory and were in accordance with international practice," Tao Wenzhao, a research fellow with the Institute of American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.
China will very likely strike back if the US comes within 12 miles of the islands, Peng said, adding that the US was deliberately provoking China.
"The US provocation has boosted the chance of military confrontation between Beijing and Washington," Zhu Feng, director of the Collaborative Innovation Center of South China Sea Studies under Nanjing University, told the Global Times..........http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/923367.shtml
25/5/15