China announces South China Sea military exercises

BEIJING will close off access to part of the South China Sea for military drills, Chinese officials said Monday, after an worldwide tribunal ruled against its sweeping claims in the waters.

USA officials don’t know much about the drills, other than that they will be staged in an area to the southeast of the island province, which China will close from Monday to Thursday, according to Russia Today.

The chief of its naval operations, Admiral John Richardson, will discuss the South China Sea among other issues when he meets China’s navy commander, Admiral Wu Shengli, starting yesterday on a three-day trip to “improve mutual understanding”, according to a US Navy statement.

The South China Sea is one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, believed to be sitting atop huge oil and gas deposits, but Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also consider some of the region’s waters, islands and reefs to be their territory.

Wu expressed his hope that the two countries’ air and maritime forces fully follow the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea and the Rules of Behavior for the Safety of Air and Maritime Encounters to avoid strategic misjudgment or exchange of fire, and to jointly ensure the peace and stability of the South China Sea. It has reacted angrily to calls by Western countries for the decision to be adhered to.

While prodding China to “respect” the decision, Calida said the government would deal with Beijing diplomatically to foster better relations.

China’s island development has inflamed regional tensions, with many fearing that Beijing will use the construction of new islands complete with airfields and military facilities to extend its military reach and perhaps try to restrict navigation.

Yasay’s account of the meeting highlights the challenge ahead for the Philippines, a USA ally, in getting China to comply with the decision which has ramped up tensions in the vital trade route.

The Philippine position disclosed by Solicitor General Jose Calida runs against that of China, which opposes use of the tribunal ruling as basis for any negotiations. It says the Philippines took the case unilaterally in 2013, after an incident in the Scarborough Shoal when the Chinese navy denied access to Filipino fishermen.

There are concerns that China may turn Scarborough Shoal into another military outpost, but so far, all signs are that Beijing wants to keep the status quo.

This is not the first time the various claiming nations have had significant and bloody collisions over the South China Sea.

During a closed-door forum on Monday, Sun Jianguo, admiral and deputy chief of the Joint Staff Department of China’s Central Military Commission, stressed that freedom of navigation has never been threatened, but added that further acts of military aggression could have dire consequences.

Close to $5 trillion in global trade passes each year through the South China Sea.

Li said Saturday before he returned to China that the South China Sea arbitration award will have no impact on China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime interests.