China Rows Against Tide of Sea Tensions as Leaders Meet

Japan and the United States have to cooperate with Southeast Asian nations and patiently call on China to exercise self-restraint and improve the situation.

“The world is watching”, to see if Beijing will behave like a “responsible global leader” in the standoff, Philippine President Benigno Aquino told the assembled leaders.

Beijing has turned a series of reefs and outcrops in disputed waters into artificial islands capable of hosting facilities with military purposes, alarming other claimants.

Ten Southeast Asian heads of state and nine world leaders, including President Barack Obama, are meeting in Malaysia to discuss trade and economic issues. China and the US aren’t part of ASEAN, but they are part of the parallel East Asia Summit, which is ASEAN plus Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russian Federation and the U.S. The ASEAN summit will be held this weekend in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Obama met Saturday with his ASEAN counterparts, and a joint statement emerged that stressed the need to maintain freedom of navigation and over-flight in the South China Sea.

In the past, Japan has also donated patrol vessels to Indonesia and Vietnam, both of which share the Philippines’ concerns over Chinese ambitions in the South China Sea.

Earlier this month, U.S. B-52 bombers flew near a few of the islands, signalling Washington’s determination to challenge Beijing’s claim.

“At present, the SDF does not continuously conduct surveillance activities in the South China Sea, and we have no such specific plans”, Suga told reporters, according to the British news outlet.

The USA has recently responded with military maneuvers near the island to show it won’t allow freedom of navigation in that region to be compromised. He said that the visit will contribute positively increased cooperation between the two navies, and to the alleviate tensions in the South China Sea.

AMID public complaints on transportation and its related infrastructure, the Philippines and Japan agreed to build the P93.457-billion railway from the Tutuban Station in Divisoria, Manila to Malolos, Bulacan.

With the waterway a crucial trade passage, he said freedom of navigation and peace and security of the area are crucial to China’s economic expansion.

China claims about 90 per cent of the South China Sea.

Through land reclamation, China has created artificial islands from various reefs.

China has been constructing artificial bases on Spratly Islands coral reef habitats over the past year.

The summit’s host, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, urged his counterparts to step up efforts to realise a vision that many experts view as hard, if not impossible, to achieve.

He also asked the United States to consider the “good development” of ties between the two countries and in this regard he called to “control” their maritime military operations.