Tension mounts as Vietnam arms disputed South China Sea

The US reaction to the Vietnamese rocket launchers is in marked contrast to its response to every step taken by China that can be construed as “militarisation”.

Control of islands in the South China Sea has always been a point of contention between China and Vietnam, while Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei also have made claims to portions of this area.

Reuters notes there is also some bitter history between Vietnam and China over the Spratly Islands, after the Chinese defeated Vietnam’s navy to take some of the territory in 1988, killing several dozen Vietnamese soldiers. It would also be a culmination of some of China’s worst fears, as the move would bring South Korea closer into a trilateral alliance involving the USA and Japan.

The Japan Coast Guard issued a statement Wednesday claiming that there have been multiple incursions into Japanese waters since the fleet arrived.

Vietnam, China and Taiwan claim all of the disputed Spratly islands in the South China Sea, while the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei claim some of the area.

On whether it was unusual for a Foreign Minister to visit a state before holding official talks with his counterpart, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said it was not unusual if the minister wants to familiarise himself with the venue where his President will be attending an event.

Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, the ambassador said that despite a ruling on the dispute by an worldwide tribunal based in the Hague which dismissed China’s claim over the entire South China Sea, “the situation is not quite stable”. That fishing fleet deployment is based on China’s claim to sovereignty over the Senkakus, which Beijing calls the Diaoyu Islands.

China, however, has insisted that it has no intention of militarizing the disputed maritime area, arguing instead that the artificial islands are aimed at “promoting public service” in the region by aiding ships, fishermen and disaster relief efforts.

After the Reuters report was published, the United States said it’s aware of the report.

Disclosure of the massing of naval forces at Scarborough Shoal comes amid new satellite imagery showing China has deployed fighter aircraft with permanent storage and maintenance hangars at three other Spratly Islands.

China appears to have been militarizing the Spratly Islands with its construction of reinforced aircraft hangars on some reefs, satellite photographs released by Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) showed.

Contrary to press reports, the hangars are not hardened against attack.

The July ruling dismissed China’s claim of “historic title” to much of the South China Sea.

“It’s not like the hangers are for mail planes, they are likely for jets”, the official said.