South China Sea Archives - Read Selective

Philippines condemns Chinese ‘floating barrier’ in South China Sea

The Philippines on Sunday accused China’s coast guard of installing a “floating barrier” in a disputed area of the South China Sea, saying it prevented Filipinos from entering and fishing in the area.

Manila’s coast guard and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources “strongly condemn” China’s installation of the barrier in part of the Scarborough Shoal, Commodore Jay Tarriela, a coast guard spokesperson, posted on the X social media platform, formerly Twitter.

The barrier blocking fishermen from the shoal was depriving them of their fishing and livelihood activities, he said.

“The (Philippine Coast Guard) will continue to work closely with all concerned government agencies to address these challenges, uphold our maritime rights and protect our maritime domains,” Tarriela said.

The Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

Chinese Coast Guard boats close to the floating barrier are pictured on September 20, 2023, near the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, in this handout image released by the Philippine Coast Guard on September 24, 2023. Philippine Coast Guard/Handout via REUTERS

China claims 90% of the South China Sea, overlapping with the exclusive economic zones of Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines. Beijing seized the Scarborough Shoal in 2012 and forced fishermen from the Philippines to travel further for smaller catches.

Beijing allowed Filipino fishermen to return to the uninhabited shoal when bilateral relations were improving markedly under then-President Rodrigo Duterte. But tension has mounted again since his successor, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, took office last year.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/philippines-condemns-chinese-floating-barrier-south-china-sea-2023-09-24/

Indian energy company ONGC Videsh secures 3-yr extension to explore South China Sea

The logo of Oil and Natural Gas Corp’s (ONGC) is pictured along a roadside in Ahmedabad, India, September 6, 2016. Picture taken September 6, 2016. REUTERS/Amit Dave/File photo Acquire Licensing Rights

Indian energy company ONGC Videsh has secured a three-year extension from Vietnam to explore ‘Block 128’ in the South China Sea, it said in a post on social messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Conflicting territorial claims over South China Sea stretch back many decades but have intensified in recent years as China and its rivals have reinforced their positions on the rocks and reefs they hold.

“India’s strategic commitment stays strong as ONGC Videsh continues its exploration journey with its 8th extension till 15 June 2026,” the company said in its post.

ONGC Videsh is the overseas investment arm of India’s top oil explorer Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC.NS).

India has sparred diplomatically with China in the past over its gas and oil exploration block off the coast of Vietnam. China claims virtually the entire mineral-rich South China Sea and has stepped up its military presence there.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/indian-energy-company-ongc-videsh-secures-3-yr-extension-explore-south-china-sea-2023-08-19/

‘Who Are They To Tell Us’: Philippines’ Response on China’s Calls for Removing Ship

A Chinese coast guard ship uses water cannon on a Philippine Coast Guard ship near the Philippine-occupied Second Thomas Shoal, South China Sea as they blocked it’s path during a re-supply mission. (Image: AP Photo)

China renewed calls Tuesday for the Philippines to remove an ageing ship from a reef that Manila uses to press its stake in the Spratly Islands in defiance of Beijing’s claim to nearly the entire South China Sea.

The move comes after the Philippines accused the China Coast Guard of firing water cannon against boats on a resupply mission to its garrison stationed on the grounded vessel at the weekend.

The BRP Sierra Madre — deliberately grounded in 1999 in an effort to check the advance of China in the hotly contested waters — has long been a flashpoint between Manila and Beijing.

The handful of Philippine marines deployed on the crumbling vessel depend upon resupply missions to survive their remote posting.

The Philippine military and coast guard accused the China Coast Guard of breaking international law by blocking and firing water cannon at the resupply mission, preventing one of the charter boats from reaching the shoal.

Beijing has defended its actions as “professional” and accused Manila of “illegal delivery of construction materials” to the grounded ship.

“The Philippine side has repeatedly made clear promises to tow away the warship illegally ‘stranded’ on the reef,” a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry said Tuesday.

“Twenty-four years have passed, the Philippine side has not only failed to tow away the warship, but also attempted to repair and reinforce it on a large scale to achieve permanent occupation of the Ren’ai Reef,” they said, using the Chinese term for the Second Thomas Shoal.

“The Chinese side once again urges the Philippines to immediately tow away the ‘stranded’ warship from the Ren’ai Reef and restore the status of no one and no facilities on the reef,” they said.

The Philippine foreign ministry said Tuesday the “permanent station” on Second Thomas Shoal was in response to China’s “illegal occupation” of nearby Mischief Reef in 1995.

Source: https://www.news18.com/world/who-are-they-to-tell-us-philippines-response-on-chinas-calls-for-removing-ship-8528331.html

US says Chinese fighter jet performed ‘unnecessarily aggressive’ manoeuvre over South China Sea

The US military claims the Chinese jet passed directly in front of the nose of the US Air Force plane in international airspace during the intercept on 26 May.

The US has said a Chinese fighter jet performed an “unnecessarily aggressive” manoeuvre during an intercept over the South China Sea.

In a statement, the US military command responsible for the Indo-Pacific said the Chinese J-16 aircraft carried out the manoeuvre last week and forced the US RC-135 plane to fly through its wake turbulence.

Wake turbulence is the disturbance in the atmosphere caused by an aircraft as it passes through the air, similar to the wake of a boat travelling through water.

“The United States will continue to fly, sail, and operate – safely and responsibly – wherever international law allows,” the statement said.

Video shows a fighter jet passing in front of the US plane’s nose and the cockpit of the RC-135 shaking in the turbulence.

The encounter followed what the United States has called a recent trend of increasingly dangerous behaviour by Beijing military aircraft.

The incident took place before China snubbed a request by Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin to meet on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue Asian security summit in Singapore this week.

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/us-says-chinese-fighter-pilot-performed-unnecessarily-aggressive-manoeuvre-over-south-china-sea-12893363

China has fully militarised islands in South China Sea threatening nearby nations, says US admiral

China has fully militarised at least three of several islands it built in the disputed South China Sea, arming them with anti-ship and anti-aircraft missile systems, laser and jamming equipment and fighter jets in an increasingly aggressive move that threatens all nations operating nearby, a top US military commander said on Sunday.

US Indo-Pacific commander Admiral John C Aquilino said the hostile actions were in stark contrast to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s past assurances that Beijing would not transform the artificial islands in contested waters into military bases. The efforts were part of China’s flexing its military muscle, he said.

“I think over the past 20 years we’ve witnessed the largest military build-up since World War II by the PRC,” Aquilino told Associated Press in an interview, using the initials of China’s formal name. “They have advanced all their capabilities and that build-up of weaponisation is destabilising to the region.”

There were no immediate comments from Chinese officials. Beijing maintains its military profile is purely defensive, arranged to protect what it says are its sovereign rights.

Source: https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3171203/china-has-fully-militarised-islands-south-china-sea-threatening