“In recent years, satellite imagery has shown China’s increased efforts to reclaim land in the South China Sea by physically increasing the size of islands or creating altogether new islands”.
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In Washington, the State Department said it would not comment on the details of diplomatic conversations or on the possibility of the US coming to the defense of the Philippines in the South China Sea. Having two aircraft carriers in the region today is a good step but may not go far enough, he and the panel said. Navy vessels pursued and fired several warning shots, until eventually a Chinese-flagged ship was stopped and boarded, the statement said.
Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose told reporters that all of the ASEAN foreign ministers initially agreed on the text of the joint statement, but that some may have changed their mind later.
China has said it would not recognize any arbitration decision despite calls by several Asian and Western governments for it to respect worldwide law.
China will begin operating regular cruise ship visits to the disputed Spratly Islands in the disputed South China Sea before 2020, state media reported Wednesday – a move likely to exacerbate already frayed ties with other claimants to the waters.
How Washington handles the aftermath of the ruling is widely seen as a test of US credibility in a region where it has been the dominant security presence since World War Two but is now struggling to contain an increasingly assertive China.
“I have seen that Asean countries have issued several clear statements over the past few months, including the one in April on maritime activities in South China Sea”.
While a number of Indonesia’s neighbours – including the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia – are locked in a territorial dispute with China over the South China Sea, Indonesia has sought to remain neutral.
The United States earlier called on China and the Philippines to exercise restraint when the global tribunal issues a ruling on the disputes.
Indonesia today defended opening fire on Chinese sailors as an action aimed at stopping illegal fishing, after the latest confrontation between the nations in the South China Sea.
US Navy chief Admiral John Richardson said it wasn’t very often two aircraft carriers and their strike groups were sent to the same place for training.
Chinese coast guards have intercepted Indonesia’s attempts to detain its vessels.
The four-star admiral said the Stennis and Reagan deployments gave US and allied naval commanders a rare opportunity to develop the “building blocks” of a partnership of naval operations in the region.
But Beijing’s claims to fishing rights near the Natunas and some 3,000 kilometers from its mainland appear to overlap with Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone around the islands.
Hitchcock said interactions between the two navies were “safe, they were professional, we had a way to communicate effectively with each other and we didn’t have any misunderstandings or miscalculations or anything like that”.
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“The province plans a pan-South China Sea cruise line and cruise trips business covering countries along the Maritime Silk Road”, it added, referring to President Xi Jinping’s initiative to boost investment and trade links.
