Beijing responded by reiterating that the islands in the South China Sea are “China’s inherent territory”, adding that it could declare an air defence identification zone over the waters if it felt threatened. The decision was a response to a complaint filed by the Philippines in 2013 over China’s aggressive actions on the Scarborough Shoal, a reef located about 225 km off the Philippine coast. With my chauvinism thus inflamed, I would wonder why China doesn’t levy a toll on every vessel that dares to breach its sacred waters and tax all the swimmers, divers and even the little fishies and octopussies that frolic in its depths.
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Beijing has increasingly criticized Washington for encouraging the Philippines to pursue the arbitration case, saying that it, along with the strong presence of the U.S. Navy in the South China Sea, was heightening tensions in the volatile region. If you look at the world map, there is just one big interconnected ocean.
“When has freedom of navigation in the South China Sea ever been affected?”
Wu also said that Beijing would reserve the right to increase defenses in the location, according to state media.
Earlier in the day, China’s maritime administration announced that Beijing will close off access to part of the South China Sea for military drills.
Li thought that China, ASEAN countries have the ability, consensus and willingness to solve disputes in the South China Sea while maintaining peace and stability.
In the days following the ruling, Beijing landed two civilian aircraft on new airstrips on disputed Mischief and Subi reefs and dispatched its coast guard to block Philippine fishing boats from a contested shoal. Last year, the United States and its allies started conducting freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea in a bid to counter China’s assertive claim over the maritime territory.
“To effectively fulfill its mission, the air force will continue to conduct combat patrols on a regular basis in the South China Sea”. It has repeatedly said it will not change its approach or its sovereignty claims in the South China Sea.
The Vietnamese station’s move turns the tables on China, where the state-backed Communist Youth League and nationalistic netizens frequently mount shaming campaigns or boycotts against celebrities from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, and Western countries when they have made statements that reject or criticize Beijing’s policies.
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In another warning, Admiral Sun Jianguo, deputy chief of the Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission, said freedom of navigation patrols carried out by foreign navies in the South China Sea could lead to “disaster”. Beijing held military drills in the South China Sea just days before the global arbitration court ruling, state media reported.
