There is no mention of the South China Sea dispute in any discussion or agenda during this year’s Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. China has made it clear it will refuse to discuss it. “But china’s claim is so excessive, because if you look at the map, what they claim to be their 9-dash line already encompasses about 90-percent of the whole South China Sea”.
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China has rejected an global court’s rejection of its territorial claims in the South China Sea, with its media warning of a possible military response to what they called “a United States ploy to thwart China’s rise”. It’s not saying this is ours, this is yours, because it’s a very complicated issue, it’s not just between the Philippines and China, but also the other claimants like Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei even Indonesia.
Land-locked Laos, which is boosting economic ties with China, will be hosting a security meeting later this month at which the South China Sea is expected to dominate.
A number of disputed islands, including the Paracel Islands and the Spratly Islands, are located in the South China Sea.
Beijing has called the court ruling a farce and several Chinese celebrities have spoken up against the court’s decision. Among these include maritime safety and security.
China which boycotted the tribunal angrily rejected its verdict and said the award would not impact its claims over 90 per cent of the resource-rich sea.
China’s Foreign Ministry on Friday said Beijing’s position on the case had the support of Laos, the current chair of the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean), a regional bloc long dogged by discord over how to deal with China’s maritime assertiveness.
“But since certain countries commented on the issue, it is thus necessary for China to come out to clarify its stance and spell out the truth”, he said.
“While China’s military drills have become a regular routine … they will also serve as a warning and active defence against United States aggression”, Li said.
“To effectively fulfil its mission, the air force will continue to conduct combat patrols on a regular basis in the South China Sea”, he said. China has threatened to set up an air defense identification zone in the South China Sea.
Indeed, access to the South China Sea’s rich maritime resources, vast oil and gas reserves and, more broadly, the almost US$5 trillion (RM19.92 trillion) worth of shipborne trade navigated through its waterways each year make it a regional and global concern.
China National Association of International Studies Director Victor Gao said that he believed that the USA was “very much involved in this arbitration case brought by the Philippines.trying to put pressure on China”.
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China is the biggest beneficiary of freedom of navigation in the South China Sea and won’t let anybody damage it, Sun said.
