On September 12, however, the balance came into question when Russian Federation joined China for eight days of joint naval exercises in Chinese waters near Zhanjiang in the south of Guangdong province, which is the headquarters for China’s South China Sea fleet.
Advertisement
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said on 19 September: “Let’s have a look at the results of Japan’s throwing things into disorder over this same time period. trying to confuse the South China Sea situation under the pretence of [acting for] the global community”.
The South China Sea might be one of the most contested places on earth, but until last week, at least, one regional player had been conspicuously absent from the fray. The situation in the South China Sea, which just began to cool down, will be disturbed due to the waves splashed by the joint patrol by the two outside countries.
Consensus on the South China Sea was reached at both the China-ASEAN leaders’ meeting early this month and the China-ASEAN foreign minsters’ meeting in July, according to Lu.
Japan has a separate territorial dispute with China over uninhabited islets in the East China Sea.
China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, through which ships carrying about $5 trillion in trade pass every year. Tokyo has said it has been concerned by China’s claim to the maritime region. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have overlapping claims in the resource-rich sea.
China asserts sovereignty over nearly all of the strategically vital waters in the face of rival claims from its Southeast Asian neighbours, and has rapidly turned reefs in the area into artificial islands capable of hosting military planes. At the September G-20 meeting in Hangzhou, China, however, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia stood “in solidarity with China’s position” of not recognizing the court’s decision and opposing the interference of third parties in the South China Sea dispute.
The South China Sea waters are believed to sit atop vast reserves of oil and gas.
Advertisement
China will resolutely safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, Lu said, adding that the nation’s determination to properly deal with the South China Sea issue through the “dual-track” approach is unshakable. The ruling came after the former Philippines government unilaterally brought its contest to Beijing’s South China Sea claims to the court.
