China’s military will hold joint exercises with Russian forces in the South China Sea in September, following a recent arbitration ruling that rejected Beijing’s claim to nearly the entire strategic body of water.
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He added, “The exercise is not targeting any third party”.
Outgoing Philippine ambassador to the US Jose Cuisia criticized Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. for failing to push for the inclusion of an worldwide court’s favorable ruling on the South China Sea dispute in the Asean joint communiqué despite strong global support for the Philippines’ case.
Most of the members attending the meeting made no mention of the South China Sea arbitration but advocated the issue should cool down as soon as possible, Lu said. As Franz-Stefan Gady noted for The Diplomatat the time, “given that the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) North and East Sea Fleets hosted previous Sino-Russian naval drills, it appears likely that this year’s iteration of the Joint-Sea exercise will be hosted by the Nanhai [South Sea] Fleet, the PLAN fleet responsible for the South China Sea”.
China’s Defense Ministry also confirmed Thursday that it would move forward with anti-missile system tests in response to South Korea’s decision to employ an advanced us anti-missile system. A few months earlier, they had conducted their first joint naval exercises in European waters in the Black Sea and Mediterranean.
State-run media said the messages were about the South China Sea and denounced Vietnam and the Philippines, which are at odds with Beijing over maritime sovereignty.
The hole is located in one of the more geopolitically unstable areas in the world, with surrounding countries such as Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, and, of course, China duking it out for control.
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On Monday, US National Security Adviser Susan Rice told Chinese officials in Beijing that the US meant to continue its patrols in the region, while the vice-chairman of China’s Central Military Commission, Fan Changlong, warned that ties between the two powers could easily fray. But the United States denies taking sides in the territorial disputes. According to Chinese state media, the verdict was orchestrated by “eunuch” American and Japanese officials to embarrass China. “Exercises and operations are meant to hone capabilities”, Kirby said.
