The Chinese government has also strongly warned other countries against the danger of the South China Sea, “a war cradle”.
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“To effectively fulfill its mission, the air force will continue to conduct combat patrols on a regular basis in the South China Sea”, Shen was quoted as saying.
Aside from the declaration of Beijing’s position on the ongoing island campaign, Wu said continued South China Sea security cooperation between the us and China is, “the only correct option”.
China kicked off a PR blitz Monday, sponsoring journalists around Southeast Asia to attend a South China Sea seminar it co-hosted with a university in Singapore, slamming the United States for hyping up maritime disputes to sabotage its strengthening ties with Asean members.
Wu said that China will not recede over territorial sovereignty or fear any military provocation, which the Chinese navy is fully prepared to cope with.
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.
On Monday, Wu told Richardson that Beijing “will never give up halfway” the construction of its islands in the South China Sea, and that the Chinese Navy has made “sufficient preparations” to deal with any “sovereignty infringement or provocation”.
His visit is the first since last Tuesday’s Arbitral Tribunal at The Hague ruling dismissed Beijing’s expansive claims in the South China Sea.
Three days following the tribunal’s ruling, China’s state media reported that China may build mobile nuclear power plants in the South China Sea.
Yasay said he asked that Filipinos be allowed to fish in the Scarborough Shoal, where Chinese coast guard ships have blocked and turned away fishing boats since effectively seizing the disputed fishing area after a tense standoff with Philippine government ships in 2012.
Alleged ongoing reclamation by China on the Mischief Reef in the Spratly group of islands in the South China Sea, west of Palawan.
President Barack Obama’s nominee for the next US ambassador to the Philippines, Sung Kim, said the United States would support China-Philippines negotiations that were free from “coercion and undue pressure”.
Yasay said Yi had proposed bilateral talks but only on issues “outside, or (in) disregard of, the arbitral ruling”, which he declined because it was not in the Philippines’ national interests.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that China has “no historic title” to the South China Sea.
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Duterte has been more reconciliatory with China compared to his predecessor, Benigno Aquino III, who filed the arbitration complaint against Beijing. By screening submissions, we provide a space where readers can share intelligent and informed commentary that enhances the quality of our news and information. Such a move would be seen as a threat to freedom of navigation, which the US has promised to uphold.
