China to conduct South China Sea exercises

MANILA, Philippines — China will be conducting naval exercises in the South China Sea as tensions with the United States heat up.

China’s announcement on Saturday came a day after it said it would stage a separate exercise in the Yellow Sea, according to a South China Morning Post report.

Hainan Maritime Safety Administration announced that the
waters southeast of Hainan island would be sealed off for an exercise running from Monday to Saturday.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) will hold large-scale, live-fire exercises in the Yellow Sea from Saturday to Wednesday. The Chinese military predicted that the drills could feature anti-ship, air defense and anti-submarine exercises to prepare for possible military conflicts with the US.

China has stepped up the pace of its war games in recent weeks, after the US sent two aircraft carrier strike groups in the South China Sea twice last month.

A Global Times report said Chinese mainland military experts believe that US forces are increasing intelligence gathering of the military deployment of the PLA around potential battlefields after Taiwan media reported a US B-1B bomber flew near the island on Aug. 15.

Experts said the Chinese military should also be prepared for a potential conflict. They added that US warplanes’ frequent presence in the East and South China Seas are adding uncertainty and danger in the region, but it does not mean that the current situation could turn into another Taiwan Straits crisis as in 1995-96 because the US has no advantage in the region and the Trump administration is incapable of planning a major military conflict with China.

The US would no longer tolerate China’s actions to build a “maritime empire” in the South China Sea as Washington condemned as “unlawful” Beijing’s “bullying” and “intimidation” to control resources in the disputed waters.

US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said China’s claims to resources across most of the South China Sea are completely “unlawful” as Washington seeks push back Chinese activity in the region.

Washington hopes to build out a coalition of nations that understands the threat that China poses, ensures that Beijing behaves in the international system and collectively restores what rightfully belongs to countries.

‘Stop provocations’

Meanwhile, China urged the Philippines to “stop provocations” in South China Sea (West Philippine Sea), saying Manila infringes on its security and sovereignty by sending military aircraft.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian’s issued the statement after the Philippines lodged on Thursday a diplomatic protest to China over the illegal confiscation by the Chinese Coast Guard of fish aggregating devices (payaos) of Filipino fishermen in Bajo de Masinloc in May.

“China urges the Philippine side to immediately stop illegal provocations,” Zhao said in a press conference in Beijing on Friday.

“The Philippines infringes on China’s sovereignty and security by sending military aircraft into air space adjacent to Nansha islands and reefs garrisoned by China,” he added.

It is beyond reproach for China Coast Guard to conduct law enforcement in Huangyan Dao waters as it is a lawful practice, according to Zhao.

The Philippines objected to China’s continuing illicit issuances of radio challenges against Philippine aircraft conducting legitimate regular maritime patrols in the West Philippine Sea.

In a landmark ruling on July 12, 2016, the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) found no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to a ‘nine-dash line’ in the South China Sea, saying Beijing had breached the sovereign rights of the Philippines, which brought the case.

China, however, opposed and refused to honor the tribunal ruling. Beijing also refused to accept any proposal or action based on the arbitral tribunal decision, calling the ruling that invalidated its claims to ill-defined historic rights throughout the nine-dash line illegal and invalid.

President Duterte admitted in his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 27 that he was “inutile” and “cannot do anything” against China’s pursuit of territory and resources in the South China Sea despite the PCA’s 2016 ruling that invalidated China’s “historic rights” to nearly 90 percent of the South China Sea.

China welcomed Duterte’s statement that he would not confront China over the South China Sea row.

Former foreign affairs secretary Albert del Rosario yesterday urged the government not to stand in the way of Filipinos legitimately protecting the country’s territory.

Del Rosario asked Filipinos “not to be silent as silence encourages further aggression into our lands and seas.”