China to lose face with incursions in the West Philippine Sea - Spratlys

China will lose face before the international community if it continues its incursions into Philippine territory and in the disputed Spratly archipelago in the West Philippine Sea & South China Sea, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said on Tuesday.

Gazmin said the international community will hold China to Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie’s declaration at the Asia Security Summit in Singapore over the weekend that Beijing was after peace and stability in the region.

He said Liang was very specific in saying that aggression towards other countries was not an option for the Chinese and that they were for a peaceful resolution of the dispute over the Spratlys group.

“Remember, that statement (by Liang) was made last Sunday. The incursions (occurred) before, so we now have a baseline. So anything that happens from now on is a clear violation of what he said,” Gazmin told a news briefing at the defense department on Tuesday.

“If they do that, they will lose face in the international community. They wouldn’t want to do that,” he said.

The Spratlys, a chain of islets and atolls in the South China Sea believed to sit above rich oil deposits, is claimed wholly or in part by the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

China and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which includes the Philippines, signed a nonbinding accord in 2002 that called on claimants to exercise restraint and stop occupying new areas.

At the annual regional security forum in Singapore, called the “Shangri-La Dialogue” over the weekend, Gazmin and Vietnamese Defense Minister Phung Quang Thanh complained about harassment from the Chinese military in the Spratlys.

No opportunity

Gazmin said there had been an “alarming” five to six incursions by China this year in territories claimed by the Philippines. The latest incident occurred while Liang was in the country for an official visit from May 21 to 25.

Gazmin said he did not have the opportunity to bring up the latest incursion with Liang during the summit.

Gazmin said he had bilateral talks with his counterparts from Vietnam and Malaysia.

“We are one in resolving the disputes in a very peaceful manner. We have mechanisms that are in place in the resolution of these cases,” he said.

“All the ministers that I have talked to (said) that there should be peaceful resolution to make this area stable,” he added.

The forum was also attended by US Defense Secretary Robert Gates who expressed increasing US concern that clashes could erupt in the South China Sea unless the countries with conflicting territorial claims adopt a mechanism to settle the dispute peacefully.

Don’t Trust the Devil

The 2002 nonbinding accord in 2002 that called on claimants to exercise restraint and stop occupying new areas which was signed by China and Other ASEAN nations has been violated by series of incursion by china to the Philippine waters.

Even though they have signed the 200 non binding accords, “Ops! They did it again” early this year in 2011.  ASEAN countries must be reminded to be on alert all the time because we don’t know what is in the mind of this dragon. They will blow fire anytime they want if you are sleeping.

The US destroyer is in the vicinity now and that is one of the reason that they must have to calm down because Uncle Sam is there, he is carrying an “Arnis Stick”. The stick my choke the dragon if they will blow fire while the boss is there.

Be remain calm but on the highest alert level Philippine, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia maybe 1 day soon, you will wakeup your island is already a laying ground of a hungry dragon.

 

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Armed Forces of the Philippines will install radars and Airbase in the Spratly Islands, Province of the Philippines

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said , they  will install radar equipments on nine islands in the disputed Spratlys of the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) to monitor intrusions even as the Coast Guard said it deployed three patrol vessels to secure a government oil survey ship reportedly harassed by two Chinese boats in the South China Sea.

“With the available resources that we have right now, all we can do is to react,” Western Command chief Lt. Gen. Juancho Sabban said in an interview in Camp Aguinaldo.

“But we will be installing radars in all our controlled islands in the Philippine Waters for fast monitoring.”

On March 2, two Chinese Navy patrol vessels harassed an Energy Department survey ship, the m/v Veritas Voyager, in the Reed Bank, but left after the Navy and Air Force sent aircraft to the area.

Seismic testing for gas by an Anglo-Filipino consortium had been halted after an incident in which Manila says two Chinese boats threatened to ram a survey ship, the government said.

Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras said the seismic tests would resume after the Philippines and China held talks to resolve the dispute. Manila would send maritime affairs experts to Beijing later this week for negotiations.

“They had to pack up and reconstitute everything,” Almendras told reporters, saying it would take a few days to restart the tests. “We have to wait, but we hope to resume.”

The Philippines has already filed a diplomatic protest with the Chinese government over the incident, but Beijing has yet to respond to it.

Foreign Secretary Alberto del Rosario said the Energy Department’s research vessel was well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

Over the weekend, Coast Guard chief Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo said two vessels with divers and medical teams on board and a surveillance vessel were sent to patrol the waters off the southwestern province of Palawan and help the government-contracted ship doing a seismic survey of the area.

Sabban suggested that the government could renovate an airstrip on Pagasa Island and turn it into an airbase so it could respond faster to such incidents.

“We have an airstrip on Pagasa Island already, and all we have to do is to make an airbase to augment our maritime patrols, especially in the vicinity of our claimed islands,” Sabban said.

“We’re the first one to build an airstrip, but we’ve already been surpassed by the kind of airstrips that Vietnam, Taiwan and Malaysia have put up in the Spratlys.”

US Ambassador to the Philippines Harry Thomas Jr. urged the Spartlys claimants, especially China, to act with restraint.

“We urge restraint on all sides,” he said.

“We urge that the West Philippine Sea and South China Sea issue be resolved in the negotiating table. We believe that the ASEAN (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei) states and China with the presence of the USA should sit down according to the 2002 Code of Conduct.

 

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Communist China illegally invading the West Philippine Sea's islands and violates UNLCOS International Law

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) shows the light Blue Dotted line as 200 Nautical Mile Economic Zone for the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia. The Blue dotted line includes most part of the Kalayaan Island Group (Spratly) of the Philippines. UNCLOS did not show any China’s territory in the West Philippines Sea. The Philippines recorded already 6 invasion by china to the West Philippine Sea As of June 3, 2011.

China on Tuesday (June 7, 2011) hit back at the Philippines' accusation of an "increasing presence and activities of Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea and the South China Sea" as being "unacceptable" and asked Manila to stop harming China's maritime rights and interests.

"Chinese vessels were cruising and carrying out scientific studies in waters under Philippines's jurisdiction, and their activities are violations of the UNLCOS and China is violating the International Law of Sea.

For the side of the Philippines, the West Philippine Sea’s UNLOS 200 Nautical Mile Exclusive Economic Zone is not under China’s jurisdiction and must have to ask a formal approval from the Philippine Government before conducting any research within the Philippine waters.  Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hong Lei words only means that they are now claiming the Philippine waters as under their jurisdiction and they violated the UNLOS 200 Nautical Mile Exclusive Economic Zone of the Philippines.

Beijing said its position on the South China Sea is consistent and clear-cut and is in accordance with the international law showing that they disobey the UNLCOS and must be punishable and must be penalize by escalating tension and illegally invading Philippine Waters. .

The Philippines said Saturday that China's move to dispatch vessels to "disputed areas" of the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) "hampers the normal and legitimate fishing activities of the Filipino fishermen" and "undermines the peace and stability of the region," according to AFP.

Filipino Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin claimed on Tuesday that the US had a stake in the stability, security and freedom of the world's second-busiest sea lane.

"The US presence is a deterrence to any unlawful activity in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea)," Reuters quoted Gazmin as saying to reporters.

The US has forward bases in East Asia and its carrier battle groups have also been making regular visits to the Philippines, where it used to maintain two huge bases until 1992.

Speaking at the 10th Asia-Europe Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Hungary, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said Monday that any attempt to complicate the situation would be in nobody's interests. He disregarded the accusation of the Philippines considering the Philippines is just a very small country and its just nothing for them if they will invade the Philippine waters.

Yang said the situation in the South China Sea is stable which is opposite of the fact when the shot-out Filipino Fishermen in the sea of Palawan, and hiding their plan of slowly taking over the Spratlys of the Philippines Waters.

China’s interest to spratlys of the west Philippine Sea is towering even though it is not part of their territory because it is ranked to the 4^th among the largest Oil and Gas deposit in the world in line with Kuwait and UAE.

China is hesitant to make a move if the US presence is within the region because they could not bully the small countries like Vietnam and Philippines as the US will mediate them. China Said: It is wrong for countries in the region to try and use Washington's power to counter Beijing as China will not make any concessions on its sovereignty, Zhuang Guotu, director of the Center for Southeast Asia Studies at Xiamen University, told the Global Times."Only dialogue and consultation among relevant countries in the South China Sea can bring peace and stability in the region," he added.

Hong reiterated on Tuesday that China has indisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea islands and their adjacent waters. A clear word that regardless of the UNCLOS and the international laws, China is not scared to violate it.

Hong's remarks came in response to an anti-China demonstration in Hanoi to demand that China stay out of waters claimed by Vietnam.

He urged Vietnam to make earnest efforts to how appropriately handle maritime issues and maintain stability in the South China Sea.

 

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Communist Beijing rejects Manila and Ignored UNCLOS for their interest to owned the West Philippine Sea

China on Tuesday hit back at the Philippines' accusation of an "increasing presence and activities of Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea and the South China Sea" as being "unacceptable" and asked Manila to stop harming China's maritime rights and interests.

"Chinese vessels were cruising and carrying out scientific studies in waters under China's jurisdiction, and their activities were in line with the law," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters on Tuesday, urging the Filipino side to stop making irresponsible remarks that go against the facts.

For the side of the Philippines, the West Philippine Sea’s UNLOS 200 Nautical Mile Exclusive Economic Zone is not under China’s jurisdiction and must have to ask a formal approval from the Philippine Government before conducting any research within the Philippine waters.  Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hong Lei words only means that they are now claiming the Philippine waters as under their jurisdiction.

Beijing said its position on the South China Sea is consistent and clear-cut and is in accordance with the international law.

While UNCLOS 200 Nautical Mile Exclusive Economic Zone’s concern, Beijing is violating the International Laws and must be penalize.

The Philippines said Saturday that China's move to dispatch vessels to "disputed areas" of the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) "hampers the normal and legitimate fishing activities of the Filipino fishermen" and "undermines the peace and stability of the region," according to AFP.

Filipino Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin claimed on Tuesday that the US had a stake in the stability, security and freedom of the world's second-busiest sea lane.

"The US presence is a deterrence to any unlawful activity in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea)," Reuters quoted Gazmin as saying to reporters.

The US has forward bases in East Asia and its carrier battle groups have also been making regular visits to the Philippines, where it used to maintain two huge bases until 1992.

Speaking at the 10th Asia-Europe Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Hungary, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said Monday that any attempt to complicate the situation would be in nobody's interests.

Yang said the situation in the South China Sea is stable, that maritime security and freedom of navigation and fly-overs are obvious and that any attempts to make things otherwise are contrary to the will of the international community.

It is wrong for countries in the region to try and use Washington's power to counter Beijing as China will not make any concessions on its sovereignty, Zhuang Guotu, director of the Center for Southeast Asia Studies at Xiamen University, told the Global Times."Only dialogue and consultation among relevant countries in the South China Sea can bring peace and stability in the region," he added.

Hong reiterated on Tuesday that China has indisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea islands and their adjacent waters.

Hong's remarks came in response to an anti-China demonstration in Hanoi to demand that China stay out of waters claimed by Vietnam.

He urged Vietnam to make earnest efforts to how appropriately handle maritime issues and maintain stability in the South China Sea.

 

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Philippines- Spratlys within West Philippine Sea of 200 Nautical Mile EEZ UNCLOS

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesperson prefers to describe a portion in the disputed Spratlys claimed to be within the country’s maritime jurisdiction as the “West Philippine Sea” instead of lumping it in the general tag “South China Sea.”

This was “in keeping with our tradition and history, as well as reflective of its proper geographic location,” Assistant Foreign Secretary Ed Malaya told the Inquirer last week

On May 31, the DFA used the term in a statement seeking clarification from the Chinese embassy on “recent sightings of a China Marine Surveillance Vessel and other People’s Liberation Army Navy ships at the vicinity of the Iroquois Bank in the West Philippine Sea.”

The same waters, Malaya said, “have long been called Dagat Luzon, or Luzon Sea by our fisherfolk and the rest of our people, and referred to as such in published maps since time immemorial after the major Philippine island of Luzon.”

“On the other hand, South China Sea in Chinese is simply South Sea, while for the Vietnamese it is East Sea,” he said.

Economic zone

“The Iroquois Bank is located southwest of Recto (Reed) Bank and east of Patag Island, and is well within the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone,” the DFA’s May 31 statement said.

Patag Island, or Flat Island, is one of nine geological features in the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG), which the Philippine government claims ownership. It is part of the Spratlys, one of the three island groups in the South China Sea.

The other eight islands, islets or reefs in the KIG being occupied by Philippine troops are Pag-asa (Thitu), Lawak (Nanshan), Likas (West York), Parola (Northeast Cay), Panata (Lankiam), Kota (Loaita), Rizal (Commodore Reef) and Balagtas (Irving Reef).

The legal basis of the country’s claim to the KIG is stated in Presidential Decree No. 1596, issued on June 11, 1978, by then President Ferdinand Marcos.

Manila’s claim was based on a “theory that the islets are adjacent or contiguous to the main Philippine islands; that this region is vital to the country’s security and economic survival; that the islets were abandoned after World War II, and that the recent (Philippine) occupation of some of the islets gives it title, either through discovery or prescriptive acquisition. The Philippines further based its claim on continental shelf extension.”

UN convention

Last week, Malaya called on China and other Spratlys claimant-countries to “follow Unclos,” or the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Unclos “says when you own an island, you own its adjacent waters,” said Malaya, who was recently appointed as the Philippine ambassador to Malaysia.

A senior Philippine diplomat also has disputed Beijing’s claim that some of its vessels were merely conducting normal maritime research activities in disputed areas in the South China Sea.

“Scientific marine research in another country’s exclusive economic zone is allowed only after prior notice and consent. However, no such request (from China) has been received,” said the diplomat, who asked not to be named.

The diplomat cited PD 1599, also issued on June 11, 1978, which established the country’s exclusive economic zone up to a distance of 200 nautical miles. The decree bans exploration in the area in the absence of an agreement.

 

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Philippines accuses Communist China of 'serious violations' in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea)

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) shows the light Blue Dotted line as 200 Nautical Mile Economic Zone for the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia. The Blue dotted line includes most part of the Kalayaan Island Group (Spratly) of the Philippines. UNCLOS did not show any China’s territory in the West Philippines Sea. The Philippines recorded already 6 invasion by china to the West Philippine Sea As of June 3, 2011.

The Philippines has accused China of “serious violations” in the South China Sea following at least six aggressive acts in the disputed territory, raising worries Beijing may be fortifying its claims in the potentially oil-rich region.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said it had filed a protest before the Chinese Embassy “over the increasing presence and activities of Chinese vessels including naval assets in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).”

China’s actions “hamper the normal and legitimate fishing activities of the Filipino fishermen in the area and undermines the peace and stability of the region,” the DFA said.

The Philippine military has reported that a Chinese surveillance vessel and navy ships were seen unloading building materials and erecting posts in the vicinity of Iroquois Reef and Amy Douglas Bank – an uninhabited undersea hill claimed by the Philippines about 230 kilometers from southwestern Palawan province.

It is part of the Spratlys but well within the Philippines’ 200-mile exclusive economic zone, the DFA said.

The DFA said the diplomatic protest follows a series of protests it filed since March, after two Chinese vessels harassed a Philippine exploration ship at Reed Bank, prompting the Philippine military to send war planes and Coast Guard ships to the area.

Last month, Chinese jet fighters had reportedly intruded into Philippine airspace also in the vicinity of Reed Bank, part of the Kalayaan group of islands in the Spratlys that the Philippines claims.

“The actions of the Chinese vessels in Philippine waters are serious violations of Philippine sovereignty and maritime jurisdiction and also violate the Asean-China Declaration of Conduct on the South China Sea,” the DFA said.

President Benigno Aquino III on Thursday said that the Philippines was planning to file a protest at the UN for the series of incursions.

“There are six or seven [incursions] happening after February 25. We are completing all the necessary data and then we will present it to them [China] and then file it with the appropriate body, which is the UN,” he said.

Those acts included the reported firing last February by a suspected Chinese naval vessel to scare away Filipino fishermen from Quirino, or the Jackson Atoll, in a Spratlys area claimed by Manila, said officials, who spoke anonymously because of the sensitivity of the subject.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila said the “the reported ‘incursion of Chinese ships’ is not true.” But, it acknowledged the presence there of a Chinese marine research ship “conducting normal maritime research activities in the South China Sea.”

The DFA said both Manila and Beijing agreed to “keep the channels of communication open and continue dialogue on the South China Sea issue.”

 

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USS Chung-Hoon DDG-93 Destroyer of the US send to the Western Pacific region

The Pearl Harbor-based guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon has deployed to the Western Pacific June 1, 2011.

The Navy says the ship's 280 sailors are expected to work with coalition partners also in the region. The vessel left Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Wednesday morning.

Last year, the Chung-Hoon and the Philippine Coast Guard practiced boarding and searching vessels in the Sulu Sea when the destroyer went to the region.

The ship provided support for U.S. and Philippine counterinsurgency efforts against militants in the southern part of the Philippines. It also participated in exercises with other U.S. forces off Guam and in drills with the Singapore navy.

Chung-Hoon, commanded by Cmdr. Stephen S. Erb, is deploying under the Middle Pacific Surface Combatant deployment concept in which Pearl Harbor-based ships deploy in support of operations primarily in the Western Pacific. The crew of about 280 Sailors will conduct integrated operations in conjunction with coalition partners deployed to the Western Pacific.

Guided-missile destroyers are multi-mission anti-air warfare, anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface warfare surface combatants. They operate independently for support of carrier and expeditionary strike groups and surface strike groups.

Chung Hoon provides deterrence, promotes peace and security, preserves freedom of the sea and provides humanitarian assistance / disaster response as part of CNSG MIDPAC.

The guided-missile destroyers USS Chung-Hoon took part the combined alliance maritime and air readiness exercise "Invincible Spirit" in the seas east of the Korean peninsula from July 25-28, 2010 conducted by the Republic of Korea and the United States.

In March 2009, the heavily armed USS Chung-Hoon escorted the US navy surveillance ship Impeccable, which found itself at the centre of a naval standoff with Chinese boats in the South China Sea.

USS Chung-Hoon is the 15th Flight IIA Arleigh Burke- class guided missile destroyer and the first ship in the Navy named after Navy Rear Admiral Gordon P. Chung-Hoon.

It is armed with one Mk-45 5"/62 caliber lightweight gun, two Mk-41 VLS for Standard missiles and Tomahawk ASM/LAM, two 20mm Phalanx CIWS, two Mk-32 triple torpedo tubes for Mk-50 and Mk-46 torpedoes, according the U.S. Navy. It also has two SH-60 (LAMPS 3) helicopters

 

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United States deployed USS Chung-Hoon destroyer to the western Pacific region amid Spratlys tension

A 9,200 tons -509 feet 6 inches (153.30 m) USS Chung-Hoon (DDG-93) is an Arleigh Burke-class Aegis destroyer serving in the United States Navy. Chung-Hoon was named in honor of Rear Admiral Gordon Pai'ea Chung-Hoon (1910–1979), recipient of the Navy Cross and the Silver Star. Deployed June 1, 2011 to the Western Pacific.

The United States is deploying the Pearl Harbor-based guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon to the Western Pacific amid escalating tension between China and its neighbors over the oil-rich Spratly islands of the Philippines. USS Chung-Hoon departed Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam on June 1, 2011 for an independent deployment to the Western Pacific, U.S. Navy said.

The US Navy said the ship’s 280 sailors were expected to work with coalition partners also in the region. The vessel left the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam base in Hawaii Wednesday.

Last year, the Chung-Hoon and the Philippine Coast Guard practiced boarding and searching vessels in the Sulu Sea when the destroyer went to the region.

The ship provided support for US and Philippine counterinsurgency efforts against militants in the southern part of the Philippines. It also participated in exercises with other United States forces off Guam and in drills with the Singapore navy.

The Obama administration was quietly shifting its strategic focus toward more emphasis on Southeast Asia, due to the recognition that the region’s importance is growing in the military, diplomatic, and trade arenas, the Foreign Policy magazine reported in its Web site Friday.

“There has been really extraordinary progress made, particularly in the last couple of years or so with a number of countries in strengthening our military-to-military relationships and our overall relationship with Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Australia certainly, as well as our traditional allies in Thailand, Japan, and Korea,” Foreign Policy quoted outgoing US Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

On Thursday, President Aquino said the Philippines would file a new protest at the United Nations accusing China of territorial incursion.

China’s embassy in Manila earlier denied the Philippine government’s allegations its ships intruded into the Spratly Islands close to the Philippine coast to build new structures and fortify its claim in the potentially oil-rich region.

Mr. Aquino said he was still hoping to visit Beijing later this year

 

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United States fears clashes in South China Sea - Gates

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) shows the light Blue Dotted line as 200 Nautical Mile Economic Zone for the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia. The Blue dotted line includes most part of the Kalayaan Island Group (Spratly) of the Philippines. UNCLOS did not show any China’s territory in the West Philippines Sea. The Philippines recorded already 6 invasion by china to the West Philippine Sea As of June 3, 2011.

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates warned Saturday that clashes may erupt in the South China Sea unless nations with conflicting territorial claims adopt a mechanism to settle disputes peacefully.

“There are increasing concerns. I think we should not lose any time in trying to strengthen these mechanisms that I’ve been talking about for dealing with competing claims in the South China Sea,” he said.

“I fear that without rules of the road, without agreed approaches to deal with these problems, that there will be clashes. I think that serves nobody’s interests,” Gates told a security conference in Singapore, before flying to Kabul.

The islands at the center of the long-running dispute are the Paracel archipelago and the more southerly Spratlys, both potentially resource-rich outcrops that straddle strategic shipping lanes.

China, the Philippines, Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam have laid claim to overlapping sections of the territories.

Gates called on the countries involved to build on a 2002 agreement between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China setting a “code of conduct” aimed at resolving disputes peacefully.

Diplomatic tensions have risen in recent weeks following allegations of increased Chinese activity in the area.

On Friday, President Benigno Aquino said the country had documented up to seven incidents in less than four months in which China trespassed into what Manila considers its territorial waters.

One of the incidents involved a Chinese vessel allegedly opening fire on Filipino fishermen, he added.

In May, Chinese maritime ships confronted a Vietnamese oil exploration vessel between the Paracels and the Spratlys.

Hanoi also reported that Chinese ships fired warning shots at Vietnamese fishermen near the Spratly islands last Wednesday, which the Chinese foreign ministry has denied.

“As far as I know, the relevant reports are purely without foundation. China is dedicated to maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea,” spokesman Hong Lei said in a statement.

“China wishes to work with relevant countries to make the South China Sea a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation.”

 

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The Philippines Starts - Online Protest Against China's Invasion in Spratlys of the Philippines Waters

While the Malacañang Palace Manila said that preparations are underway for the Philippines’ protest before the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the Spratlys issues, the online protest headed by young Filipino Netizens is already started today June 4, 2011.

Filipinos are aware of the laws in UNLCOS and Filipinos are confident that the UNCLOS will listen in their protest as it is the law of the sea formulated by the United Nations. The 200 Nautical Mile Economic Zone is stressed in the protest that china must obey the law of the United Nations.

Filipinos are fighting for their territory as it is under the Philippine water where most of the Islands of the Spratly are located.

Other group of Filipinos want to ask the government to issue an order to drive away all countries invading the island within the Philippine territory of 200 Nautical Miles Exclusive Economic Zone by the UNCLOS.

Online Protest stressed the message below as shown in the site http://spratly.highkot.com/

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WE FILIPINOS AROUND THE WORLD DENOUNCED THE INVASION OF CHINA IN OUR PHILIPPINE WATERS IN THE WEST PHILIPPINE SEA. WE CALL THE UNCLOS TO ACT OF THIS CHINA’S BELLIGERENCE IN OUR COUNTRY. WE CALL THE UNCLOS TO CONDEMN CHINA’S AGGRESSION

Our Spratly Islands – ( Kalayaan Island Group (KIG), of the Republic of the Philippines is harmed by China . It is in the our West Philippine Sea, within the Philippine waters of the UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON THE LAW OF THE SEA (UNCLOS) - 200 Nautical Mile Exclusive Economic Zone of the Republic.

• We condemn the chinas’s abuse of power in Asia.

• We denounce the china’s invasion to the Philippine waters

• We criticize the china’s firing of the Filipino Fishermen in the Philippines waters

• We call the UNCLOS to CONDEMN china for their illegal excursion to the Philippine territory

• We call UNCLOS to act on china’s violation of 2002 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties (DOC) in the South China Sea

• We call the united nation to CONDEMN china’s triggering tension in the ASEAN Nation.

WE FILIPINOS AROUND THE WORLD ARE PEACE LOVING PEOPLE AND WE DENOUNCED CHINAS AGGRESSION TO OUR PHILIPPINE TERRITORY

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Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the government is preparing what it can present to the UNCLOS.

“We will prepare accordingly and we hope for the best and again, we prepare for the worst,” she said. “We reiterate our commitment to resolve the dispute peacefully.”

Valte said that President Aquino has always pushed for a “diplomatic resolution of any conflict that will arise in connection with the West Philippine Sea.”

“We wish to stress that the way we are approaching these incidents is that we are fully committed to resolving it in a very diplomatic manner and a peaceful manner as well,” she said.

Malacanang has said that the new construction by China in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) is a “cause for concern”

The DFA had requested clarification from the Chinese Embassy on the recent sightings of a China Marine Surveillance (CMS) vessel and other People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ships at the vicinity of Iroquois Reef-Amy Douglas Bank in the West Philippine Sea. These ships reportedly unloaded building materials, erected an undetermined number of posts, and placed a buoy near the breaker of the Amy Douglas Bank.

The Amy Douglas Bank is located southwest of Recto (Reed) Bank and east of Patag (Flat) Island and is well within the Philippines’ 200 nautical miles Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). There are currently no structures on the said bank and the latter is unoccupied, according to a DFA statement.

The posts and buoy placed by the Chinese at the vicinity of the Amy Douglas Bank, however, are about 26 nautical mile east of Patag Island and 125 nautical mile from mainland Palawan.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario had said that “any new construction by China in the vicinity of the uninhabited Amy Douglas Bank is a clear violation of the 2002 ASEAN-China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties (DOC) in the South China Sea.”

It will be recalled that during the dialogue between President Aquino and Chinese Defense Minister Liang in May, an agreement was forged between China and the Philippines to continue engaging in dialogue towards an amicable settlement on the disputed Spratly islands.

Both parties also agreed that the best way to solve the issue is to continue to engage into dialogue, not just between China and the Philippines, but also other countries that are claimants to the Spratlys.

 

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The Philippines' 2011 2nd protest Against china for Invading Philippines waters

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) shows the light Blue Dotted line as 200 Nautical Mile Economic Zone for the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia. The Blue dotted line includes most part of the Kalayaan Island Group (Spratly) of the Philippines. UNCLOS did not show any China’s territory in the West Philippines Sea. The Philippines recorded already 6 invasion by china to the West Philippine Sea As of June 3, 2011.

Philippine Online Protest against china’s 6 Invasion to the Philippine waters leaded by Young Filipinos is launched today at http://spratly.highkot.com/ It is ahead from the formal protest to the UNCLOS which is on the process by the Philippine Government.

Malacañang Palace Manila said that preparations are underway for the Philippines’ protest before the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the Spratlys issue, stressing that it wants to resolve the matter in a diplomatic and peaceful way.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the government is preparing what it can present to the UNCLOS.

“We will prepare accordingly and we hope for the best and again, we prepare for the worst,” she said. “We reiterate our commitment to resolve the dispute peacefully.”

Valte said that President Aquino has always pushed for a “diplomatic resolution of any conflict that will arise in connection with the West Philippine Sea.”

“We wish to stress that the way we are approaching these incidents is that we are fully committed to resolving it in a very diplomatic manner and a peaceful manner as well,” she said.

Malacanang has said that the new construction by China in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) is a “cause for concern”

The DFA had requested clarification from the Chinese Embassy on the recent sightings of a China Marine Surveillance (CMS) vessel and other People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ships at the vicinity of Iroquois Reef-Amy Douglas Bank in the West Philippine Sea. These ships reportedly unloaded building materials, erected an undetermined number of posts, and placed a buoy near the breaker of the Amy Douglas Bank.

The Amy Douglas Bank is located southwest of Recto (Reed) Bank and east of Patag (Flat) Island and is well within the Philippines’ 200 nautical miles Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). There are currently no structures on the said bank and the latter is unoccupied, according to a DFA statement.

The posts and buoy placed by the Chinese at the vicinity of the Amy Douglas Bank, however, are about 26 nautical mile east of Patag Island and 125 nautical mile from mainland Palawan.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario had said that “any new construction by China in the vicinity of the uninhabited Amy Douglas Bank is a clear violation of the 2002 ASEAN-China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties (DOC) in the South China Sea.”

It will be recalled that during the dialogue between President Aquino and Chinese Defense Minister Liang in May, an agreement was forged between China and the Philippines to continue engaging in dialogue towards an amicable settlement on the disputed Spratly islands.

Both parties also agreed that the best way to solve the issue is to continue to engage into dialogue, not just between China and the Philippines, but also other countries that are claimants to the Spratlys.

 

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The Philippines will file a new protest at the United Nations for China's 6 series of Invasion in the Philippine Waters

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) shows the light Blue Dotted line as 200 Nautical Mile Economic Zone for the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, China and Indonesia. The Blue dotted line includes most part of the Kalayaan Island Group (Spratly) of the Philippines. UNCLOS did not show any territorial rights for China in the West Philippine Sea of the South China Sea which is Within the Philippine water and closer to the Kalayaan Island Group of the Philippines. The Philippines recorded already 6 invasion by china to the West Philippine Sea.

The Philippines will file a new protest at the United Nations accusing China of territorial incursion, the president said Thursday in an escalation of spats over disputed West Philippine Sea of the South China Sea islands.

China's Embassy in Manila earlier denied the Philippine government's allegations its ships intruded into the Spratly Islands close to the Philippine coast to build new structures and fortify its claim in the potentially oil-rich region.

President Benigno Aquino, speaking to Filipino reporters during a visit to Brunei, said that the Philippines is planning to file a new protest at the U.N. for a series of incursions.

"There are six or seven (incursions) happening after February 25, 2011. We are completing all the necessary data and then we will present it to them (China) and then file it with the appropriate body, which is the U.N.," he said.

Aquino said he is still hoping to visit Beijing later this year, and will engage China, a key trade partner, in talks during upcoming regional summits.

The disputed Spratlys, which are believed to be atop vast oil and gas reserves, have long been feared as a potential flash point of armed conflicts in Asia. The chain of largely uninhabited islands, reefs and banks which are within 200 Nautical Mile Economic Zone of the Philippines and part of the Philippine Waters are claimed by China, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam, straddle some of the world's busiest commercial sea lanes.

The Philippine military has reported that a Chinese surveillance vessel and navy ships were seen unloading building materials and erecting posts in the vicinity of Iroquois Reef and Amy Douglas Bank an uninhabited undersea hill of the West Philippines Sea at  about 125 miles (230 kilometers) from south-western Palawan province. UNCLOS specified that the 200 Nautical Mile Economic Zone is part of the Philippine territory.

It is part of the Spratlys but well within the Philippines' 200-mile exclusive economic zone, the Philippine Foreign Affairs Department said.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila said in a brief statement that "the reported 'incursion of Chinese ships' is not true." But, it acknowledged the presence there of a Chinese marine research ship "conducting normal maritime research activities in the South China Sea."

Foreign Secretary Alberto del Rosario said any new construction by China in the area "is a clear violation" of a 2002 accord that China signed with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which includes the Philippines. It calls for countries to exercise restraint and stop occupying new areas in the disputed waters.

Two Philippine foreign affairs officials told reporters Thursday that local authorities have monitored about six aggressive acts of China in the Spratlys that have raised worries that Beijing may be embarking to fortify its territorial claims by constructing new structures on barren offshore areas.

Those acts included the reported firing last February by a suspected Chinese naval vessel to scare away Filipino fishermen from the Jackson Atoll in a Spratlys area part of the Philippine water, said the officials, who spoke anonymously because of the sensitivity of the subject.

In March, the Philippines accused two Chinese patrol boats of harassing a Philippine oil exploration ship near Palawan. Last month, the Philippine air force reported that two unidentified foreign fighter jets had flown near a Spratly island occupied by Filipino troops but China denied sending the aircraft.

Chinese media have reported that Beijing plans to install an advanced oil rig in the West Philippine Sea of the South China Sea in July. The Philippines expressed concern and asked China's embassy last week about the exact location of the planned oil rig and said that it should not be placed in Philippine waters.

In April, China countered a previous Philippine diplomatic protest at the United Nations by saying it has indisputable sovereignty over the Spratly islands that Manila "started to invade" in the 1970s.

China's claim to the islands and nearby geographic features was detailed in a map submitted to the U.N. in 2009.

Vietnam and Malaysia have also filed protests to the United Nations against China's map. The protests are registered with the U.N. Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, which will not rule on a claim if it involves disputed territory unless there is prior consent given by all states involved in the dispute.

 

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The Philippines recorded 6 times Alarming invasion of China in the West Philippine Sea

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) shows the light Blue Dotted line as 200 Nautical Mile Economic Zone for the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, China and Indonesia. The Blue dotted line includes most part of the Kalayaan Island Group (Spratly) of the Philippines. UNCLOS did not show any territorial rights for China in the West Philippine Sea in the South China Sea which is closer to the Kalayaan Island Group of the Philippines. The Philippines recorded already 6 invasion by china to the West Philippine Sea.

Philippines - Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said on Wednesday that he will raise the issue of intrusions by China at the West Philippines Sea islands in the disputed Spratlys before the 2011 Asian Security Forum.

The forum, which is also called the Shangrila Dialogue, will be held in Singapore this weekend and will be attended by defense chiefs in Asia.

Gazmin said the military has monitored fresh intrusions by China in the disputed Spratlys.

In a press briefing organized by the Philippine Information Agency, Gazmin said the first intrusion occurred last May 21 when Chinese Defense minister Liang Guanglie and his party arrived Manila for a goodwill visit.

The second intrusion occurred last May 24, or a day after Gazmin and Liang met in Camp Aguinaldo, where the two defense chiefs vowed to ensure affect stability in Spratlys, which are also known as the Kalayaan Island Group.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has filed a diplomatic protest against China, the second since last March when the DFA also protested the harassment by 2 Chinese vessels of Department of Energy oil exploration ship at Reed Bank.

Gazmin said a buoy and posts were set up by a Chinese transport ship and 2 missile boats at the Amy Douglas Bank, which is near the Philippine-occupied Likas and Patag islands. The bank is about 100 miles off Palawan.

"We were not able to get a closer look on what the ship was carrying but we were certain that it was a flatbed ship," he said.

The defense chief said that the Chinese put up the buoy and the posts as part of their strategy to claim the island. "This means that they are putting up (structures) in our areas where we have no guards. In other words, they want to hoist their flag so that they can say the area is theirs," he added.

"The report that came in to us states that the fishermen were responsible in removing all these materials and these were turned over to the military… What we found there are steel posts and buoy," the defense chief revealed.

Gazmin said President Benigno Aquino III has been already informed of the Chinese intrusions. "The President has given instructions to do some actions on this," he said.

"The options open to us is first, the diplomatic protest. We are in no position to confront the force that are intruding into our territory simply because we do not have the capability, that is why we are in the process of actively pursuing our modernization program and the capability upgrade of our maritime assets," he added.

Gazmin said they have recorded at least 6 intrusions by China, which he considers as "alarming."

When asked what happens if the intrusions continue, Gazmin said:  "We will continue to file diplomatic protests."

"The most we can do is file diplomatic protest, that is the most civilized thing to do at the moment," said Gazmin, adding he is somewhat "affected" by the latest Chinese intrusion, noting that these occurred during the visit of Liang in Manila.

"We talked to them properly and our agenda is that all problems can be resolved through dialogue. But while we were doing these (talks), something is happening in our area,: he said.

"Before making a judgment, we want to know if the (defense) leadership is aware of that incident or if the (Chinese defense) minister is not aware of this plan."

The Chinese defense minister is expected to attend the Asian Security Forum.

"I will be raising the issue if and when we will have the chance to go on a bilateral or meeting between ourselves. Given the chance, I will," said Gazmin.

Armed Forces chief Gen. Eduardo Oban said he ordered the AFP Western Command to step up patrols in the area.

 

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Oil and Natural gas, Spratlys issue top agenda of Aquino, Bolkiah in Sultanate of Brunei

Brunei Darussalam  - Oil and atural gas exploration and the West Philippine Sea of the South China Sea dispute were on top of the agenda when President Aquino and Brunei’s Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah met here on Wednesday, as the sultanate received the Philippine president in full royal regalia.

The two countries also signed separate five-year memoranda of understanding to promote cooperation and encourage greater private sector participation in developing shipping, tourism, agriculture and sports.

Speaking about the Spratlys dispute in a briefing at the Rizqun Hotel here, Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma said Aquino sought oil-rich Brunei’s help in developing natural gas infrastructure in the Philippines.

“The President invited Brunei to look at the development of infrastructure for natural gas so that this can be used as the main fuel for transport in the Philippines. The two leaders agreed that a working group will be formed in order to flesh out the implementation of the agreement,” said Coloma.

From his two-hour flight from Manila, Aquino arrived aboard a Rolls Royce at the Istana Nurul Iman, the royal residence, at 11 a.m. on Wednesday and was welcomed by a royal gun salute.

Bolkiah, the rest of the royal family, Brunei ministers and members of the diplomatic corps lined the palace’s main hallway to welcome Aquino.

The Philippine delegation brought a dozen boxes of ice cream in different flavors, a royal favorite, as a gift to Bolkiah, according to embassy officials.

During bilateral talks, the two leaders “expressed a desire to maintain peace and stability in area through multilateral dialogue with claimant countries,” Coloma said.

“During talks, the Sultan also said that it’s best to have good relations with China.  Two leaders have repeatedly [emphasized] the need for peaceful approaches and peaceful solutions,” Coloma said.

Brunei and the Philippines both have partial claims to the Spratlys, a resource-rich group of islands in the West Philippine Sea of the South China Sea. China, Vietnam and Malaysia also claim ownership of the islands in part or as a whole.

Aquino recently discussed the Spratlys issue with Chinese defense minister Liang Guanglie when the latter visited the Philippines two weeks ago. He warned that an “arms race” might ensue between the two nations if China continued to provoke the Philippines through military movement in the islands.

“The concept that the two leaders discussed is multilateral dialogue, participated in by ASEAN and all claimant countries and China in the spirit of cooperation.  If the objective is peace and stability, the stance being taken by the sultan is to engage in multilateral talks,” said Coloma.

Asked if Aquino mentioned recent incidents between China and the Philippines in the Kalaayan group of islands, Coloma said: “The President alluded to certain challenges in the area, but that did not constitute a lengthy discussion.”

“The President simply told the sultan that, recently, there had been some developments in some area, that leads us to be more purposive and determined in seeking peaceful cooperation and dialogue,” said Coloma.

Aquino also invited Bolkiah to visit the Philippines to inaugurate a learning center and a grand mosque built through Brunei funding in Cotabato City, Coloma said.

The President also expressed gratitude for Brunei’s participation in the international monitoring team keeping watch on peace talks between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

Aquino also met with the Filipino community in Brunei Wednesday afternoon, recalling his first visit in the country 23 years ago during the presidency of his late mother, President Corazon Aquino.

Some 18,000 Filipinos work in Brunei, among them engineers, teachers and service workers.

 

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China Building in West Philippine Sea; DFA summons envoy

Reed Bank

West Philippines Sea

Province of Palawan, Philippines

 

Philippines: The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) summoned last Tuesday (May 31, 2011) the Chinese charge d’affaires to protest sightings of Chinese Navy vessels erecting posts at the West Philippine Sea.

Citing reports from the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the DFA requested clarification from Bai Tian, charge d’affaires of the Chinese embassy in Manila, regarding the recent sightings of a China Marine Surveillance vessel and other People‘s Liberation Army Navy ships in the vicinity of Iroquois Reef-Amy Douglas Bank in the West Philippine Sea.

“These ships reportedly unloaded building materials, erected an undetermined number of posts, and placed a buoy near the breaker of the Iroquois Bank,” the DFA said in a statement.

“The Iroquois Bank is located southwest of the Recto Bank (Reed Bank) and east of Patag Island (Flat Island) and is well within the Philippines’ 200 nautical miles Exclusive Economic Zone. There are currently no structures on the said bank and the latter is unoccupied,” the DFA added.

The DFA said the posts and buoy placed by the Chinese in the vicinity of Iroquois Bank are about 26 nautical miles east of Patag Island and 125 nautical miles from mainland Palawan.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said that “any new construction by China in the vicinity of the uninhabited Iroquois Bank is a clear violation of the 2002 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties (DOC) in the South China Sea.”

ASEAN members and China signed the DOC, a basic fundamental pillar of cooperation designed to reduce tensions, peacefully resolve claims over the South China Sea and improve the general political climate in the disputed islands.

A provision in the DOC states that “the parties undertake to exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities that would complicate or escalate disputes and affect peace and stability including, among others, refraining from action of inhabiting on the presently uninhabited islands, reefs, shoals, cays, and other features and to handle their differences in a constructive manner.”

The DFA Office of Asia and Pacific Affairs conveyed to Bai its serious concerns over recent actions of China in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) on May 31 and sought Beijing’s explanation on the incident.

The Chinese embassy said Chinese Ambassador Liu Jianchao was out of the country and would return in a few days.

The summoning of the Chinese embassy officials followed a meeting held last May 27, where the DFA also conveyed its concern to the Chinese over reports in Chinese state media about China’s planned installation of its most advanced oil rig in the South China Sea this coming July.

During the May 27 meeting, the DFA asked the Chinese embassy for the exact planned location of the mega oil rig and pointed out that it should not be placed in Philippine territory or its waters.

In both meetings, the Philippines and China reiterated their respective commitment to the maintenance of peace and stability in the area, and to work together to maintain good bilateral relations.

“The Philippines recognizes that critical to the peace and stability of the West Philippine Sea is the full and faithful implementation of the ASEAN-China DOC on the South China Sea. The Philippines also believes that it is in the best interest of all claimant countries and the region to transform the area into a Zone of Peace, Freedom, Friendship and Cooperation through sustained consultations and dialogue,” the DFA said.

The Zone of Peace provides a framework for segregating the disputed territorial features, which may be considered for collaborative activities, from the non-disputed waters in the West Philippine Sea in accordance with international law, specifically the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

“The Philippines is also committed to cooperating closely and actively with ASEAN and China in finding peaceful solutions to attain this goal,” the DFA said.

The STAR could not reach Sun Yi, Deputy Chief of Political Section and spokesman of the Chinese embassy, for comment.

China earlier said it was ready for an “accelerated” dialogue with the Philippines to end the dispute in the South China Sea but Beijing neither confirmed nor denied setting up military garrisons and outposts within Philippine-claimed territory in the Spratly Islands.

Sun Yi had earlier said that the Philippines and China agreed to an accelerated dialogue during discussions of Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie with Philippine officials when he visited Manila recently.

Although Sun did not confirm or deny the report about military garrisons and outposts set up by China within Philippine-claimed territory in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, he said Beijing upholds the DOC.

A senior foreign affairs official earlier said that lodging a diplomatic protest against China after its fighter jets reportedly buzzed two Philippine Air Force planes on a reconnaissance mission in the Kalayaan Island Group in the Spratlys was not yet “opportune“ since validation of the reported incident was still underway

 

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