How chinese Navy improve outgoing combat capacity? china military drills south sea island 中國有實力守衛南海

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• published: 02 Jun 2015
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Beijing strongly condemned on Wednesday a proposed US military plan to send aircraft and Navy ships near disputed South China Sea islands to contest Chinese territorial claims over the area. "Do you think we would support that move? We are severely concerned about relevant remarks made by the American side. We believe the American side needs to make clarification on that," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying. The unusually strong comments came after US officials said Defense Secretary Ash Carter had asked his staff to look at options to counter China's increasingly assertive claims over disputed islets in the South China Sea. Those options, officials said, include flying Navy surveillance aircraft over islands and sending US Navy ships within 12 nautical miles of reefs that have been built up in recent months around the Spratly Islands. "We always uphold the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea," Ms. Hua said. "But the freedom of navigation definitely does not mean the military vessel or aircraft of a foreign country can willfully enter the territorial waters or airspace of another country. The Chinese side firmly upholds national sovereignty and security." Ms. Hua said Beijing urged "relevant countries to refrain from taking risky and provocative action." The proposed US military maneuvers and China's swift response have raised the stakes in an already tense regional showdown over who controls the disputed waters. Six governments -- China, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and the Philippines -- claim the South China Sea waters, islands, reefs and atolls in whole or in part. The Philippines, the country in the region that has taken the most confrontational stance against China, quickly welcomed the news of the US plan. The rest of Southeast Asia was holding its tongue, at least for now. Privately, many diplomats and leaders in the region say they worry about the potentially destabilizing impact of a confrontation between Washington and Beijing. Manila has mounted a legal challenge of China's claims at the United Nations, much to Beijing's annoyance, and the country's foreign secretary, Albert del Rosario, said Tuesday in Washington that the Philippines is seeking more help from the US in pegging back China's land-reclamation efforts in disputed waters. "The Philippines believes that the US, as well as all responsible members of the international community, do have an interest and say in what is happening in the South China Sea," said Charles Jose, spokesman for the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, early Wednesday, citing freedom of navigation and unimpeded flow of commerce among other factors. The Philippines has tried to nudge the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations closer to a firmer stand against China's continuing land-reclamation projects, but many countries are wary. A recent statement from Asean criticizing land-reclamation programs in the South China Sea, for instance, didn't specifically name China. The biggest concern among some is that US efforts to ensure free navigation in the region might be interpreted in China as an effort to contain Beijing's growing influence, which could escalate tensions further. Malaysia, which currently holds the rotating chairmanship of Asean, also lays claim to parts of the South China Sea, but officials there said it was too soon to say anything about the US's new direction. Officials in Vietnam, another claimant, didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop told The Wall Street Journal that Canberra doesn't take sides on competing territorial claims in the South China Sea, but is in close contact with the US on regional tensions. "We are concerned that land reclamation activity by China and other claimants could raise tensions in the region," Ms. Bishop said. The expansion of South China Sea shoals has put Canberra in an uncomfortable position between Washington, its longstanding security ally, and China, its largest trade partner. Defense Minister Kevin Andrews is expected to discuss regional tensions with his US counterpart, Ash Carter, in Singapore in a few weeks. US military commanders have in recent months urged Australia to consider joining multinational patrols in international waters north of Indonesia, while also increasing the frequency of US warship and aircraft visits through Australian bases on the periphery of regional tensions. How chinese Navy improve outgoing combat capacity? china military drills south sea island dispute 中國有實力守衛南海,for more information about china world news visit site at http://youtube.com/user/militaryculture as well as business website at http://penglaichina.com