China's SCS Strategy Thread

ahojunk

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Reuters. Fri May 27, 2016 9:38am EDT

China is extremely dissatisfied with a statement by Group of Seven (G7) leaders on the contentious South China Sea, where Beijing is locked in territorial disputes with several southeast Asian countries, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying made the remarks at a regular briefing. China's increasingly assertive stance in the region has sparked concern from the United States and its Asian allies.

"This G7 summit organized by Japan's hyping up of the South China Sea issue and exaggeration of tensions is not beneficial to stability in the South China Sea and does accord with the G7's position as a platform for managing the economies of developed nations," Hua said. "China is extremely dissatisfied with what Japan and the G7 have done."

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday that Japan welcomed China's peaceful rise while repeating Tokyo's opposition to acts that try to change the status quo by force.

China has said that the South China Sea issue has nothing to do with G7 or its member countries.

China is not in the G7 club but its rise as a global power has put it at the heart of some discussions at the advanced nations' summit in Ise-Shima, central Japan. G7 leaders agreed on Thursday to send a strong message on maritime claims in the western Pacific.

(Reporting By Ben Blanchard, Writing By Megha Rajagopalan; Editing by Nick Macfie)
 

ahojunk

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By Yuan Can (
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) 17:13, May 27, 2016

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China's Ministries of Foreign Affairs and National Defense announced on Thursday four bottom lines on issues related to the South China Sea.

Bottom line 1: China will never accept the arbitration on the South China Sea no matter what kind of ruling the International Tribunal makes.

Although the International Tribunal may make an official ruling in the coming weeks, both China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of National Defense stressed on Thursday that China will neither accept nor recognize the adjudication.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry has said that the choice of the Philippines to unilaterally initiate arbitration was little more than political provocation. The Philippines does not actually aim to settle the dispute this way; instead, they are attempting to deny China's territorial sovereignty and maritime interests.

Bottom line 2: The U.S. should stop close-in reconnaissance.

In recent years, U.S. military ships and aircraft have frequently conducted reconnaissance in China's coastal areas. These operations seriously threaten China's air and maritime security.

According to China's Defense Ministry, a U.S. reconnaissance plane EP-3 flew close to the airspace of China’s Hainan Island on May 17. Two Chinese military aircraft conducted identification and verification in accordance with relevant regulations.

It is not difficult to tell who is actually challenging the region's stability. Yang Yujun, spokesperson of China's Ministry of National Defense, said, "We urge [interfering countries] to stop sowing seeds of discord so as to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea, which is in the common interest of all parties."

Bottom line 3: The South China Sea disputes are not the business of G7 and its members.

Informed that Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, said on Thursday that G7 should make a clear statement on the South China Sea disputes, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said that some countries are trying to take advantage of the summit. The South China Sea issue is none of the business of G7 and its members. Hua urged those participating in G7 to refocus and refrain from poking their noses into matters beyond their authority.

Bottom line 4: Any attempt to undermine China’s sovereign rights through intimidation or other means is doomed to fail.

At a press conference on May 25, Hua Chunying said that China is in the right when it comes to upholding territorial sovereignty and preserving its legitimate rights in the South China Sea. Many members of the international community support China's position on the disputes.

"It is ridiculous to accuse China of attempting to seek regional hegemony," said Tayeb Abdul Rahim, general secretary of the Palestinian Authority’s executive committee, in an interview recently.

Hua explained that many Western media reports have falsely stated that the countries who back China on the South China Sea issue are small, poor and inconsequential. This statement is blatantly arrogant, prejudiced and snobbish. Hua emphasized that it is preposterous to dismiss the legitimate stance of a country based on its size and wealth. The truth is, many different countries sympathize with and endorse China's position on the issue.
 
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