Military of China, force comment.
Military of China, force comment.

Data Figure: China Sea Yongxing Island pillar

Dai Xu

“shelving disputes and seeking common development” of China’s territorial disputes with neighboring countries to address the basic principles. However, the South China Sea situation, we have been insisting, “putting aside disputes” and “joint development” is not doing enough. And the Philippines and other legal forms directly to the crash not the same as China, more countries do not play out to play dark, buried Nansha resource extraction, really, and you come to a “shelving disputes and seeking common development.” In this regard, we have only to intensify the development of the South China Sea resources to get more recognition.

no one China in the South China Sea oil and gas wells

According to authoritative estimates, the South China Sea oil and gas resource potential of the main basin, the amount of several hundred million tons. To the late 1990s, international oil companies to draw neighboring countries, has more than a thousand drilling in the waters of Nansha port and found more than 200 oil and gas structures and more than 180 oil and gas fields in 1999, annual output of more than 4,000 tons of oil, natural gas, 310 billion cubic meters, respectively, when China’s entire annual production of offshore oil and gas production of 2.5 and 7 times. According to reports, the largest occupation of a country I Spratly Islands, the Nansha sea area is divided into hundreds of oil and gas tender area, with the United States, Russia, France, Britain, Germany and other countries continue to enter into exploration and exploitation of oil and gas contracts, the number of annual mining and export ten million tons of oil and nearly 10 billion cubic meters of gas, more than ten billion U.S. dollars profit. The end of 2004, South Vietnam in the Spratly Islands on the island to build the airport, the airport can be reduced to stop mid-sized aircraft.

contrast, until now, China is still no one in the South China Sea oil and gas wells. Have caused the South China Sea oil and gas industry sources said the main reason for lack of progress in the development, the central and local “fragmentation” of the institutions as a result. I think this is too much emphasis on an objective view, the root cause lies in the blue territory conscious indifference. Japan many years ago, 1,700 km away from the home of a species of coral on the reefs, with a view to the rocks, “long” into the island into Japan, so what could be hundreds of thousands of Japanese ocean expansion square kilometers, and to Japan as the the world’s maritime power. Thus, in this regard, marine awareness play a crucial impact.

future fate of China in the ocean

overlooked the ocean is subject to cruel punishment, which we learned very deep. Even today, the East China Sea, South China Sea disputes, the Taiwan Strait crisis, still afflicts every Chinese person. It is no exaggeration to say that China’s future fate in the ocean, there is no marine resources, not the safety of maritime trade routes, the Chinese rely on to achieve recovery? Fortunately, our ancestors left us both a huge reservoir of resources and has an important position in the South China Sea an international waterway, we have no reason not to manage, operate well, a good guardian.

Since we advocate “shelving differences and seeking common development”, can not simply be set aside, and give up development. The parties must recognize the urgency of the unprecedented development of the South China Sea, with neighboring countries race against time speed, using the current central policy of stimulating domestic demand, everything, to accelerate the development of practical measures to extraordinary preferential policies to encourage strong localities and enterprises and even individuals, “the sea” oil and gas exploration, development of the South China Sea to form national craze. Can also learn from the practice of other countries to strengthen cooperation with foreign oil and gas resources exploitation, or even ease of use both sides of the current political situation, the use of the geographical reality of the two sides complement each other in the Nansha real cooperation, as soon as possible “forms, multi-team, round Expand the “posture.

build large-scale integrated base of the South China Sea

is not only oil and gas resources in the South China Sea, South China Sea should therefore develop a comprehensive layout, multi-pronged approach to co-ordinate hand. First, oil and gas exploration in the South China Sea, Hainan and the Pearl River Delta can be economically developed areas nearby provide a lot of energy, completely change its pattern of long-term dependence Northwest coal, not only significant cost savings, but also greatly reduce the stress of the mainland for transportation. At the same time, support the domestic economy, but also the positive feedback, accelerating the development of other resources, the South China Sea, such as fishing, processing and tourism. Therefore, the next should be based on oil and gas development as a leader in the South China Sea to establish large-scale integrated base, use the international waterway of the strategic position of the South China Sea, for its merchant ships to provide integrated services and the world.

the South China Sea oil and gas resources once the scale of development, will change my current heavy reliance on energy imports of Middle East and Africa, the pattern, and thus have an impact on international politics. The South China Sea, the establishment of large-scale integrated base, you can be my starting point for the world’s ocean-going base. A marine fisheries, marine biological and chemical industry, offshore oil and gas industry, transport, tourism, services, etc. constitute the large-scale, high technological content and added value of the marine industry chain, once formed, in fact, Hainan and the state for the formation of a huge new economic growth point. Not only help stimulate domestic demand now, but has a long-term significance. Since then, not only in the South China Sea and the mainland itself is no longer geographically distant, psychologically closer together, the objective is also to promote the level of the administration of the South China Sea. With great presence of national interest, the Navy’s follow-up is a natural thing, China’s military modernization process can also be driven accordingly.

of course, to maintain the maritime transport routes, coastal defense in depth to provide an effective point of view, there are a lot of work to do. For example, as the South China Sea resources development, establishment of large-scale integrated base in Nansha, stationed in seaplanes, helicopters and other large operations platform to Xinjiang for the vast waters empty training grounds, both to defend the South’s economic development, but also can substantially promote the Army modernization. From another perspective, this is the ocean of universal consciousness, the role of the national spirit and the overall efficiency of the army’s development.

traced, Nansha is the reason why many countries today will result in looting of the situation, the key is not to form a “joint development” and consensus. China only positive development, a certain physical facilities, and neighboring countries have a “joint development” basis, in order to cause the attention of other countries is it possible we sit together to discuss ways to solve friction and conflict, in order to form a common interests, but also to the common interests of “shelving disputes.” (The author is a senior strategic commentator, Air Force Colonel.)