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

Data Figure: China’s naval garrison troops in Nansha Wing Reef Beiqian sovereignty patrol

[Singapore 'Straits Times' article on September 5] Title: Beijing in a the disputed area to take a tougher stance? (The author is Visiting Fellow, Singapore Institute of Southeast Asian – Michael Richardson)

Philippine President Corazon Aquino on August 31 in Beijing the day state visit to China, China’s official news agency Xinhua News Agency continues to improve bilateral relations to open a condition: a stable bilateral relations not only by the strong trade relations to support, but also on the two sides committed to properly addressing the South China Sea maritime disputes. In this area, Beijing’s sovereignty over the demands of a wide range of objections not only caused the Philippines, has been Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei resistance. Xinhua News Agency said China has always been clear that its South China Sea islands and surrounding waters has indisputable sovereignty, which is one of China’s core interests.

two days ago, that is, August 29, Tian Jiayan opposition waiting to be recognized as Japan’s new prime minister on the occasion, Xinhua News Agency for the improvement of relations between Beijing and Tokyo out of China’s conditions. One condition is that Japan must respect China’s core interests. Beijing said he is managed by the Senkaku Islands, Japan, the legal all countries, China will these islands called Diaoyu Islands.

Xinhua News Agency said Beijing is willing to put aside their differences, and Japan to jointly develop East China Sea and the Diaoyu Islands in the sea around the oil, gas and other resources, on condition that Tokyo should fully recognize China’s sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands.

is worth noting that the Xinhua News Agency, directly or indirectly, to the South China Sea and East China Sea is defined as China’s “core interests”, which seems to Beijing on disputed islands in the region, waters and seabed jurisdiction argument raised to a new level. U.S. officials said, Chinese officials told them that the South China Sea and the Taiwan and Tibet, as China’s “core interests”, then Beijing will not mention this argument, because it caused a panic in Asia. “Core interests” means that China is prepared to use force or threat to use force to gain strategic importance to the control of large areas of sea territory.

the South China Sea and East China Sea by Taiwan separated. Xinhua News Agency is defined as the waters of these two China’s “core interests”, a move that Beijing is trying to accomplish in 1949 after the national unity under communist rule at the same time, their position has become even tougher.

of course, make demands of sovereignty and put into action are two different things.

factional fighting Japan’s new government is fragmented, and too busy to deal with difficult economic problems. But Noda Prime Minister is committed to strengthening Japan’s alliance with the United States, in order to counter China’s rise. Philippines Aquino government also sought to ally the U.S. support to counter China.

But President Aquino had just returned from Beijing, he made the trip results, China has promised to provide financial support to expand trade, investment and job creation. Will his future remains to be seen to China tilted. A severe test will be in Manila will continue to advance its plans to invite domestic and foreign energy companies in the disputed Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands I) to carry out offshore oil and gas exploration activities.

Southeast Asia, China’s efforts to obey its own end, it is mainly to put pressure on the Philippines and Vietnam, because these two countries blocked it just south of the road to the Southeast Asian waters.

-Vietnam relations in recent years into a five or six months of this year’s bottom, after China said it opposed the Vietnamese oil and gas exploration in coastal practice, according to China’s South China Sea, about 80% of the area’s sovereignty demands This region is one of them. After a high-level dialogue, China said in late June it had agreed with Vietnam, decided to solve the South China Sea disputes through friendly consultation, avoid actions that could worsen the situation in practice.

If Beijing can be persuaded to accept themselves as Vietnam and the Philippines to resolve their disputes out of the conditions at sea, then in the South China Sea and the southern end of the two sound claim more countries – Malaysia and Brunei as well as Southeast Asia’s largest economy, the country currently holds the rotating presidency of ASEAN, Indonesia reached a similar agreement on easier.