HONOLULU – The United States on Saturday called for China to lower tensions in the South China Sea through dialogue as the Pacific powers held first-of-a-kind talks amid friction in Southeast Asia.
Senior US official Kurt Campbell said he told China during the talks in Hawaii that the United States welcomed a strong role for Beijing, which has warned Washington against involvement in the intensifying disputes.
“We had a candid and clear discussion about these issues,” Campbell, the assistant secretary of state of East Asian and Pacific affairs, told reporters after the session in Honolulu.
“We want tensions to subside. We have a strong interest in the maintenance in peace and stability, and we are seeking a dialogue among all of the key players,” he said.
Incidents in recent weeks have heightened tension on the South China Sea, a strategic and potentially oil-rich area where China has sometimes overlapping disputes with Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.
Vietnam carried out live-fire drills and the Philippines ordered the deployment of its naval flagship after accusing China of aggressive actions.
While the United States and China often talk, Saturday’s session was the first to focus specifically on the Asia-Pacific region. The dialogue was set up during the top-level Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Washington in May.
Showing posts with label Vietnam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vietnam. Show all posts
Monday, June 27, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Spratly Islands Bone of Contention Among Philippines, China, Vietnam
With the attention of the Obama administration fixed on the Middle East, yet another international crisis is threatening to disturb the peace of the world, this time around the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. The Spratly Islands are the focus of a territorial dispute between the Philippines, China, and Vietnam, among other countries. At hazard are vast deposits of oil and gas as well as a lush commercial fishing zone.
While the Philippines is dedicated to the peaceful resolution of the dispute, which goes back decades, the country is also committed to building up naval strength to increase its capacity to defend its territorial claims if necessary. It has also called upon the United States to help it defend its claims.
A naval conflict in the South China Sea, which the Philippines refer to as the West Philippine Sea and Vietnam called the East Sea, would not be in the interests of anyone. While China has been aggressive in asserting what it considers its national interests, it is not yet capable of asserting sovereignty over the Spratly Islands should it be opposed by the US 7th Fleet. Embroiled in a multi front war in the Middle East and Central Asia, the United States is not interested in participating in a fight in the Far East, especially with another nuclear power.
The smaller countries with claims over the Spratly Islands, such as Vietnam and the Philippines, as well as Taiwan and Malaya, would be caught in the middle of a super power clash should it occur.
What the basis of a diplomatic settlement of the Spratly dispute is not clear. Ceding the islands to one country or another would leave all the other claimants aggrieved and motivated possibly to assert their own claims by force. That would mean that some kind of permanent presence, likely American led, would have to be stationed in the Spratly Islands to keep the peace.
Alternatively, some kind of joint sovereignty arrangement could be worked out in which all or most of the claimant countries would be partners in the development of the Spratly Island resources and sharing the profits. That would have the virtue of not leaving any party to the dispute unsatisfied, tamping down on the possibility of military conflict, while at the same time binding the parties together to cooperate rather than fight to enjoy the fish and hydrocarbon resources of the Spratly Islands.
While the Philippines is dedicated to the peaceful resolution of the dispute, which goes back decades, the country is also committed to building up naval strength to increase its capacity to defend its territorial claims if necessary. It has also called upon the United States to help it defend its claims.
A naval conflict in the South China Sea, which the Philippines refer to as the West Philippine Sea and Vietnam called the East Sea, would not be in the interests of anyone. While China has been aggressive in asserting what it considers its national interests, it is not yet capable of asserting sovereignty over the Spratly Islands should it be opposed by the US 7th Fleet. Embroiled in a multi front war in the Middle East and Central Asia, the United States is not interested in participating in a fight in the Far East, especially with another nuclear power.
The smaller countries with claims over the Spratly Islands, such as Vietnam and the Philippines, as well as Taiwan and Malaya, would be caught in the middle of a super power clash should it occur.
What the basis of a diplomatic settlement of the Spratly dispute is not clear. Ceding the islands to one country or another would leave all the other claimants aggrieved and motivated possibly to assert their own claims by force. That would mean that some kind of permanent presence, likely American led, would have to be stationed in the Spratly Islands to keep the peace.
Alternatively, some kind of joint sovereignty arrangement could be worked out in which all or most of the claimant countries would be partners in the development of the Spratly Island resources and sharing the profits. That would have the virtue of not leaving any party to the dispute unsatisfied, tamping down on the possibility of military conflict, while at the same time binding the parties together to cooperate rather than fight to enjoy the fish and hydrocarbon resources of the Spratly Islands.
Vietnam and China hackers escalate Spratly Islands row
Computer hackers from Vietnam and China have attacked websites including portals run by each other's governments, amid a sea-border row.
The hackers replaced content on the sites with abuse and national symbols.
Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said his country's claims to territory in the South China Sea were incontestable.
Chinese officials later warned other Asian nations to halt exploration for minerals in the area.
Both sides claim ownership of islands in the South China Sea.
The Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have rival claims in the area.
'Strong determination'
On the weekend, hundreds of Vietnamese protested against Chinese naval operations in disputed waters.
Relations between Vietnam and China have long been awkward, but public protests are extremely rare.
The demonstrations in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City followed a confrontation between a Vietnamese ship and Chinese patrol boats last month.
Hanoi accused a Chinese patrol of cutting the cables of a Vietnamese ship conducting seismic research about 120km (80 miles) off Vietnam's coast.
At the time of the incident, China said that Vietnamese vessels had been operating "illegally", adding that the country should "refrain from creating trouble".
On Thursday, Prime Minister Dung made his first comments on the row, saying Vietnam's sovereignty was incontestable in areas of the Paracel and Spratly island groups.
"We continue to affirm strongly and to manifest the strongest determination of all the party, of all the people and of all the army in protecting Vietnamese sovereignty in maritime zones and islands of the country," Mr Dung said in comments reported by the Thanh Nien newspaper.
Later, Vietnamese officials accused a Chinese fishing boat of once again intentionally ramming cables from an oil exploration vessel inside its exclusive economic zone.
And separately, China's ambassador to the Philippines, Liu Jianchao, warned other countries to stop prospecting for oil in the area.
The disputed islands are largely uninhabited, but the area includes important shipping routes and may contain oil and gas deposits.
The hackers replaced content on the sites with abuse and national symbols.
Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said his country's claims to territory in the South China Sea were incontestable.
Chinese officials later warned other Asian nations to halt exploration for minerals in the area.
Both sides claim ownership of islands in the South China Sea.
The Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have rival claims in the area.
'Strong determination'
On the weekend, hundreds of Vietnamese protested against Chinese naval operations in disputed waters.
Relations between Vietnam and China have long been awkward, but public protests are extremely rare.
The demonstrations in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City followed a confrontation between a Vietnamese ship and Chinese patrol boats last month.
Hanoi accused a Chinese patrol of cutting the cables of a Vietnamese ship conducting seismic research about 120km (80 miles) off Vietnam's coast.
At the time of the incident, China said that Vietnamese vessels had been operating "illegally", adding that the country should "refrain from creating trouble".
On Thursday, Prime Minister Dung made his first comments on the row, saying Vietnam's sovereignty was incontestable in areas of the Paracel and Spratly island groups.
"We continue to affirm strongly and to manifest the strongest determination of all the party, of all the people and of all the army in protecting Vietnamese sovereignty in maritime zones and islands of the country," Mr Dung said in comments reported by the Thanh Nien newspaper.
Later, Vietnamese officials accused a Chinese fishing boat of once again intentionally ramming cables from an oil exploration vessel inside its exclusive economic zone.
And separately, China's ambassador to the Philippines, Liu Jianchao, warned other countries to stop prospecting for oil in the area.
The disputed islands are largely uninhabited, but the area includes important shipping routes and may contain oil and gas deposits.
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