'JAW, JAW' THAN 'WAR,WAR' W/ CHINA
[PHOTO -The Philippines' largest warship was in a stand-off with
Chinese vessels last week]
MANILA, APRIL 17, 2012 (BBC NEW ASIA)
Philippines and China in fresh maritime dispute.
The Philippines and China have accused each other of further maritime
intrusions in disputed waters following a stand-off last week.
The Philippines lodged a second formal diplomatic protest, saying China was
harassing a research ship at the Scarborough Shoal, 230km off its island of
Luzon. China said the vessel was in Chinese waters and should leave.
A spokesman from the Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs said that the
archaeological research ship carrying the Philippine flag had been "harassed by
Chinese ships and aircraft" at the shoal.
"We lodged the protest yesterday afternoon. The harassment of the vessel is
part of the continued intrusion and illegal activities being done in the area,"
spokesman Raul Hernandez was quoted by the Agence-France Presse news agency as
saying.
He said that scientists, including nine French nationals, were manning the
boat.
But the Chinese embassy in Manila accused the boat of intrusion. "We urge the
archaeological vessel to leave the area immediately," spokesman Zhang Hua said
in a statement.
Territorial dispute
Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario, in a statement, is asking
China to settle the issue over the area at the International Tribunal on the Law
of the Sea (ITLOS).
There has been no reply from China so far.
China claims sovereignty over virtually the entire South China Sea, bringing
it into dispute with neighbouring countries in the region.
Some, including the Philippines, are looking to the US for support. The
latest incident comes as the Philippines and the US hold joint military
exercises.
The Philippines said its naval ship had found eight Chinese fishing vessels
at the shoal when it was patrolling the area on 8 April.
Two Chinese surveillance ships then apparently arrived in the area, placing
themselves between the warship and the fishing vessels, preventing the navy from
making arrests and allowing the fishing boats to leave.
A Philippine coastguard vessel replaced the warship last Thursday. Two
Chinese ships are reported to have remained in the area.
The US is guilty of hypocrisy for holding the exercises close to disputed
waters, one Chinese newspaper said.
The party-controlled Global Times said the US was cementing a military
partnership against China, despite claims that it was not trying to contain
China.
Correspondents say Washington is strengthening its military position in the
western Pacific, a move that has been welcomed by countries that are nervous
about China's growing power and influence.
Philippines-US war games begin amid China
tensionsBy Kate McGeown
BBC News, Manila
[Philippine troops and the US military cement their ties
with war games exercises each year]
If you go to certain parts of the Philippine island of Palawan this week, you
are likely to witness something rather unusual.
You might see a whole wave of speedboats coming to shore, launched from a
military warship.
[PHOTO - Members of the US Marines Echo Company of the 2nd
Marine Division based in Fort Lejeune in North Carolina, USA, in an Amphibious
Assault Exercise in Dingalan Bay, Aurora Province, in this file photo. Around
4,500 US troops and 2,300 Philippine counterparts willengage in joint
US-Philippines military exercises starting Monday, April 16, 2012 in Palawan and
three other sites. AFP PHOTO/ARLAN NAEG]
Or US troops discussing a huge theoretical earthquake; or large numbers of
them building schools, or practising first aid.
It is the time of year when the Philippines-US military war games get under
way - an arrangement from which both countries stand to gain.
The often ill-equipped and inexperienced Philippine troops get a chance to
learn from American expertise, while for the US, it is an opportunity to cement
its relationship with one of its closest and longest-standing regional allies.
The code name for these exercises is Balikatan - Filipino for
shoulder-to-shoulder - to emphasise the closeness between the two nations.
But for officials in China, which is much closer to the Philippines
geographically, these exercises could well have the opposite effect.
Instead of feeling shoulder-to-shoulder with Manila, they are more likely to
feel they are being given the cold shoulder.
Disputed territory
[PHOTO - The United States and the Philippines kicked off 11 days of
military drills in the South China Sea, an annual event that is especially
significant as a territorial dispute between China and the Philippines
deepens.]
The games are happening at a time when tensions are already high between
China and the Philippines over disputed territorial rights in the South China
Sea.
Just last week, the Philippines' biggest warship was involved in a standoff
with two Chinese surveillance vessels in the Scarborough Shoal, an area claimed
by both Beijing and Manila.
The Philippine navy had been trying to arrest a group of Chinese fisherman,
but the surveillance boats prevented them.
The Philippines' biggest warship was recently in a standoff with two Chinese
vessels And earlier this month, Luo Yuan, a hawkish Chinese general, wrote in
the state-run Global Times newspaper that the Philippines was facing its "last
chance" to resolve its sovereignty issues.
"The biggest miscalculation of the Philippines is that it has misestimated
the strength and willpower of China to defends its territorial integrity," he
wrote.
Then there is the US factor. Beijing believes the South China Sea issue is
only a regional concern and therefore Washington should not get involved.
But since last year, the US has been doing the exact opposite - refocusing
its military attention on Asia and strengthening ties with the Philippines,
negotiating an increase in troop numbers and more frequent joint exercises.
So given all this, the presence of thousands of US and Philippine troops
holding exercises in Palawan, not far from the Spratly Islands - one of the main
disputed areas - is hardly likely to be welcomed in Beijing.
Vested interests
China claims much of the South China Sea, but five other nations - especially
the Philippines and Vietnam - claim parts of it too.
The row is about far more than who owns the many small islands peppered
around the area. It is about who has the right to tap what are thought to be
substantial oil and gas deposits in the region.
And for other nations, including the US, it is about making sure that the
South China Sea, which carries about half the world's total trade, remains free
for navigation.
Continue reading the main story " Start Quote China made an effort to calm
things down. It saw there was increased concern in the region, and this was
leading to countries reaching out to the US." End Quote Stephanie
Kleine-Ahlbrandt
China advisor for the International Crisis Group
The Philippines knows it needs help and support from the US, but at the same
time, it is acutely aware that its relationship with China is equally important
- some would say even more important.
Manila must therefore walk a tightrope between these two major world powers.
Traditionally, the US has always been the Philippines' favoured ally, as much
because of the colonial past as the political present.
But the Philippines has also been heavily influenced by China, and for many
hundreds of years longer than by the US.
According to Teresita Ang See, president of the Philippine Association for
Chinese Studies, "the Chinese part of Filipino heritage has been taken for
granted".
"But right now, the Philippines can benefit as much from looking to China as
it can from the US," she added.
This is certainly true economically. China's level of trade with the
Philippines is not far behind that of the US, and it is predicted to double by
2016 to $60bn (£38bn) a year.
And there are voices in the Philippines, such as activist Renato Reyes, who
say that the government is putting far too much emphasis on the US.
Mr Reyes is vehemently opposed to further US military involvement in the
Philippines, saying that if his government "thinks our national interests are
synonymous with those of the US, it's wrong."
Building relationships
The Philippines is definitely trying to build bridges with China.
Both President Benigno Aquino and his foreign minister, Albert Del Rosario,
have visited Beijing within the past year, signed agreements and organised
cultural exchanges.
Even on the South China Sea dispute, one of the most intractable problems
between the two nations, some analysts had started to suggest in recent months
that the situation was slowly improving.
Last year, the Philippine navy recorded a series of Chinese incursions into
its territory. In one incident, Chinese navy ships threatened to ram into a
Philippine research vessel. But until the standoff last week, there had been no
sightings of unauthorised ships in Philippine territory since the beginning of
February.
"China made an effort to calm things down," says Stephanie Kleine-Ahlbrandt,
the China advisor for the International Crisis Group. "It saw there was
increased concern in the region, and this was leading to countries reaching out
to the US."
And it's difficult to know whether voices like Major General Luo Yuan's are
really representative of Beijing's official opinion.
According to Ms Kleine-Ahlbrandt, compared with other Chinese departments,
there is no centralised mechanism in charge of South China Sea policy.
"China's maritime policy circles use the term 'Nine dragons stirring up the
sea' to describe the lack of coordination among the various government
agencies," she said.
Beijing's long-term strategy might remain opaque, but after these recent
incidents, there is little doubt that tensions have risen once again right now.
And as the troops practice their conflict drills this week, Philippine
officials will be fervently hoping they will never have the cause to use their
skills for real.
Chief News Editor: Sol
Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE
NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved
PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS
ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE
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