China bares plan to build more aircraft carriers

Posted to the Manila Standard Today (Apr 25): China bares plan to build more aircraft carriers

China unveiled plans to build more aircraft carriers after commissioning its first last year, as the country extends its influence amid territorial disputes with neighbors including Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines.

China’s conflict with the Philippines began in April last year, and Manila marked the first anniversary of the Chinese’ incursion at the Panatag Shoal by expressing confidence of its chances on the arbitration case that it filed before the United Nations that challenged Beijing’s claim over the entire West Philippine Sea.

Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for Ocean Concerns Gilberto Asuque said the UN International Tribunal on the Law of the Seas will complete the arbitral panel today, April 25.

Asuque said the presence of three Chinese boats in the shoal – two maritime surveillance ships and one Fisheries Law Enforcement Command vessel – would not deter the country’s determination to complete the arbitration process.

“Any provocative action that China does will not change the fact that their nine-dash line is being challenged by the Philippines,” Asuque said.

“We have a strong and well-documented case. We are not submitting the issue of who owns the land but that the Philippines has maritime entitlement and China’s nine-dash line is excessive,” he added.

China, meanwhile, said its future aircraft carriers will carry more fighter jets than the Liaoning, Rear Admiral Song Xue told foreign military attaches yesterday in Beijing, according to the official Xinhua New Agency. The carrier was built around a Soviet-era hull and began trials at sea last year.

China’s announcement on the new carrier signaled that the People’s Liberation Army will push ahead with a modernization plan under which defense spending has more than doubled since 2006.

The announcement came after Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited China. He and Chinese counterpart Fang Fenghui said April 22 they want to expand military ties.

At the same time, tensions between China and Japan have escalated over islands in the East China Sea claimed by both sides. Yesterday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed to use force if necessary to defend the islands, called Diaoyu in China and Senkaku in Japan.

Chinese news website China Daily reported that Beijing strongly protested against “provocation” by Japanese ships in the waters off the Diaoyu Islands, calling the moves “illegal” and “troublemaking”.

A group of 168 Japanese lawmakers visited the controversial Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on the same day, despite repeated objections from Beijing and Seoul. The visit worsened Japan’s diplomatic deadlock in the region.

According to a statement issued by China’s State Oceanic Administration, a fleet of Chinese marine surveillance ships on regular patrol duty found several Japanese ships in waters around the Diaoyu Islands on Tuesday.

Ten boats carrying about 80 Japanese activists entered the waters off the Diaoyu Islands, claiming to be conducting fishery studies, Japanese media reported.

China strongly protested and has lodged solemn representations to Japan regarding Japanese “right-wingers’ illegal entry” into the waters, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at Tuesday’s news conference.

Ties between Beijing and Tokyo have been strained since last September when Japan attempted to “nationalize” the islands. Recently, they have been further haunted by historical issues.

The Yasukuni Shrine visit by Japanese lawmakers marked the first time the number of lawmakers visiting the shrine has exceeded 100 since October 2005.

Japanese senior Vice-Minister of Finance Shunichi Yamaguchi, Senior Vice-Minister of Environment Shinji Inoue and policy chief of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party Sanae Takaichi were among the visitors.

Their visit followed Abe’s ritual offering of a pine tree and three cabinet ministers’ weekend visits to the shrine, which honors convicted war criminals during World War II.

South Korea is also strongly against Japanese leaders’ visits to the controversial shrine.
Cho Tai-young, a South Korean government spokesman, expressed deep concern and regret over the visits, calling the shrine “a place to glorify Japan’s aggressive war”.
A day earlier, South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se called off a planned visit to Tokyo, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Meanwhile, defense ministry officials from both countries may hold talks on the islands, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said in Tokyo. The Asahi newspaper today said director- general level talks could take place as soon as this month to discuss the establishment of a maritime communications hotline.

“It appears that something like that is being arranged, and Japan’s door is always open to diplomatic talks with China,” Suga told reporters. “It’s true we have discussions with China about issues such as this.”

Zhang Zheng, the Liaoning’s captain, told the foreign attaches that the carrier’s crew had mastered the ship’s weapons systems, Xinhua reported. Song said that the J-15 fighter aircraft needed more trials before becoming operational on the carrier, according to the report.

The Liaoning has a full displacement of more than 50,000 tonnes. The carrier’s original design allows it to carry about 30 fixed-wing aircraft.Song Xue said the Navy hoped that the next carrier could be larger to load more aircraft.

He also revealed that the Navy is building a naval aviation force for the Liaoning, and there will be at least two aviation regiments on one carrier, including fighters, reconnaissance aircraft, anti-submarine aircraft, electronic countermeasure planes and rotary-wing aircrafts.

http://manilastandardtoday.com/2013/04/25/china-bares-plan-to-build-more-aircraft-carriers/