RP-US drill raises concern in China

From the Daily Tribune (Sep 28): RP-US drill raises concern in China

The ongoing joint military exercises between the Philippines and the United States near the disputed waters in the South China Sea are of great concern to Beijing, a Chinese official said.

China is urging regional countries not to act recklessly with the support of parties outside the region, referring to the joint drills.

“Peace, stability and prosperity are desired by people in the region and need to be maintained by all relevant parties,” the China Daily quoted Ministry of National Defense spokesman Geng Yansheng as saying during a news conference yesterday.

“Parties outside the region should take more action that favors peace and stability, rather than sowing dissension,” he added.

Last Sept. 18, the US and the Philippines began a three-week military drill near the disputed South China Sea.

The exercises are part of Manila’s effort to get US help in strengthening its maritime forces so that the Philippines will be in a stronger position when bargaining with China on South China Sea territorial issues, Agence France-Presse reported.

While the US has insisted it does not take sides in the dispute, it has been seeking to rebuild its military footprint in the Philippines, a military ally since 1951, as part of President Barack Obama’s strategic “pivot” to Asia.

The exercises are taking place as the allies move closer to a planned deal that would expand the US military presence in the Philippines.

The pact would allow Washington to bring military hardware on to local bases, and formalize more US troop visits. The Philippines has said it wants the pact signed as soon as possible.

The next round of negotiations is set in Manila starting Oct.1.

Chen Qinghong, a researcher on Philippine studies with the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, however, said Washington should mind the risk of an increased military presence in the Asia-Pacific region.

“An increased military presence will cause instability and add more uncertainties to the region,” he noted.

Xu Liping, a researcher on Asia-Pacific studies with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said neither the Philippines nor others outside the region should underestimate Beijing’s determination to safeguard its sovereignty in the South China Sea.

“Looking at the bigger picture, China exercised restraint in dealing with the issue, but Manila should not misunderstand China’s restraint as weakness,” he added.

Manila and those outside the region should value China’s efforts to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea, he stressed.

The exercises were launched at a naval base in San Antonio, a town on the western coast of Luzon island that faces the South China Sea.

The naval base is about 220 kilometers from Scarborough (Panatag) Shoal, a group of rocky outcrops that is one of the flashpoint areas in the territorial dispute between Manila and Beijing.

The Philippine government insists it has sovereign rights to the shoal, which fishermen from coastal towns near San Antonio have sailed to for decades, because it is well within its internationally recognized exclusive economic zone.

The nearest major Chinese land mass to Scarborough Shoal is Hainan island, about 650 kilometers away.

But China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, even waters and land formations close to the other countries. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan, as well as the Philippines, have overlapping claims to parts of the sea.

The rivalries have for decades made the sea, home to vital global shipping lanes, a potential trigger for military conflict.

Tensions have risen sharply in recent years amid accusations by the Philippines and Vietnam of increasing Chinese aggressiveness.

The Philippines says Chinese vessels have occupied Scarborough Shoal since last year, preventing Filipino fishermen from going there. Early this month the Philippines accused China of erecting concrete structures there to begin a permanent presence.

http://tribune.net.ph/index.php/headlines/item/19613-rp-us-drill-raises-concern-in-china