U.S. Admiral Defends South China Sea Patrols. U.S. Navy Plans Two Or More Patrols Per Quarter

NYT: U.S. Admiral, in Beijing, Defends Patrols in South China Sea

BEIJING — The head of the United States Pacific Command, Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr., said in Beijing on Tuesday that the Navy would continue to conduct freedom of navigation operations similar to one in the South China Sea last week that China criticized.

Speaking to a small audience at the Stanford Center at Peking University, Admiral Harris defended the operation last week, which involved sending a destroyer inside the 12-nautical-mile radius that China claims as its territorial waters around Subi Reef, an artificial island built by the Chinese in the South China Sea.

“We’ve been conducting freedom of navigation operations all over the world for decades, so no one should be surprised by them,” Admiral Harris said. “The South China Sea is not, and will not, be an exception.”

WNU Editor: U.S. Says expect more patrols in the South China Sea in the future .... U.S. Navy plans two or more patrols in South China Sea per quarter (Reuters). China's response is blunt .... China warns US it will defend its man-made islands in South China Sea (Stars and Stripes).

More News On U.S. - China Differences Over Sovereignty In The South China Sea

US commander says South China Sea is no 'exception' to navigation rights -- CSM
Admiral: US Will Operate 'Whenever', 'Wherever' in S. China Sea -- VOA
US commander says sailing past Chinese isles not a threat -- AP
Navy patrols near Chinese islands aren't a threat, U.S. commander says -- Chicago Tribune
White House Says It Will Continue to Challenge China in South China Sea -- Time
US to return to South China Sea after warship visit -- BBC

Chinese Fighter Jets Now Training In The South China Sea

The US vowed to repeat the sail-by at the islands in the South China Sea claimed by China [Reuters]

IBTimes: South China Sea Dispute 2015: Armed Chinese Fighter Jets Train Over Controversial Spratly Islands

Chinese authorities released photos Saturday of armed Chinese naval aircraft training over disputed territory in the South China Sea, the South China Morning Post reported Sunday. The training maneuvers came just days after a United States naval ship sailed by in the region, amid heightening tensions over land claims from multiple Southeast Asian nations.

The armed jets that flew training missions took off from China's recently constructed airstrip on the Spratly Islands, the South China Morning Post reported.

News of China's aircraft training in the South China Sea came several days after the U.S. sailed through part of the sea that China claims as its own and which the U.S. recognizes as international waters.

Update: Response to US Patrol? Beijing's Fighter Jets Hold Drills in S China Sea -- Sputnik

WNU Editor: I call this sending a message to the U.S. (and everyone else).

Pentagon Chief: Demand For A U.S. Security Presence In The South China Sea Growing

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter speaks at a media briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, October 23, 2015. REUTERS/YURI GRIPAS

Reuters: South China Sea disputes increasing demand for U.S. security presence: Pentagon chief

Disputes over territory in the South China Sea are causing countries in the region to increase their demand for an American security presence, the U.S. defense chief said on Sunday.

A U.S. warship sailed within 12 nautical miles of one of China's man-made islands in South China Sea on Tuesday in the most significant U.S. challenge yet to territorial limits Beijing claims around the Spratly archipelago.

The move triggered an angry rebuke from Beijing and a warning that a minor incident in the area, which is one of the world's busiest sea lanes, could spark war if the United States did not stop what it called "provocative acts."

WNU Editor:  The U.S. is doubling down on their position.

Is China Threatening War Against The U.S.?

Commander of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy Wu Shengli salutes during a welcoming ceremony for United States Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus at the PLA Navy Headquarters, in Beijing November 27, 2012. REUTERS/JASON LEE

Reuters: China naval chief says minor incident could spark war in South China Sea

China's naval commander told his U.S. counterpart that a minor incident could spark war in the South China Sea if the United States did not stop its "provocative acts" in the disputed waterway, the Chinese navy said on Friday.

Admiral Wu Shengli made the comments to U.S. chief of naval operations Admiral John Richardson during a video teleconference on Thursday, according to a Chinese naval statement.

The two officers held talks after a U.S. warship sailed within 12 nautical miles of one of Beijing's man-made islands in the contested Spratly archipelago on Tuesday.

China has rebuked Washington over the patrol, the most significant U.S. challenge yet to territorial limits China effectively claims around its seven artificial islands in one of the world's busiest sea lanes.

WNU editor: I do not see the Chinese shooting at a U.S. warship .... but I do see them ramming one. Would do the Chinese do such a thing .... they almost did 2 years ago .... U.S., Chinese warships come dangerously close (CNN). The key question is .... how will President Obama respond? My guess is that China has calculated that President Obama will back down ... that he would not want his legacy to be one in which he is remembered for a war that broke out between the U.S. and China.

More News On China's Naval Chief Saying That A Minor Incident Could Spark War In The South China Sea

Minor incident "could spark war" in South China Sea -- The Telegraph
China threatens to LAUNCH WAR on US over 'provocative acts' after saying it is INEVITABLE -- Express
China warns US against ‘minor’ incidents that could ‘spark war’ -- RT
South China Sea: US and China hold talks on ship -- BBC

China Warns The U.S. That They Will Enforce Their Sovereignty In The South China Sea

Josh Rogin, Bloomberg: Battle Over China's Artificial Islands Has Just Begun

After months of internal debate, the White House permitted the Defense Department to sail one ship near a reef in the South China Sea that China claims. The Chinese reaction shows Beijing has no intention of backing down. Now the Obama administration is debating what to do next.

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter confirmed on Tuesday that the Lassen, a U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer, traveled Monday within 12 miles of the Subi Reef, which was underwater until the Chinese government built it into an artificial island. Under questioning from the Senate Armed Services Committee, Carter said the U.S. has the right to operate near the Chinese structures. He expressed support for doing such a “freedom of navigation operation” again.

“What you read in the newspaper is accurate, but I don’t want to say when, whether or how we operate anywhere in the world,” he said. “These are operations that we should be conducting normally.”

WNU Editor: Since yesterday's passage of a U.S. naval vessel near a Chinese reclaimed island in the South China Sea, the Chinese have upped their confrontational stance against the U.S.(and everyone else) on the South China Sea territorial dispute. Even the Chinese state media outlet "the Global Times" is coming out and out bluntly stating that Beijing should now “prepare for the worst” and that Beijing “is not frightened to fight a war with the US in the region” .... After the show, it's time for US destroyer to leave (Global Times). In this atmosphere will tensions increase .... definitely. The next important step in this crisis is on what will the U.S. do now .... send in another ship or ignore the issue? My prediction is that the U.S. will continue to ignore Chinese sovereignty claims, they will send in more ships, and the Chinese will be forced to react to save face .... even confronting a U.S. Navy warship. When that point arrives is when I believe President Obama will back down .... he does not want his legacy to be one in which it was during his term that U.S. - Chinese relations took a disastrous turn for the worse.

Update: Here is a Russian view on the crisis .... South China Sea: What Will US, China Confrontation Lead to? (Sputnik)

U.S. Naval Vessel Has Just Sailed Within 12 Nautical Miles Of A Chinese Reclaimed Island

CNN: U.S. warship sails close to Chinese artificial island in South China Sea

Washington (CNN)The United States sent a warship very close to one of China's artificial islands in the South China Sea on Tuesday, a potential challenge to Beijing's territorial claims in the contested waters.

A U.S. defense official told CNN that the destroyer USS Lassen "conducted a transit" within 12 nautical miles of Subi Reef in the Spratly Islands on Tuesday morning local time.

The operation put the ship within an area that would be considered Chinese sovereign territory if the U.S. recognized the man-made islands as being Chinese territory, the official added.

WNU Editor: The Chinese are angry .... Angry China says shadowed US warship near man-made islands in disputed sea (Reuters).

More News On A U.S. Naval Vessel Sailing Within 12 Nautical Miles Of A Chinese Reclaimed island In The South China Sea

U.S. warship patrols near islands built by China in disputed sea -- Reuters
US warship sails near China's artificial islands: official -- AFP
U.S. Navy sails near disputed Chinese islands, defense official says -- CBS/AP
U.S. warship sails within 12 miles of Chinese-built island in South China Sea -- Washington Post
Navy destroyer sails near disputed Chinese islands -- USA Today
U.S. Navy Sends Ship Into Disputed Waters Claimed by China -- Time
Navy Destroyer Sails Near Disputed Island Claimed by China -- ABC News
China Warns US To Think Again And Not Stir Trouble As US Navy Sails Close To Disputed Islands In South China Sea -- IBTimes

U.S. Navy To Send A Guided-Missile Destroyer Within 12 Miles Of Chinese Islands In The South China Sea

Reuters: U.S. Navy to send destroyer within 12 miles of Chinese islands

The U.S. Navy plans to send a guided-missile destroyer within 12 nautical miles of artificial islands built by China in the South China Sea, in the start of a series of challenges to China's territorial claims in one of the world's busiest sea lanes.

A U.S. defense official said the patrol by the USS Lassen would occur early on Tuesday local time near Subi and Mischief reefs in the Spratly archipelago, features that were formerly submerged at high tide before China began a massive dredging project to turn them into islands in 2014.

The patrols would mark the most serious U.S. challenge yet to the 12-nautical-mile territorial limit China claims around the islands and are certain to anger Beijing, which said last month it would "never allow any country" to violate its territorial waters and airspace in the Spratlys.

More News On The US Navy Sailing Near Islands Claimed by China

U.S. destroyer to pass islands in South China Sea within 24 hours -- CNN
US Navy to Sail Near Reefs Claimed by China -- AP
US to send warship close to South China Sea islets -- AFP
US Navy to send warship near disputed islands claimed by China -- FOX News
US to Send Ship Close to Chinese Artificial Islands -- VOA
US Navy ship to sail near China islands -- BBC
Report: U.S. Navy to sail up to China's man-made islands -- Politico
U.S. Said to Allow Navy Patrol by Disputed Chinese-Made Islands -- Bloomberg
US Navy Set to Send Destroyer Within 12 Nautical Miles of Subi, Mischief Reefs -- The Diplomat
US to defy Beijing over South China Sea -- Financial Times
US plans to send destroyer to China’s artificial islands – reports -- RT

U.S. And China Have Different Viewpoints On What Is 'International Law'

Chinese dredging vessels are allegedly seen in the waters around Fiery Cross Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands area in this still image from a video taken by a P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft and provided by the U.S. Navy May 21, 2015. Reuters/U.S. Navy/Handout

Julian Ku, Quartz: Differing interpretations of international law could spark major naval conflict between the US and China

The United States and China seem to be edging closer to a naval showdown over freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. The US has announced it plans to conduct naval patrols within 12 nautical miles of China’s controversial “artificial islands” in order to uphold the principle of “freedom of navigation” under international law. China’s state-run English-language newspaper has called such plans “provocative” with one Chinese admiral even threatening to deliver a “head on blow” to any foreign forces threatening Chinese sovereignty of the disputed islands.

It is tempting to frame this dispute as the US upholding international law, and China ignoring it. But solving this brewing conflict requires more than simply demanding China “follow” international law. Instead, because the US and China have fundamentally different interpretations of what international law requires, both sides will find it difficult to avoid continuing their conflict over maritime and navigation rights in the region for the foreseeable future.

WNU Editor: This different viewpoint/mindset/interpretation also applies to other issues. Cyber attacks, economic/trade treaties, spheres of influence, etc..

Top Chinese General Defends Beijing's South China Sea Policy

Reuters: Chinese general says will never recklessly resort to force in South China Sea

China will never "recklessly" resort to the use of force in the South China Sea, a senior Chinese general said on Saturday, amid tensions over Beijing's building of islands in the disputed waters.

China's relations with several Southeast Asian countries, especially the Philippines and Vietnam who have competing claims in the South China Sea, have been strained over Beijing's increasingly assertive tone on territorial claims in an area through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes annually.

Beijing's move last year to step up the creation of artificial islands, which it says are mostly for civilian purposes, has drawn strong criticism from Washington.

WNU Editor: The problem with General Fan Changlong's claim that the artificial islands in the South China Sea are for civilian use is that everyone in the region are seeing the Chinese military assets being placed on the island .... and if these countries approached these islands too closely .... are warned to back-off or else. Official Chinese media are also giving threat warnings .... Chinese media warn against US South China Sea move (AFP).

More News On Top Chinese General Defending Beijing's South China Sea Policy

Chinese general dismisses concerns about island construction in South China Sea -- AP
South China Sea islands are only for civilian use, says Chinese general -- The Guardian/AFP
China Will Not ‘Recklessly’ Use Force In South China Sea, Wants To Avoid ‘Unexpected Conflicts’ -- IBTimes
China Won’t Use Military Power ‘Recklessly,’ Says General -- WSJ
Top Chinese general defends developments in South China Sea -- FOX News
Now we know China's 'bottom line' -- Linette Lopez, Business Insider

Update: With US Warships En Route To Islands, China Asks: "What On Earth Makes Them Think We Will Tolerate This?" -- Zero Hedge

Chinese Military Official: There Are 209 Islands In The South China Sea Where China Can Build Installations

Chinese dredging vessels said to be reclaiming land around Fiery Cross Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands, in a May 21, 2015 photo. The Philippines is backing a U.S. plan to test China's disputed claims in the South China Sea. Reuters

Inquisitr: South China Sea Offers 209 More Land Features China Can Build On In 18 Months

On Saturday, October 10, 2015, Newsweek reported that a senior Chinese military official requesting anonymity, disclosed what China is capable of in the South China Sea. She made the following assertion.

“There are 209 land features still unoccupied in the South China Sea and we could seize them all. And we could build on them in 18 months.”

According to The Wall Street Journal, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced during his visit to Washington on September 22, that Beijing has no intention of militarizing the islands. He made the commitment at a news conference with President Barack Obama at the White House, but did not elaborate on the direction of China’s current activities in the South China Sea.

WNU Editor: China will not build installations on 209 islands .... they are just saying that they have options to escalate this territorial dispute.

U.S. Tells Asian Allies That The U.S. Navy Will Patrol Near South China Sea Islands Claimed By China

Artificial islands, like this one planned by China, are causing alarm around the South China Sea (Financial Review).

New York Times: U.S. Tells Asian Allies That Navy Will Patrol Near Islands in South China Sea

BEIJING — The United States has been briefing its allies in Asia on plans to conduct naval patrols near artificial islands built by China in the disputed South China Sea, a move that could escalate tensions with Beijing after President Xi Jinping’s recent visit to Washington, American and Asian officials have said.

The “freedom of navigation” patrols, which would come within 12 nautical miles of at least one of the islands, are intended to challenge China’s efforts to claim large parts of the strategic waterway by enlarging rocks and submerged reefs into islands big enough for military airstrips, radar equipment and lodging for soldiers, the officials said.

WNU Editor: The Philippines are on side .... Philippines backs US plan to sail ship near Chinese island (Navy Times/AP), and the U.S. is now talking with Australia .... U.S. discusses South China Sea plans with Australia (Reuters). The Chinese are not going to back down .... Why Beijing Isn't Backing Down on South China Sea (Jeff Stein, Newsweek).

Update: There is some truth to this .... US patrols in the South China Sea will enrage Beijing — and Washington knows it (Global Post).

China Warns The U.S. It Will Not Allow Violations Of Its Borders

Image Credit: Screenshot/ White House video

Reuters: China will not allow violations of its territorial waters

China said on Friday it would not stand for violations of its territorial waters in the name of freedom of navigation, as the United States considers sailing warships close to China's artificial islands in the South China Sea.

A U.S. defense official told Reuters the United States was mulling sending ships within the next two weeks to waters inside the 12-nautical-mile zones that China claims as territory around islands it has built in the Spratly chain.

China claims most of the South China Sea, though Washington has signaled it does not recognize Beijing's territorial claims and that the U.S. navy will continue to operate wherever international law allows.

"We will never allow any country to violate China's territorial waters and airspace in the Spratly Islands, in the name of protecting freedom of navigation and overflight," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular news briefing.

Update #1: China says will not allow violations of its territorial waters -- Asia Times
Update #3: US naval manoeuvres in South China Sea risk clash with Beijing -- The Guardian
Update #2: Why the US-China Summit Failed on the South China Sea -- Nguyen Hong Thao, The Diplomat

WNU Editor: My suggestion to the U.S. is that if they want to test these "Chinese borders" .... do so with a lot of firepower in the background. If you just send a small ship with no back-up .... there will be a confrontation.

U.S. Navy Will Challenge Chinese Contested Waters Around Artificial Islands In The South China Sea

Navy inbound: According to officials, the U.S. Navy will send warships within a 12-nautical mile radius of artificial islands in the South China Sea. One of them is pictured above

Daily Mail: U.S. Navy 'will sail warships' through contested waters around Chinese artificial islands in the South China Sea

* Pentagon is due to dispatch vessels to as a symbolic gesture
* Ships are due to pass within 12-mile zone which U.S. doesn't recognize
* Anonymous Navy officials said the mission will take place 'within days'

The United States Navy is set to dispatch warships to disputed waters in the South China Sea, where the Chinese government has been building artificial islands.

Pentagon bosses are due to send out the battleships within days to pass within a 12-nautical mile zone around a chain of islands which China says belong to it.

The huge swathe of sea, which the Chinese regime says it has a claim to because of the hundreds of islands, is not recognised as national territory by the United States.

WNU Editor: The Chinese are ready for them .... Beijing on alert for U.S. Navy 'incursion' near artificial islands in South China Sea (South China Morning Post).

More News ON Reports That The U.S. Navy Will Soon Be Challenging China's Claims To The South China Sea

U.S. mulls sailing near disputed South China Sea islands: Pentagon official -- Reuters
U.S. plans to challenge China’s South China Sea territorial claims, sparking ‘serious concern’ in Beijing -- AP
US mulls sailing warships near disputed South China Sea islands, Pentagon official says -- ABC News (Australia)
US warships to challenge Chinese claims in South China Sea -- Financial Times
Navy will challenge Chinese territorial claims in South China Sea -- Navy Times
US Navy Ready to Sail Within 12 Nautical Miles of China's Artificial Islands in the South China Sea -- The Diplomat
US mulls sailing near disputed South China Sea islands -- Al Jazeera
U.S., Australian Officials Speak Out Against Unilateral Actions in South China Sea -- USNI News
U.S. Pacific Fleet commander issues warning on South China Sea -- UPI
US Commander Warns China Against ‘Revising’ International Law in the South China Sea -- The Diplomat

U.S. To Adopt A Tougher Stance Against China In The South China Sea

Foreign Policy: In South China Sea, a Tougher U.S. Stance

Rejecting China’s "Great Wall of Sand," the U.S. Navy will patrol near man-made islands constructed by Beijing.

The United States is poised to send naval ships and aircraft to the South China Sea in a challenge to Beijing’s territorial claims to its rapidly-built artificial islands, U.S. officials told Foreign Policy.

The move toward a somewhat more muscular stance follows talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington last month, which fell far short of a breakthrough over how territorial disputes should be settled in the strategic South China Sea.

A final decision has not been made. But the Obama administration is heavily leaning toward using a show of military might after Chinese opposition ended diplomatic efforts to halt land reclamation and the construction of military outposts in the waterway. The timing and details of the patrols — which would be designed to uphold principles of freedom of navigation in international waters — are still being worked out, Obama administration and Pentagon officials said.

“It’s not a question of if, but when,” said a Defense Department official.

WNU editor: This tough stance should have been employed 2 years ago . The Chinese .... expecting this response from the U.S. .... have already hinted that the US Navy should be careful .... China navy calls for United States to reduce risk of misunderstandings (Reuters).

This Is Why The South China Sea Dispute Is Important

A map shows different nation's claims to the South China Sea.

Business Insider/BRIC+: The South China Sea is way more important than anyone realizes

Robert Kaplan, one of the foremost experts on China, stated “The South China Sea will be the 21st Century’s defining battleground.”

Unlike the Persian Gulf, which has widespread recognition due to its significance to oil, the South China Sea is shrouded in obscurity and rarely discussed.

Despite its crucial importance to geopolitics, little is known about this marginal sea surrounded by littoral nations vying for supremacy over it.

WNU Editor: China has already completed its first runway on its largest base in the Spratly Islands .... China completes runway on Fiery Cross Reef (IHS Jane's 360).

Nine Ironies of the South China Sea Dispute

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

James Kraska, The Diplomat: The Nine Ironies of the South China Sea Mess

China’s policies in the region have created a dangerous mess, and an ironic one.

Since 2009, when China asked the secretary-general of the United Nations to circulate its nine-dashed line claim to the community of nations, the world has stood in bewilderment at Beijing’s actions in the South China Sea. Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines have the most to lose over China’s gambit, and the disparity in power between them and China leaves them confounded and stunned – and privately, apoplectic. China’s policies have created a dangerous mess in the South China Sea. The irony is palpably bitter on nine distinct levels. Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines hold the key to the best chance to fix the mess.

WNU Editor: Welcome to the world of diplomacy. What may be a very sound and thoughtful position one day .... could be the opposite the next day. The South China Sea dispute is certainly mirroring many of these contradictions ... and this is probably one more reason on maybe why the U.S. should tread very carefully on this mess.

White House Has Prohibited The U.S. Navy From Sailing With 12 Miles Of Disputed Chinese-Built Islands In The South China Sea

An aerial photo taken though a glass window of a Philippine military plane shows the alleged on-going land reclamation by China on mischief reef in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, west of Palawan, Philippines, May 11, 2015. Reuters/Ritchie B. Tongo

USNI News: U.S. Weighing More Freedom of Navigation Operations in South China Sea Near Reclaimed Islands

The Obama administration is considering conducting more freedom of navigation missions in the South China Sea as a partial counter to China’s rapid artificial island expansion in the region, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs told a Senate panel on Thursday.

Within the last year, China has rapidly expanded small outcrops in the Spratly and Paracel islands and built facilities that could easily be militarized and shift the balance of power in the region.

“Preventing the Chinese from further militarizing those features a range of options — inducing freedom of navigation exercisers — and we’re considering those options now,” David Shear told the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC).

WNU Editor: The key section of this USNI post is the following ....

.... SASC Chairman Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) asked Shear and Harris if the U.S. — which doesn’t recognize Chinese sovereignty of the reclaimed islands — had come within the 12 nautical miles of the new installations.

Under the U.N. Law of the Sea Convention — which the U.S. has not ratified but follows — a country’s territorial waters begin at 12 nautical miles away from shore.

“If you respect the 12 [nautical] mile limit then it’s a de facto sovereignty, agreed to by the Chinese,” he said.

Shear told the panel the last time a U.S. warship passed within 12 nautical miles of a Chinese claimed artificial island was in 2013 and that it was up to the White House to authorize additional passes.

In other-words it is only the White House that has the authority to tell the U.S. navy to sail within the 12 [nautical] mile limit of a Chinese claimed artificial island .... but they have chosen since 2013 not to do so. Why is this significant .... aside from all the talk of maybe conducting some "freedom of navigation operations" in the future, this U.S. decision to not enter the disputed zone is essentially telling the region that the U.S. made a decision in 2013 to respect Chinese claims and to give it de facto sovereignty. No wonder our allies in Asia are growing concern over U.S. national security commitments and promises when it comes to China .... they are spotting the contradictions. On a side note .... when China started to give problems to President Clinton when he was in office, he sent an entire carrier group to the waters between China and Taiwan.

Update: Obama Blocks Navy from Sailing Near Disputed Chinese Islands -- Washington Free Beacon

Chinese Admiral: The South China Sea Is Ours Because It’s Got ‘China’ In The Name

Chinese Vice Admiral Yuan Yubai. US Navy Photo

Time: The South China Sea Is Ours Because It’s Got ‘China’ in the Name, Chinese Admiral Says

But Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines all lay claim to parts of the disputed waters

What’s in a name? An entire sea, says Chinese Vice Admiral Yuan Yubai. On Sept. 14, at a defense conference in London, Yuan said that “the South China Sea, as the name indicates, is a sea area that belongs to China,” according to defense media. The commander of the Chinese navy’s North Sea fleet added that the vast waterway has been Chinese from the time of the Han dynasty, which ruled from 206 B.C. to A.D. 220.

China claims nearly all of the South China Sea’s rocks, shoals, reefs and islets as its own, carving out the waterway with a so-called Nine Dash Line that extends southward toward Borneo to include 2 million sq km of sea. However, five other governments — those of Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines — are also vying for ownership of various bits of sand and rock in the resource-rich waters. Maritime clashes over these shoals and reefs have, over the decades, claimed dozens of lives.

WNU Editor: I guess this means that the English Channel belongs to England. Indian Ocean to India. Gulf of Mexico to Mexico. etc. Hmmmm .... I suspect that this Chinese admiral got his position because of connections .... not because he is smart.

China Continues To Expand Its Bases In The South China Sea

Greg Poling, the director of CSIS's Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative said these places have gone "from being outposts on stilts to full islands, potentially with airstrips." CNN

Reuters: China appears to be working on third airstrip on disputed South China Sea islets: expert

China appears to be carrying out preparatory work for a third airstrip in contested territory in the South China Sea, a U.S. expert said on Monday, citing satellite photographs taken last week.

The photographs taken for Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) think tank on Sept. 8 show construction on Mischief Reef, one of seven artificial islands China has created in the Spratly archipelago.

The images show a retaining wall around an area 3,000 meters (3,280 yards) long, matching similar work by China on two other reefs in the Spratlys, Subi and Fiery Cross, said Greg Poling, director of CSIS's Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI).

Poling said the work "more likely than not indicates preparations for a runway" on the reef.

WNU Editor: The U.S. navy is downplaying this Chinese expansion .... DSEI: Chinese Expansionism No Threat to U.S., Says Admiral (USNI).

More News On China Continuing To Expand Its Bases In The South China Sea

China Building Airstrip on 3rd Artificial Island, Images Show -- New York Times
China appears to be building another airstrip in the South China Sea -- Washington Post
Beijing resumes military construction on disputed shoal in South China Sea -- UPI
China apparently 'building third airstrip' in disputed sea -- CNN
China’s new reef bases add an edge to Xi Jinping’s forthcoming US visit -- The Guardian

Despite Promising To Stop China Is Continuing To Militarise The South China Sea Dispute

Jeremy Bender, Business Insider: China is continuing to militarize the South China Sea despite promising to stop

Despite claims in August that it would stop reclaiming land in the South China Sea, Beijing is continuing to pursue construction of man-made islands flush with military equipment.

Citing the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), The Washington Post reports that China is planning large-scale construction on the recently dredged Subi Reef and Mischief Reef, including a new airfield. The new airfield, when operational, would allow China to establish interlocking zones of air control over the region.

In addition to the airfield, China is also planning on equipping the recently dredged islands with anti-aircraft weapons and various naval vessels, Michael J. Green, a senior CSIS vice president, told the Post, citing Chinese officials. This combination of weapons would further solidify China's position within the region.

WNU Editor: More evidence that the Chinese are continuing to militarise the South China Sea .... China building third airstrip on disputed South China Sea islets: expert (Reuters).