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Activities of the Claimants

China

China says about to finish some land reclamation in South China Sea

China will soon complete some of its land reclamation on the Spratly islands in the disputed South China Sea, the Foreign Ministry said on June 16th, indicating that Beijing is close to setting up new outposts in the maritime heart of Southeast Asia. “Apart from satisfying the need of necessary military defense, the main purpose of China's construction activities is to meet various civilian demands and better perform China's international obligations and responsibilities in the areas such as maritime search and rescue, disaster prevention and mitigation, marine scientific research, meteorological observation, ecological environment conservation, navigation safety as well as fishery production service. After the land reclamation, we will start the building of facilities to meet relevant functional requirements,” said Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lu Kang. The United States said it had "noted" Beijing's announcement, but was concerned about its plans for more construction work, including for military defense. "China's stated plans do not contribute to a reduction in tensions, support the emergence of diplomatic and peaceful solutions, or bolster China's disputed maritime claims," a State Department spokesperson said. Japan, on June 17th, in response to China’s announcement, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said that "even after completion of the reclamation, it must not be fait accompli," indicating Japan will never recognize China's attempts to assert territorial claims in the South China Sea through such activities.

New rules mean ships can be used by military

China has approved a set of technical guidelines that require all civilian shipbuilders to ensure that their new vessels are suitable for military use in an emergency. The guidelines cover five categories of vessels - container, roll-on/roll-off, multipurpose, bulk carrier and break bulk. This will enable China to convert the considerable potential of its civilian fleet into military strength and will greatly enhance the PLA's strategic projection and maritime support capabilities, according to the statement. Statistics from the Ministry of Transport show China had about 172,000 civilian ships at the end of last year.

Vietnam

Chinese ship steals from Vietnamese fishing boat again

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A Vietnamese fishing boat from the central province of Quang Ngai on Tuesday reported that a Chinese ship robbed it of property worth US$13,780 when it was operating off Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago on Sunday. At 9:00 am on June 14, sailors from the Chinese ship boarded a ship coded QNg 90205 and then took away about five metric tons of aquatic products, along with an Icom walkie-talkie and a positioning system. Worse, they also destroyed fishing gear of the local boat. This is the third since June 7, when the first case occurred. On that day, a Chinese ship also chased and then fired its water cannon at another fishing boat from Quang Ngai, QNg 90369, when it was operating about four nautical miles off Bom Bay Island, part of Hoang Sa. The powerful water cannon caused two of the 13 fishermen on board to fall and get injured. The total damage caused by this attack amounted to about VND750 million (US$34,400), according to an estimate by the Sa Ky Border Guard Station.

Documentary on national sovereignty in East Sea premieres

On June 18th,  Ho Chi Minh City Television (HTV) announced its documentary series on the Vietnamese sea and islands, demonstrating the country’s national sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos. With filming starting in 2012 in nine different countries, the five-episode documentary series shows the Vietnamese governing process over its territories in the East Sea since the feudal age. It features interviews with international experts and an analysis of historical documents, including the royal history records dating back to the Le and Nguyen Dynasties, such as a national map drawn in 1838. The films will be translated into different languages and may include additional chapters later on if more documents become available.

Philippines

Philippines to present case against China's claim over South China Sea at UN court

Speaking to reporters in Malina, The Philippines Foreign Department Spokesman Charles Josesaid "right now we are preparing for the oral arguments in The Hague on July 7 to 13. Our team from Manila and from the United States will be flying there." Philippine officials and diplomats, assisted by US lawyers, will represent the country in the proceedings.

Pinoys fear armed conflict with China; Philippines peace index down

According to survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) from March 20 to 23, using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 respondents nationwide. Eight in 10 Filipinos fear possible armed conflict between the Philippines and China over the disputed Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal. The SWS shows the level of “worry about armed conflict with China in the disputed islands of Scarborough Shoal” remained high at 84 percent, 49 percent saying that they “worried a great deal” and 35 percent saying they were “somewhat worried.” In response to the survey: deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said “It would be unnatural if you don’t worry about armed conflict because it’s a given that in conflict no one wins. That is what the government is being careful about.”

Malaysia

Malaysia And ASEAN Member Nations Don't Recognise China's Claim In South China Sea

In a reply to a question from Datuk Ahmad Hamzah (BN-Jasin) on the list of international boundary disputes which were still at the negotiation stage and measures by the ministry to resolve the conflicts, Malaysia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Hamzah Zainuddin said the claims based on the 'nine-dash line' were not in line with the United Nations Convention on the Law of The Sea 1982. "Malaysia's stand is that the boundary issue must be resolved peacefully through negotiations based on international law.”

The United States

The U.S urges China not to further militarize outposts.

Speaking at Washington Foreign Press Center on June 18th, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel R. Russel said “The recent announcement out of Beijing that the Chinese Government intends to continue and expand the construction of facilities on the reclaimed outposts that it’s been constructing in the South China Sea is troubling not just to us, but to the countries in the region. Frankly, we’re concerned, and others are concerned. The simple fact is that neither that statement nor that behavior contributes to reducing tensions. Certainly, the prospect of militarizing those outposts runs counter to the goal of reducing tensions. And that’s why we consistently urge China to cease reclamation, to not construct further facilities, and certainly not to further militarize outposts in the South China Sea.”

Regional Snapshots

Vietnam, China cooperation steering committee holds 8th meeting

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Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh paid a visit to Beijing from June 17-19 to attend the eighth meeting of the Vietnam-China Steering Committee on Bilateral Cooperation. At the meeting, Minh and Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi focused discussions on measures to realise agreements reached during Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s visit to China in April 2015 and efficiently implement an action programme on the Vietnam-China strategic cooperative partnership in order to enhance bilateral ties. The two sides also exchanged views candidly on maritime issues, stressing the need to follow important common perceptions reached by the Parties’ and States’ high-level leaders, and strictly implement the agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of maritime issues. They emphasised the importance of effectively using government-level negotiation mechanisms for the Vietnam-China territorial border; using negotiations to seek basic and long-term solutions acceptable for both countries to controlling differences at sea; fully implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC); working towards the formation of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC); and avoiding any actions that complicate disputes in order to maintain the Vietnam-China partnership as well as peace and stability in the East Sea.

U.S. Pacific commander may withdraw China’s invite to Rimpac exercise

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Adm. Harry Harris said in a recent media briefing in Tokyo that as long as China does not change its aggressive stance in the South China Sea, the United States reserves the right to withdraw its invitation to multilateral naval exercises in the Pacific, RIMPAC 2016. He said China’s continued land reclamation in the South China Sea “increases the challenge for all of us and makes it more important than ever that we continue to confront China on the issue.” He further criticized China’s actions by saying, “You don’t build sovereignty on ‘castles of sand.’ Sovereignty must be based on rules, norms and international law.” RIMPAC, the world's largest naval exercise, is hosted biannually by the United States in the Pacific around Hawaii.

Putin Hails Russia-China Ties

Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 19th heralded Sino-Russian relations as having reached a level “unprecedented in history,” a day after China signed up to help in the design of a Russian high-speed rail link that ranks among the largest current infrastructure projects in the country. Mr. Putin also emphasized the Kremlin’s efforts to cultivate closer economic links to China. He said he hopes to increase Russia’s trade with China to $200 billion from $85 billion in the coming years. “China is our largest trade and economic partner,” Mr. Putin said. “Our relations are developing very effectively.” One example of the new era of Sino-Russian cooperation is the high-speed rail link that Russia is building to connect Moscow and Kazan, a city about 480 miles due east of the capital. On June 18th, the design unit of state-controlled China Railway Group agreed to partner with two Russian companies to craft a plan for state-controlled Russian Railways to build a rail connection that would reduce the travel time between the two cities to 3½ hours from about 12½ hours.