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Activities of related parties

China

China stages live-firing drills in Tonkin Gulf amid tensions
Chinese Maritime Safety Administration said ships and boats were barred from the area between its southern island province of Hainan and the northern coast of Vietnam from Monday to Wednesday for live-firing exercises in the Tonkin Gulf. This is the latest in a series of military drills that come amid renewed tensions among disputants to territory in the South China Sea.

China welcomes Philippine President Duterte's remarks

Speaking in a Press Conference on August 24, China's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lu Kang said that: "China welcomes President Duterte's remarks that the Philippines would not bring up the South China Sea issue in the upcoming meetings on East Asia cooperation. China remains committed to peacefully resolving disputes in the South China Sea with countries directly concerned including the Philippines through negotiation and consultation, and upholding regional peace and stability alongside ASEAN countries. We look forward to having dialogue with the Philippines at an early date."

The Philippines

Duterte warns China: If you invade PH, it would be bloody

Speaking to troops at the 2nd Infantry Batallion on August 23, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said: "I hope China is dealing with us in good faith. They seem to be conciliatory. Whether we like it or not, that arbitral judgment would be insisted not only by the Philippines but by the whole countries here in Southeast Asia." Duterte also expressed his fears of what might happen if the Philippines and China would “not understand each other.” “I guarantee to them that if they invade our country, it would be bloody. And we will not give it to them easily. It would be the bones of our soldiers, include my own but we will not allow any country to invade the Philippines,” he stressed.

Philippines' Duterte says talks with China on sea dispute 'within the year'

Speaking to reporters at the presidential palace in Manila on August 23, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said that he expects talks with China on their South China Sea dispute within a year. Duterte also said the Philippines had no intention of raising the arbitration ruling during the summit, although he added: "If somebody dwells on it, we will discuss, but for the Philippines, we have talks." 

Cambodia

Don’t mention South China Sea, Cambodia's government tells Asean

Cambodia's Cambodian People's Party (CPP) lawmaker Cheam Yeap confirmed on August 23 that the National Assembly will ask the head of the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) to strike a paragraph referring to the South China Sea conflict from a statement the organization plans to issue at the end of a September meeting in Vientiane. “After we received a general draft statement from the general secretariat of AIPA in Jakarta, we discussed it and agreed we should take out the paragraph on the South China Sea because our country is not involved,” Mr. Yeap said in a recording of an interview with reporters from the Reaksmei Kampuchea Daily.

Regional Snapshots

US, ASEAN states launch maritime exercise in Singapore

The annual multilateral Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training (SEACAT) exercise this year saw the largest number of navies participating, with navies from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, the US, and for the first time Bangladesh and Cambodia. By crafting practical responses to realistic scenarios using actual information sources – including Singapore’s Information Fusion Center, Malaysia’s International Maritime Bureau, or the Philippines’ Coast Watch System – the participating countries hope to hone their communication and coordination so that they will be better prepared to respond when an actual crisis occurs. “SEACAT enables nations to work through complex maritime security challenges in a cooperative and inclusive environment,” Rear Adm. Don Gabrielson, commander of Task Force 73 – a Navy task force which coordinates exercises for Southeast Asia, said in the statement. “Sharing ideas, innovation and experience allows us to learn from each other and capture best practices to prepare for real-world contingencies.”

Russia-China South China Sea drills to be held on September

Speaking to TASS on August, Vladimir Matveyev, a spokesman for the Russian Navy’s Pacific Fleet said that Russia and China have agreed to hold their planned joint drills in the South China on September 12-19. Sporting and cultural events will also be held within the framework of the drills, he added. Matveyev said the exercises would focus on organized efforts to protect merchant ships in the South China Sea. There will also be landings on islands, he added.

Japan, Australia to urge China to comply with S. China Sea ruling

The Japanese and Australian defense ministers agreed on August 25 to urge China to comply with an international tribunal ruling that denied Beijing's claims to almost all of the contested South China Sea, Japanese Defense Ministry officials said. Japan and Australia have said the July 12 decision by the U.N.-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration, which rejected China's expansive claims to the South China Sea as having no legal basis, are legally binding.