Asia defense spending: New arms race in South China Sea
Indonesia alone is buying 20 frigates from the Netherlands to upgrade its naval capabilities.
Vaishali Gauba
8 Hours AgoCNBC.com
The Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Taiwan are beefing up their military in the face of increasingly bold incursions in the region by China. But most of that spending is not going to weapons makers in the United States.
An Indonesian naval vessel.
Getty Images
China has over recent years declared increasing levels of sovereignty over the South China Sea, even parts of it that are far from the Chinese mainland. Largely as a result, other nations in the region have allocated more money for weapons and are expected to spend even more: IHS Janes sees virtually every nation in the region boosting expenditures—Indonesian procurement spending is expected to spike by 61 percent by 2021, for instance, and the Philippines is seen doubling spending in that time frame. (Tweet This)
But so far, most of those procurement dollars aren't going to the United States. Between 2012 and 2013, the value of U.S. military sales agreements with all but one of those nations declined, according to a U.S. Department of Defense report. Gregory Polling, fellow with the Sumitro Chair for Southeast Asia Studies for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that although that decrease may not be reflective of total expenditures, the claimant nations are weighing their options when it comes to whom they buy from.
"The United States is the biggest provider of the security systems (in the world overall), but all of these countries are understandably looking more broadly than the U.S.," Polling said.
Take Vietnam, for example. The country has the most modern defense systems among all the countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), but it's procuring more than 72 percent of its equipment from Russia for contracts signed since 2010.
Other major arms suppliers to the South China Sea region include France, the United Kingdom, Spain, South Korea, Japan and Brazil, according to data provided by Ben Moores, senior defense analyst at IHS Janes.
Moores pointed to several recent examples of contracts that have gone to nations besides the United States: the Philippines' purchase of FA-50 trainer jets and combat aircraft from South Korea; Vietnam's six kilo-class submarines and 12 corvettes deal with Russia; and Indonesia's buying 20 frigates from the Netherlands to upgrade its weak naval capabilities.
The Philippines—the country that perhaps feels the most direct threat from Chinese efforts to establish ownership of the Spratly islands—is seen spending more on maritime weapons, with annual defense procurement rising from $273 million today to $500 million in 2021, according to IHS Janes.
"The Philippines' military has been a weak player for a long time," said Duncan Innes-Ker, regional editor for Asia at the Economist Intelligence Unit. "It really doesn't have the capacity for naval. Even if it invests more, it is never going to able to create a force that makes China think twice."
To be sure, the United States continues to supply military equipment to nations involved in the South China Sea dispute. Signed U.S. contracts for delivery between 2010 and 2024 constitute about 30 percent of the Philippines' total contracts, 40 percent of Singapore's and 90 percent of Taiwan's total contracts, according to data from IHS Janes. For Indonesia and Malaysia, U.S. contracts make up about 9.7 percent and 3.3 percent, respectively.
Polling said the United States contributes in other ways that are not reflected in the Department of Defense data, such as helping the Philippines boost its military infrastructure, for example. "The U.S. is already committed in helping boost capacity for its partners," he said. "It is committed to expand military infrastructure, build airfields, runways, increase naval and air force capabilities and refueling capacity, and other infrastructure."
Moores said that Vietnam has an edge over other nations in the region because of its early involvement in the dispute with China. For others, it's too late in the game to catch up to China.
"All these countries are only trying to build their military to the extent that China incurs a cost if it goes any further," Moores said. "It be can be a big speed bump, but their militaries can't individually stand against the Chinese navy."
Asia defense spending: New arms race in South China Sea
China unhappy after Indonesia sinks illegal fishermen's boats
The Indonesian navy blows up foreign boats caught fishing illegally in Indonesian waters near Bitung, North Sulawesi on May 20, 2015 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Photo by Reuters/Fiqman Sunandar/Antara Foto
JAKARTA - Beijing expressed concern Thursday after Indonesia destroyed 41 impounded foreign vessels including a Chinese boat, as the world's biggest archipelago nation ramps up efforts to stop illegal fishing in its waters.
Indonesia sank the empty fishing vessels at several sites Wednesday, local media reported, including a large Chinese ship detained in 2009 for fishing in Indonesia's exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea.
Boats from Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines which had been caught fishing illegally in Indonesian waters were also sunk, with some blown up using dynamite.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo launched the campaign to clamp down on illegal fishing soon after taking office in October and several foreign trawlers had already been sunk, but it was the first time a Chinese boat was targeted.
Jakarta had been accused in the past of turning a blind eye to illegal Chinese fishing activities in Indonesian waters, not wanting to anger its vastly more powerful trading partner.
However Beijing was unhappy at the move.
"China is gravely concerned about relevant reports, and is asking the Indonesian side to make clarifications," foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters.
"We hope that the Indonesian side can press ahead with fishery cooperation in a constructive manner and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies."
Indonesia does not have overlapping territorial claims with Beijing in the hotly contested South China Sea, home to vital shipping lanes and believed to be rich in oil and gas, unlike several other Asian nations.
But Jakarta has objected to China's nine-dash line -- the demarcation Beijing uses on maps to demonstrate its claim to almost the whole of the sea -- as it overlaps with Indonesia's exclusive economic zone around Natuna, a string of islands rich in fishing stocks on the farnorthwest fringe of the archipelago.
Indonesia has defended its policy of seizing and destroying illegal fishing boats and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti told The Jakarta Post newspaper that sinking vessels was for "the welfare of our fishermen".
Widodo has said illegal fishing costs Southeast Asia's biggest economy billions of dollars in lost revenues every year. He hopes that increased earnings from fishing can boost economic growth, which has sunk to a five-year low.
Authorities also say foreigners illegally fishing in Indonesia are partly responsible for massive damage to the environment due to the widespread use of explosives and cyanide.
China unhappy after Indonesia sinks illegal fishermen's boats | ABS-CBN News
20 frigates or 2 SIGMA PKR 10514???
New Recruit
What is its utility?
New Recruit
Then I guess that it's there to protect the side-mirrors.
Then I guess that it's there to protect the side-mirrors.
Also, during the zombie apocalypse, it enhances the durability of the doors it reduces the work-load on the hero whence running over Zombies.
JK
Although it just still a license plan, hopefully it can actually be realized in the future. Considering our Parchims fleet is getting older, I think this PKR project is very appropriate to serve as a replacements program..,
