South China Sea Forum
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Beidou2020
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What's the full displacement of the tug?
UN Court Reaffirms Unrelated to South China Sea Arbitral Tribunal
By Ren Yan (People's Daily) 00:41, July 16, 2016
The United Nations (UN) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) recently issued statements reiterating that they have no connection to the temporary arbitral tribunal established under UNCLOS for the South China Sea case brought unilaterally by the Philippines.
The spokesperson of UN Secretary-General also stated that “the UN doesn't have a position on the legal and procedural merits of the case or on the disputed claims” at a daily briefing on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, the UN’s official account on Sina Weibo, China’s answer to Twitter, posted that the tribunal has nothing to do with the UN.
“The ICJ, located at the Peace Palace, is the principal judicial organ of the UN, which was established in accordance with the UN Charter,” reads the post.
The Peace Place is built to house the Permanent Court of International Justice, the predecessor of the ICJ, by the Carnegie Foundation. The UN donates to the foundation annually for using the building, the post explained.
“Another tenant of the Peace Palace is the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) established in 1899, but it has no correlation with the UN,” the post further pointed out.
Former ICJ Judge Abdul Koroma confirmed the UN’s post to People’s Daily. He said that the temporary tribunal is not an UN institution and the PCA is not a court in a real sense.
“Many people who are not familiar with the situation would confuse the tribunal with the ICJ who shares the same office building,” Koroma noted.
The PCA is merely an international mediation agency that allows arbitration for non-state entities and individuals. According to Koroma, only 16 arbitration requests have been accepted in its 117-year-long history.
The ICJ also released a statement on its official website on Thursday, stating that “the Award in the South China Sea Arbitration was issued by an Arbitral Tribunal acting with the secretarial assistance of the PCA. The ICJ, which is a totally distinct institution, has had no involvement in the above mentioned case.”
According to insiders of the ICJ, the temporary tribunal only used the hall room of the PCA during court hearing. The arbitral tribunal is just a provisional organization set at the unilateral request of the Philippines for compulsory arbitration.
An unnamed staff member of the PCA told People’s Daily that arbitrators of this temporary set-up have no work ethic and they only care about money. “This institution is no place for justice. It has been reduced to a commercial venue for private interests,” said the employee.
In an interview with People’s Daily, Rao Pemmaraju, former Chairman of the International Law Commission, explicitly pointed out that territorial issues are not subject to the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea and delimitation issues have been excluded from compulsory arbitration procedures in statements of the Chinese government, thus the tribunal has no jurisdiction over the case.
http://en.people.cn/n3/2016/0716/c90000-9086845.html
By Ren Yan (People's Daily) 00:41, July 16, 2016
The United Nations (UN) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) recently issued statements reiterating that they have no connection to the temporary arbitral tribunal established under UNCLOS for the South China Sea case brought unilaterally by the Philippines.
The spokesperson of UN Secretary-General also stated that “the UN doesn't have a position on the legal and procedural merits of the case or on the disputed claims” at a daily briefing on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, the UN’s official account on Sina Weibo, China’s answer to Twitter, posted that the tribunal has nothing to do with the UN.
“The ICJ, located at the Peace Palace, is the principal judicial organ of the UN, which was established in accordance with the UN Charter,” reads the post.
The Peace Place is built to house the Permanent Court of International Justice, the predecessor of the ICJ, by the Carnegie Foundation. The UN donates to the foundation annually for using the building, the post explained.
“Another tenant of the Peace Palace is the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) established in 1899, but it has no correlation with the UN,” the post further pointed out.
Former ICJ Judge Abdul Koroma confirmed the UN’s post to People’s Daily. He said that the temporary tribunal is not an UN institution and the PCA is not a court in a real sense.
“Many people who are not familiar with the situation would confuse the tribunal with the ICJ who shares the same office building,” Koroma noted.
The PCA is merely an international mediation agency that allows arbitration for non-state entities and individuals. According to Koroma, only 16 arbitration requests have been accepted in its 117-year-long history.
The ICJ also released a statement on its official website on Thursday, stating that “the Award in the South China Sea Arbitration was issued by an Arbitral Tribunal acting with the secretarial assistance of the PCA. The ICJ, which is a totally distinct institution, has had no involvement in the above mentioned case.”
According to insiders of the ICJ, the temporary tribunal only used the hall room of the PCA during court hearing. The arbitral tribunal is just a provisional organization set at the unilateral request of the Philippines for compulsory arbitration.
An unnamed staff member of the PCA told People’s Daily that arbitrators of this temporary set-up have no work ethic and they only care about money. “This institution is no place for justice. It has been reduced to a commercial venue for private interests,” said the employee.
In an interview with People’s Daily, Rao Pemmaraju, former Chairman of the International Law Commission, explicitly pointed out that territorial issues are not subject to the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea and delimitation issues have been excluded from compulsory arbitration procedures in statements of the Chinese government, thus the tribunal has no jurisdiction over the case.
http://en.people.cn/n3/2016/0716/c90000-9086845.html
cochine
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Abe stresses rule of law at meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang
Posted on July 16, 2016
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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang held talks in Ulan Bator Friday, days after an international tribunal ruled Beijing’s claims in the South China Sea have no basis in international law.
Abe stressed the need to resolve South China Sea conflicts in a peaceful manner under the rule of law.
The Chinese government has rejected the closely watched ruling, saying in a statement that it is “null and void and has no binding force.” The Japanese government has urged China to accept it.
The leaders met on the sidelines of a two-day summit of Asian and European leaders in the Mongolian capital, where Abe has pledged to emphasize the importance of the peaceful resolution of disputes under the rule of law.
After the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague on Tuesday rejected China’s claims to historic and economic rights over the South China Sea in a case brought by the Philippines. (PNA/Kyodo)
Posted on July 16, 2016
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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang held talks in Ulan Bator Friday, days after an international tribunal ruled Beijing’s claims in the South China Sea have no basis in international law.
Abe stressed the need to resolve South China Sea conflicts in a peaceful manner under the rule of law.
The Chinese government has rejected the closely watched ruling, saying in a statement that it is “null and void and has no binding force.” The Japanese government has urged China to accept it.
The leaders met on the sidelines of a two-day summit of Asian and European leaders in the Mongolian capital, where Abe has pledged to emphasize the importance of the peaceful resolution of disputes under the rule of law.
After the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague on Tuesday rejected China’s claims to historic and economic rights over the South China Sea in a case brought by the Philippines. (PNA/Kyodo)
The only winner is the U.S. after they destroyed the legitimacy of UNCLOS and the tribunal with their extreme blackmailing and pressure on parties to force them to step out of their bounds and do break convention people have agreed upon.
They see their power gap waning now they trey to destroy every diplomatic channel that that ought to stabilize their "enemies".
They see their power gap waning now they trey to destroy every diplomatic channel that that ought to stabilize their "enemies".
Chinese premier wins backing over South China Sea at ASEM Summit
(Xinhua) 08:28, July 17, 2016
(Xinhua/Ma Zhancheng)
ULAN BATOR, July 16 -- In Mongolia over the weekend, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's effort to promote China's stance on the South China Seaissue received broad support during the 11th Asian-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit.
Li said Saturday before he returned to China that the South China Sea arbitration award will have no impact on China's territorial sovereignty and maritime interests.
Speaking in an informal meeting during the summit, Li said the South China Sea issue should not be subject to multilateral discussions from the very beginning, or be included in the summit's agenda.
"But since certain countries commented on the issue, it is thus necessary for China to come out to clarify its stance and spell out the truth," he said.
Li said China has never participated in the arbitration unilaterally initiated by the Philippines, adding that his country neither accepts nor acknowledges the so-called arbitration award.
"By doing so, we are both exercising our rights in accordance with international law, and safeguarding the dignity of international law," he said.
"Under no circumstance will the arbitration award exert any impact on China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea," Li added.
The Chinese premier said China remains committed to settling the South China Sea disputes via dialogue and consultation with countries directly involved on the basis of historical facts and in accordance with international law, so as to safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea.
This is the first time the Chinese premier has made an open statement on the South China Sea issue at an international forum following the South China Sea arbitration award issued Tuesday.
Li did not include the issue in his keynote speech at the start of the two-day summit. However, faced with certain nations' attempts to stir up tension and interfere in the South China Sea issue in the summit, Li expounded China's stance of non-acceptance of and non-participation in the arbitration proceedings, as part of his diplomatic offensive.
In a meeting with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc Thursday, Li said the South China Sea issue should be solved through bilateral negotiations between relevant parties in line with historical facts, international law and the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC).
One day later, he told Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen that China will work with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to protect regional peace and stability as well as the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.
Li's toughest remarks were directed at Japan, which, according to a Chinese diplomat that demanded anonymity, had sought in vain to include the arbitration case into the chair's statement of the summit.
Tokyo, not a state directly involved in the South China Sea issue, should thus stop hyping up and interfering in the South China Sea issue and "exercise caution in its own words and deeds," Li told Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in a Friday meeting at the latter's request.
China's stance on the issue is completely in line with international law and the DOC, Li said.
The Chinese premier's statements have been keenly received and won the backing from a number of Asian and European heavyweight leaders.
In the meeting with Li, Vietnam's Nguyen Xuan Phuc said his nation respects China's stance on the arbitration, adding that the disputes should be solved peacefully through negotiations.
Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith said on the same day that Laos supports China's stance over the South China Sea issue, and stands ready to work with China to maintain peace and stability in the region.
Their words were echoed by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who said on Friday that his country supports settlement of the South China Sea disputes through dialogue and consultation between countries directly concerned.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev also said Russia opposes the internationalization of the South China Sea disputes or any interference by the forces outside the region.
Russia supports China's principles on resolving the disputes, Medvedev said. He called for bilateral negotiations and consultations between directly relevant parties to solve the issue.
According to the anonymous Chinese diplomat, a vast number of countries "expressed understanding of China's stance in difference forms" and "accepted our stance on dispute settlement via dialogue and consultation."
"On the one hand, more and more countries have come to understand China's standpoints via extensive exchanges with the Chinese side," he said.
"On the other hand, the Nice attack had shed light on the importance of peace and stability," he added, referring to Thursday's truck attack in southern Francethat has claimed over 80 lives.
"We realize that the real threat in front of us is terrorism. There are neither wars nor conflicts in the South China Sea. Only a volatile South China Sea would threaten regional peace and stability," the diplomat noted. "Our 'friends circle' on the South China Sea issue seems to be getting bigger and bigger."
http://en.people.cn/n3/2016/0717/c90000-9087190.html
(Xinhua) 08:28, July 17, 2016
(Xinhua/Ma Zhancheng)
ULAN BATOR, July 16 -- In Mongolia over the weekend, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's effort to promote China's stance on the South China Seaissue received broad support during the 11th Asian-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit.
Li said Saturday before he returned to China that the South China Sea arbitration award will have no impact on China's territorial sovereignty and maritime interests.
Speaking in an informal meeting during the summit, Li said the South China Sea issue should not be subject to multilateral discussions from the very beginning, or be included in the summit's agenda.
"But since certain countries commented on the issue, it is thus necessary for China to come out to clarify its stance and spell out the truth," he said.
Li said China has never participated in the arbitration unilaterally initiated by the Philippines, adding that his country neither accepts nor acknowledges the so-called arbitration award.
"By doing so, we are both exercising our rights in accordance with international law, and safeguarding the dignity of international law," he said.
"Under no circumstance will the arbitration award exert any impact on China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea," Li added.
The Chinese premier said China remains committed to settling the South China Sea disputes via dialogue and consultation with countries directly involved on the basis of historical facts and in accordance with international law, so as to safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea.
This is the first time the Chinese premier has made an open statement on the South China Sea issue at an international forum following the South China Sea arbitration award issued Tuesday.
Li did not include the issue in his keynote speech at the start of the two-day summit. However, faced with certain nations' attempts to stir up tension and interfere in the South China Sea issue in the summit, Li expounded China's stance of non-acceptance of and non-participation in the arbitration proceedings, as part of his diplomatic offensive.
In a meeting with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc Thursday, Li said the South China Sea issue should be solved through bilateral negotiations between relevant parties in line with historical facts, international law and the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC).
One day later, he told Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen that China will work with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to protect regional peace and stability as well as the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.
Li's toughest remarks were directed at Japan, which, according to a Chinese diplomat that demanded anonymity, had sought in vain to include the arbitration case into the chair's statement of the summit.
Tokyo, not a state directly involved in the South China Sea issue, should thus stop hyping up and interfering in the South China Sea issue and "exercise caution in its own words and deeds," Li told Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in a Friday meeting at the latter's request.
China's stance on the issue is completely in line with international law and the DOC, Li said.
The Chinese premier's statements have been keenly received and won the backing from a number of Asian and European heavyweight leaders.
In the meeting with Li, Vietnam's Nguyen Xuan Phuc said his nation respects China's stance on the arbitration, adding that the disputes should be solved peacefully through negotiations.
Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith said on the same day that Laos supports China's stance over the South China Sea issue, and stands ready to work with China to maintain peace and stability in the region.
Their words were echoed by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who said on Friday that his country supports settlement of the South China Sea disputes through dialogue and consultation between countries directly concerned.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev also said Russia opposes the internationalization of the South China Sea disputes or any interference by the forces outside the region.
Russia supports China's principles on resolving the disputes, Medvedev said. He called for bilateral negotiations and consultations between directly relevant parties to solve the issue.
According to the anonymous Chinese diplomat, a vast number of countries "expressed understanding of China's stance in difference forms" and "accepted our stance on dispute settlement via dialogue and consultation."
"On the one hand, more and more countries have come to understand China's standpoints via extensive exchanges with the Chinese side," he said.
"On the other hand, the Nice attack had shed light on the importance of peace and stability," he added, referring to Thursday's truck attack in southern Francethat has claimed over 80 lives.
"We realize that the real threat in front of us is terrorism. There are neither wars nor conflicts in the South China Sea. Only a volatile South China Sea would threaten regional peace and stability," the diplomat noted. "Our 'friends circle' on the South China Sea issue seems to be getting bigger and bigger."
http://en.people.cn/n3/2016/0717/c90000-9087190.html
cochine
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hey viets, you are next
yes, the next case will be submitted to PCA is Paracel Islands in Cochin 交趾 Sea. as Chinese had recognized long before in the past. there is is historical sea territory òf Vietnam.
yusheng
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i don't know its displacement.
the main character of a tug is its power usually indicated by horsepower, not its displacement, just as a truck is not a tractor. this one al teast has 10000 hoursepower.
tugs are good at extrusion, dragging, impacting, so the use of tug in PLAN is obvious when you can not use weapon. such size tug is not prepared for viet's and pino's warships.
note, PLAN tugs are not used against foreign civilian ships, we have other tugs to fulfill the tasks.
you can see the viet used tugs too.
if anyone can play "international laws" in such a cheap way, then no one will finally respect the "international laws", that is why Chinese Foreign ministry spokesman says, australian looked down upon the "international laws" , to the end, it is not about the fame of a nation, but the world wild war to rebuild world orders and laws.
and that is why too, the UN , and many other countires tried to stand away form the PCA.
Last edited:
SEAISI
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yes, the next case will be submitted to PCA is Paracel Islands in Cochin 交趾 Sea. as Chinese had recognized long before in the past. there is is historical sea territory òf Vietnam.
Do it, otherwise you are my grandson lol
Beautiful ship! Crush those trepassing viets with no mercy
JSCh
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Japanese archives confirm Chinese settled on South China Sea islands
(Xinhua) 08:55, July 17, 2016
NANJING, July 13 -- When Japanese explorer Takeji Miyoshi's expedition dropped anchor near a small island in the South China Sea on Aug. 19, 1933, they were received by three Chinese fishermen.
Takeji's diary entry stated that the fishermen had built houses on Beizi (Northeast Cay), one of the Nansha Islands, which are also known as the Spratly chain. The fishermen offered to show the crew around the island.
Following this first interaction with Chinese residents, Takeji Miyoshi discovered it was not a chance meeting, as he explored the area he found that many of the other islands were home to groups of Chinese fishermen.
He wrote that a large number of fishermen from Hainan had relocated to the small islands in the South China Sea. His team kept detailed records on the daily lives of the fishermen, who called these islands home. Their archives include information on agriculture cultivation and a birth register.
Hu Zhuoran, a member of the Modern History Association in east China's Jiangsu Province, has been researching Miyoshi's documents.
He said that the Japanese had collected lots of details on Chinese inhabitants of the Nansha Islands.
"The archives show that Chinese actually lived on and explored the islands. They were settled," Hu said.
The central government on Tuesday refused to recognize an tribunal award issued on the South China Sea, which denied China's territorial sovereignty on the sea.
The award by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague stated that all of the "features" in the Spratly chain mean the islands are legally "rocks."
The Philippines sought the arbitration from the tribunal on several issues related to its territorial disputes with China.
The Spratly chain is known as the Nansha Islands to China.
The Japanese explorer, in his ledger, said that his expedition team saw anti-Japanese posters across the island of Zhongye.
The posters were related to the Japanese invasion of northeast China in 1931.
Hu Dekun, head of the China Institute of Boundary and Ocean Studies with the Wuhan University, said that records show that in 1939, Japan occupied all of the Xisha and Nansha islands.
After the World War II, China recovered its sovereignty and jurisdiction over the islands in compliance of the Cairo Declaration, which states that "the territories stolen by Japan from China should be returned to China."
In 1948, an official Chinese map of the South China Sea was released to the International Community. None of the countries in the sea area objected to China's nine-dashed line demarcation.
Hu pointed out that before the Philippines gained independence in 1946, America had not recognized Nansha Islands as Philippine territory.
In 1970s, the Philippines illegally occupied the islands. As a smoke screen, it described the largest island, Taiping Island, as a "rock", in a rejection of China's sovereignty over the island and its surrounding waters.
The "rock," however, had six freshwater wells and lush vegetation when China recovered it from Japan.
According to Japanese archives, during its occupation of Taiping Island, Japanese mined phosphate, and it was home to over 600 people.
Hu said there was plenty of evidence showing the Nansha Islands and its adjacent waters to be Chinese territory. The Chinese people were the first to name and develop the islands and it was the Chinese government that first asserted sovereignty over them.
(Xinhua) 08:55, July 17, 2016
NANJING, July 13 -- When Japanese explorer Takeji Miyoshi's expedition dropped anchor near a small island in the South China Sea on Aug. 19, 1933, they were received by three Chinese fishermen.
Takeji's diary entry stated that the fishermen had built houses on Beizi (Northeast Cay), one of the Nansha Islands, which are also known as the Spratly chain. The fishermen offered to show the crew around the island.
Following this first interaction with Chinese residents, Takeji Miyoshi discovered it was not a chance meeting, as he explored the area he found that many of the other islands were home to groups of Chinese fishermen.
He wrote that a large number of fishermen from Hainan had relocated to the small islands in the South China Sea. His team kept detailed records on the daily lives of the fishermen, who called these islands home. Their archives include information on agriculture cultivation and a birth register.
Hu Zhuoran, a member of the Modern History Association in east China's Jiangsu Province, has been researching Miyoshi's documents.
He said that the Japanese had collected lots of details on Chinese inhabitants of the Nansha Islands.
"The archives show that Chinese actually lived on and explored the islands. They were settled," Hu said.
The central government on Tuesday refused to recognize an tribunal award issued on the South China Sea, which denied China's territorial sovereignty on the sea.
The award by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague stated that all of the "features" in the Spratly chain mean the islands are legally "rocks."
The Philippines sought the arbitration from the tribunal on several issues related to its territorial disputes with China.
The Spratly chain is known as the Nansha Islands to China.
The Japanese explorer, in his ledger, said that his expedition team saw anti-Japanese posters across the island of Zhongye.
The posters were related to the Japanese invasion of northeast China in 1931.
Hu Dekun, head of the China Institute of Boundary and Ocean Studies with the Wuhan University, said that records show that in 1939, Japan occupied all of the Xisha and Nansha islands.
After the World War II, China recovered its sovereignty and jurisdiction over the islands in compliance of the Cairo Declaration, which states that "the territories stolen by Japan from China should be returned to China."
In 1948, an official Chinese map of the South China Sea was released to the International Community. None of the countries in the sea area objected to China's nine-dashed line demarcation.
Hu pointed out that before the Philippines gained independence in 1946, America had not recognized Nansha Islands as Philippine territory.
In 1970s, the Philippines illegally occupied the islands. As a smoke screen, it described the largest island, Taiping Island, as a "rock", in a rejection of China's sovereignty over the island and its surrounding waters.
The "rock," however, had six freshwater wells and lush vegetation when China recovered it from Japan.
According to Japanese archives, during its occupation of Taiping Island, Japanese mined phosphate, and it was home to over 600 people.
Hu said there was plenty of evidence showing the Nansha Islands and its adjacent waters to be Chinese territory. The Chinese people were the first to name and develop the islands and it was the Chinese government that first asserted sovereignty over them.
lcloo
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No opposition againt China in South China Sea ruling except Japan's Abe who had sought in vain to include the arbitration case into the chair's statement of the summit in Asia-Europe Meeting ASEM summit in Mongolia this week end, attended by prime ministers and presidents of Asian and Europen countries.
European countries refused to support Japan's Abe. Not even Vietnam's Nguyen Xuan Phuc voiced any support for Abe for his vain attempt.
Note: ASEM membership has 51 countries from Europe and Asia, plus European Union and ASEAN Secretariat having a separate membership.
Spotlight: Chinese premier wins backing over South China Sea at ASEM Summit Source: Xinhua | 2016-07-16 21:39:36 | Editor: huaxia
ULAN BATOR, July 15, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Chinese PremierLi Keqiang(C, front) delivers a speech during the 11th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit in Ulan Bator, Mongolia, July 15, 2016.(Xinhua/Ma Zhancheng)
ULAN BATOR, July 16 (Xinhua) -- In Mongolia over the weekend, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's effort to promote China's stance on the South China Sea issue received broad support during the 11th Asian-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit.
Li said Saturday before he returned to China that the South China Sea arbitration award will have no impact on China's territorial sovereignty and maritime interests.
Speaking in an informal meeting during the summit, Li said the South China Sea issue should not be subject to multilateral discussions from the very beginning, or be included in the summit's agenda.
"But since certain countries commented on the issue, it is thus necessary for China to come out to clarify its stance and spell out the truth," he said.
Li said China has never participated in the arbitration unilaterally initiated by the Philippines, adding that his country neither accepts nor acknowledges the so-called arbitration award.
"By doing so, we are both exercising our rights in accordance with international law, and safeguarding the dignity of international law," he said.
"Under no circumstance will the arbitration award exert any impact on China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea," Li added.
The Chinese premier said China remains committed to settling the South China Sea disputes via dialogue and consultation with countries directly involved on the basis of historical facts and in accordance with international law, so as to safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea.
This is the first time the Chinese premier has made an open statement on the South China Sea issue at an international forum following the South China Sea arbitration award issued Tuesday.
Li did not include the issue in his keynote speech at the start of the two-day summit. However, faced with certain nations' attempts to stir up tension and interfere in the South China Sea issue in the summit, Li expounded China's stance of non-acceptance of and non-participation in the arbitration proceedings, as part of his diplomatic offensive.
In a meeting with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc Thursday, Li said the South China Sea issue should be solved through bilateral negotiations between relevant parties in line with historical facts, international law and the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC).
One day later, he told Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen that China will work with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to protect regional peace and stability as well as the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.
Li's toughest remarks were directed at Japan, which, according to a Chinese diplomat that demanded anonymity, had sought in vain to include the arbitration case into the chair's statement of the summit.
Tokyo, not a state directly involved in the South China Sea issue, should thus stop hyping up and interfering in the South China Sea issue and "exercise caution in its own words and deeds," Li told Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in a Friday meeting at the latter's request.
China's stance on the issue is completely in line with international law and the DOC, Li said.
The Chinese premier's statements have been keenly received and won the backing from a number of Asian and European heavyweight leaders.
In the meeting with Li, Vietnam's Nguyen Xuan Phuc said his nation respects China's stance on the arbitration, adding that the disputes should be solved peacefully through negotiations.
Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith said on the same day that Laos supports China's stance over the South China Sea issue, and stands ready to work with China to maintain peace and stability in the region.
Their words were echoed by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who said on Friday that his country supports settlement of the South China Sea disputes through dialogue and consultation between countries directly concerned.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev also said Russia opposes the internationalization of the South China Sea disputes or any interference by the forces outside the region.
Russia supports China's principles on resolving the disputes, Medvedev said. He called for bilateral negotiations and consultations between directly relevant parties to solve the issue.
According to the anonymous Chinese diplomat, a vast number of countries "expressed understanding of China's stance in difference forms" and "accepted our stance on dispute settlement via dialogue and consultation."
"On the one hand, more and more countries have come to understand China's standpoints via extensive exchanges with the Chinese side," he said.
"On the other hand, the Nice attack had shed light on the importance of peace and stability," he added, referring to Thursday's truck attack in southern France that has claimed over 80 lives.
"We realize that the real threat in front of us is terrorism. There are neither wars nor conflicts in the South China Sea. Only a volatile South China Sea would threaten regional peace and stability," the diplomat noted. "Our 'friends circle' on the South China Sea issue seems to be getting bigger and bigger."
European countries refused to support Japan's Abe. Not even Vietnam's Nguyen Xuan Phuc voiced any support for Abe for his vain attempt.
Note: ASEM membership has 51 countries from Europe and Asia, plus European Union and ASEAN Secretariat having a separate membership.
Spotlight: Chinese premier wins backing over South China Sea at ASEM Summit Source: Xinhua | 2016-07-16 21:39:36 | Editor: huaxia
ULAN BATOR, July 15, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Chinese PremierLi Keqiang(C, front) delivers a speech during the 11th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit in Ulan Bator, Mongolia, July 15, 2016.(Xinhua/Ma Zhancheng)
ULAN BATOR, July 16 (Xinhua) -- In Mongolia over the weekend, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's effort to promote China's stance on the South China Sea issue received broad support during the 11th Asian-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit.
Li said Saturday before he returned to China that the South China Sea arbitration award will have no impact on China's territorial sovereignty and maritime interests.
Speaking in an informal meeting during the summit, Li said the South China Sea issue should not be subject to multilateral discussions from the very beginning, or be included in the summit's agenda.
"But since certain countries commented on the issue, it is thus necessary for China to come out to clarify its stance and spell out the truth," he said.
Li said China has never participated in the arbitration unilaterally initiated by the Philippines, adding that his country neither accepts nor acknowledges the so-called arbitration award.
"By doing so, we are both exercising our rights in accordance with international law, and safeguarding the dignity of international law," he said.
"Under no circumstance will the arbitration award exert any impact on China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea," Li added.
The Chinese premier said China remains committed to settling the South China Sea disputes via dialogue and consultation with countries directly involved on the basis of historical facts and in accordance with international law, so as to safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea.
This is the first time the Chinese premier has made an open statement on the South China Sea issue at an international forum following the South China Sea arbitration award issued Tuesday.
Li did not include the issue in his keynote speech at the start of the two-day summit. However, faced with certain nations' attempts to stir up tension and interfere in the South China Sea issue in the summit, Li expounded China's stance of non-acceptance of and non-participation in the arbitration proceedings, as part of his diplomatic offensive.
In a meeting with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc Thursday, Li said the South China Sea issue should be solved through bilateral negotiations between relevant parties in line with historical facts, international law and the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC).
One day later, he told Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen that China will work with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to protect regional peace and stability as well as the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.
Li's toughest remarks were directed at Japan, which, according to a Chinese diplomat that demanded anonymity, had sought in vain to include the arbitration case into the chair's statement of the summit.
Tokyo, not a state directly involved in the South China Sea issue, should thus stop hyping up and interfering in the South China Sea issue and "exercise caution in its own words and deeds," Li told Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in a Friday meeting at the latter's request.
China's stance on the issue is completely in line with international law and the DOC, Li said.
The Chinese premier's statements have been keenly received and won the backing from a number of Asian and European heavyweight leaders.
In the meeting with Li, Vietnam's Nguyen Xuan Phuc said his nation respects China's stance on the arbitration, adding that the disputes should be solved peacefully through negotiations.
Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith said on the same day that Laos supports China's stance over the South China Sea issue, and stands ready to work with China to maintain peace and stability in the region.
Their words were echoed by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who said on Friday that his country supports settlement of the South China Sea disputes through dialogue and consultation between countries directly concerned.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev also said Russia opposes the internationalization of the South China Sea disputes or any interference by the forces outside the region.
Russia supports China's principles on resolving the disputes, Medvedev said. He called for bilateral negotiations and consultations between directly relevant parties to solve the issue.
According to the anonymous Chinese diplomat, a vast number of countries "expressed understanding of China's stance in difference forms" and "accepted our stance on dispute settlement via dialogue and consultation."
"On the one hand, more and more countries have come to understand China's standpoints via extensive exchanges with the Chinese side," he said.
"On the other hand, the Nice attack had shed light on the importance of peace and stability," he added, referring to Thursday's truck attack in southern France that has claimed over 80 lives.
"We realize that the real threat in front of us is terrorism. There are neither wars nor conflicts in the South China Sea. Only a volatile South China Sea would threaten regional peace and stability," the diplomat noted. "Our 'friends circle' on the South China Sea issue seems to be getting bigger and bigger."
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South China Sea: Vietnam detains activists after international ruling
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-17/vietnam-detains-activists-after-south-china-sea-ruling/7636228
"30 Vietnamese activists were swiftly bundled onto waiting buses and cars by security forces after they gathered to hold a protest near the city's famous Hoan Kiem lake, a common spot for demonstrations."
As a PDF member, I am really concerned about some Vietnamese members here and hope they are Okay.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-17/vietnam-detains-activists-after-south-china-sea-ruling/7636228
"30 Vietnamese activists were swiftly bundled onto waiting buses and cars by security forces after they gathered to hold a protest near the city's famous Hoan Kiem lake, a common spot for demonstrations."
As a PDF member, I am really concerned about some Vietnamese members here and hope they are Okay.
Europe goes soft with China over South China Sea ruling
BY EMANUELE SCIMIA on JULY 14, 2016 in ASIA TIMES NEWS & FEATURES, CHINA, SOUTHEAST ASIA
ROME–In the past days some observers alleged that the European Union (EU) would take on a more vigorous position on the current South China Sea territorial spats. Nothing of that sort happened in the aftermath of the much-expected ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague on China’s claims to a large part of the disputed waters, with the EU leaders remaining faithful to their usual cautious approach to the issue.
The arbitration court in the Hague ruled on July 12 against China’s demands over vast portions of the South China Sea, upholding the Philippines’ objections to Beijing’s legal and historical rationale. The case was brought to the court by the Philippine government in 2013. Manila has overlapping claims with China and other neighboring countries on waters and natural features in the region.
One day later, at the end of the 18th EU-China summit in Beijing, European Council President Donald Tusk voiced his hope that the arbitration court ruling would be a positive step to settle the territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Tusk did not clearly call on China to obey the award; in a softer tone, he reiterated the EU’s full confidence in the work and procedures of the arbitration court in the Hague and Brussels’ support of the international law, not least of the United Nations convention on the law of the sea. In Tusk’s words, “the rule-based international order is in our common interest and both China and the EU have to protect it.”
EU’s rules-based stance
The EU has a legalistic approach to the South China Sea issue and advances the argument that any solution to the problem should be rules-based and in accordance with the international law. This is the same concept that leads Brussels to maintain economic and financial sanctions on Russia over its annexation of the Crimea and backing of rebel groups in Eastern Ukraine, though restrictions against the Kremlin have negative fallouts for the EU state members.
The vision of a rule-bound system of global relations is probably the quintessence of the now tarnished European dream and is shared by most of the EU leaders. Despite its recent bid for exit from the EU – the so-called Brexit – and the increasing economic connections that it has set up with China over the past year, even Britain has always been in line with the EU’s stance on the South China Sea disputes, contending that Beijing must respect the arbitration court’s verdict.
However, any exhortations from the EU that China complies with the ruling delivered by the arbitration court in the Hague will be confined to the realm of principled positions. It is doubtful that the European bloc and its single state members will welcome recent calls from the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies for a transatlantic initiative to inflict economic and financial penalties on China over its refusal to obey the arbitration court’s legal decision; and this even though the EU Commission has recently called for the reinforcement of the EU-US cooperation and coordination in the Asian-Pacific region.
No EU SCS patrols?
It is also highly improbable that EU nations will embark on “regular and visible” patrols in the South China Sea to affirm freedom of navigation and overflight, as suggested by French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian during the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore last June.
Still, after a long period of disengagement in East Asia, Europe is showing a more concrete interest in the region’s affairs. Le Drian’s words in Singapore fall within this logic and the same goes for the first participation in the US-promoted Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) drills by Germany, Italy and Denmark, which joined with regular European participants such as France, Britain, the Netherlands and Norway on June 30.
As early as April, the EU External Action Service raised the European bloc’s concerns over the climate of instability in the South China Sea. Underlining the EU’s neutral policy over the disputes, Brussels maintains that it has a stake in the region, where half the world’s trade passes through. The argument in the Old Continent is that in the current interconnected world the economic security of Europe is linked to stability in East Asia and other parts of the globe.
All that said, Europe is still in economic disarray and dramatically needs Chinese investments for its recovery, as well as China’s huge trade market as an outlet for its exports. In a recent position paper, the EU Commission refers to “the constructive management of differences” between Brussels and Beijing, meaning that the EU will be careful not to make a fuss about the South China Sea controversies.
http://atimes.com/2016/07/europe-goes-soft-with-china-over-south-china-sea-ruling/
BY EMANUELE SCIMIA on JULY 14, 2016 in ASIA TIMES NEWS & FEATURES, CHINA, SOUTHEAST ASIA
ROME–In the past days some observers alleged that the European Union (EU) would take on a more vigorous position on the current South China Sea territorial spats. Nothing of that sort happened in the aftermath of the much-expected ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague on China’s claims to a large part of the disputed waters, with the EU leaders remaining faithful to their usual cautious approach to the issue.
The arbitration court in the Hague ruled on July 12 against China’s demands over vast portions of the South China Sea, upholding the Philippines’ objections to Beijing’s legal and historical rationale. The case was brought to the court by the Philippine government in 2013. Manila has overlapping claims with China and other neighboring countries on waters and natural features in the region.
One day later, at the end of the 18th EU-China summit in Beijing, European Council President Donald Tusk voiced his hope that the arbitration court ruling would be a positive step to settle the territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Tusk did not clearly call on China to obey the award; in a softer tone, he reiterated the EU’s full confidence in the work and procedures of the arbitration court in the Hague and Brussels’ support of the international law, not least of the United Nations convention on the law of the sea. In Tusk’s words, “the rule-based international order is in our common interest and both China and the EU have to protect it.”
EU’s rules-based stance
The EU has a legalistic approach to the South China Sea issue and advances the argument that any solution to the problem should be rules-based and in accordance with the international law. This is the same concept that leads Brussels to maintain economic and financial sanctions on Russia over its annexation of the Crimea and backing of rebel groups in Eastern Ukraine, though restrictions against the Kremlin have negative fallouts for the EU state members.
The vision of a rule-bound system of global relations is probably the quintessence of the now tarnished European dream and is shared by most of the EU leaders. Despite its recent bid for exit from the EU – the so-called Brexit – and the increasing economic connections that it has set up with China over the past year, even Britain has always been in line with the EU’s stance on the South China Sea disputes, contending that Beijing must respect the arbitration court’s verdict.
However, any exhortations from the EU that China complies with the ruling delivered by the arbitration court in the Hague will be confined to the realm of principled positions. It is doubtful that the European bloc and its single state members will welcome recent calls from the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies for a transatlantic initiative to inflict economic and financial penalties on China over its refusal to obey the arbitration court’s legal decision; and this even though the EU Commission has recently called for the reinforcement of the EU-US cooperation and coordination in the Asian-Pacific region.
No EU SCS patrols?
It is also highly improbable that EU nations will embark on “regular and visible” patrols in the South China Sea to affirm freedom of navigation and overflight, as suggested by French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian during the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore last June.
Still, after a long period of disengagement in East Asia, Europe is showing a more concrete interest in the region’s affairs. Le Drian’s words in Singapore fall within this logic and the same goes for the first participation in the US-promoted Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) drills by Germany, Italy and Denmark, which joined with regular European participants such as France, Britain, the Netherlands and Norway on June 30.
As early as April, the EU External Action Service raised the European bloc’s concerns over the climate of instability in the South China Sea. Underlining the EU’s neutral policy over the disputes, Brussels maintains that it has a stake in the region, where half the world’s trade passes through. The argument in the Old Continent is that in the current interconnected world the economic security of Europe is linked to stability in East Asia and other parts of the globe.
All that said, Europe is still in economic disarray and dramatically needs Chinese investments for its recovery, as well as China’s huge trade market as an outlet for its exports. In a recent position paper, the EU Commission refers to “the constructive management of differences” between Brussels and Beijing, meaning that the EU will be careful not to make a fuss about the South China Sea controversies.
http://atimes.com/2016/07/europe-goes-soft-with-china-over-south-china-sea-ruling/
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