China on the South China Seas

[Randy W]

U.S. revives Cold War submarine spy program to counter China

The U.S. Navy is carrying out the biggest overhaul of its top-secret undersea surveillance network since the 1950s as China’s naval power surges and new technologies are fast reshaping maritime warfare. Beijing has similar plans of its own.

from Reuters

 

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The renaming of the spy station at the Whidbey Island facility is a nod to a much larger U.S. military project, according to three people with direct knowledge of the plans: conducting the biggest reconstruction of America’s anti-submarine spy program since the end of the Cold War.

The revival of the multibillion-dollar effort, known as the Integrated Undersea Surveillance System (IUSS), comes as China has ramped up military exercises around Taiwan, heightening concerns about a potential conflict over the democratically ruled territory, which Beijing wants brought under its control.

The IUSS revamp project has not previously been reported. It involves modernizing America’s existing network of underwater acoustic spy cables and retrofitting a fleet of surveillance ships with cutting-edge sensors and subsea microphones, moves aimed at boosting the military’s ability to spy on its foes. The United States has agreed to sell Australia similar technology to help bolster allied defenses in the Pacific region.

 

 

[Randy W]

Philippine coast guard says it removed barrier placed by China’s coast guard in disputed shoal

FILE - A Chinese coast guard ship tries to block the way of a Philippine supply boat, left, as it heads towards Second Thomas Shoal, locally known as Ayungin Shoal, at the disputed South China Sea on Aug. 22, 2023. Philippine officials on Monday, Sept. 25 condemned a floating barrier laid by Chinese coast guard vessels to prevent Filipino fishermen from entering a disputed lagoon in the South China Sea and said they would take actions to remove the obstruction. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)

from AP News

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The Philippine coast guard said it has complied with a presidential order to remove a floating barrier placed by China’s coast guard to prevent Filipino fishing boats from entering a lagoon in a disputed shoal in the South China Sea.

Philippine officials condemned the installation of the 300-meter (980-foot) -long barrier at the entrance to the lagoon at Scarborough Shoal as a violation of international law and the Southeast Asian nation’s sovereignty. The coast guard’s report Monday that it had removed the barrier underscores intensifying Philippine efforts to fight China’s increasingly aggressive actions, against many odds, in one of the world’s most hotly contested waters.

Chinese coast guard vessels laid the rope and net barrier, held up by buoys, last week as a Philippine government fisheries vessel approached and more than 50 Philippine fishing boats swarmed outside the shoal, the Philippine coast guard said.

It said in a statement Monday night that it successfully removed the floating barrier in a “special operation” in compliance with the order of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. It did not provide other details, such as whether the entire barrier was removed, when the operation occurred and how Chinese coast guard ships, which have closely guarded the shoal for years, reacted.

 

 

 

[Randy W]

South China Sea: Beijing hits back at Manila over Scarborough Shoal barrier ‘farce’

• Chinese foreign ministry insists the shoal is Chinese territory and dismisses the removal of its buoys
• Beijing backed down last month over the Second Thomas Shoal but analyst says it won’t do so this time

from the SCMP

A Philippine Coast Guard personnel cuts the rope connecting the floating barrier that was installed near the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. Photo: Philippine Coast Guard

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A Chinese observer said Beijing was unlikely to give ground to Manila in the latest maritime dispute between the two neighbours.

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“If Philippine vessels were allowed in the lagoon, that would mean that China’s control over Huangyan Island was in danger,” Hu Bo, director of the Beijing-based think tank South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative (SCSPI) said.

“That’s the bottom line.”

The Scarborough Shoal is a triangle-shaped chain of reefs and rocks about 120 nautical miles (222km) from the Philippine island of Luzon. Both China and the Philippines claim it as “integral part” of their own territory.
Calling on the country’s fishermen to keep operating in the waters, the Philippine Coast Guard said on Wednesday it was exploring multi-law enforcement efforts so it could enter the fish-rich shoal.

Beijing would not back down over the Scarborough Shoal, Hu said.

 

 

[Randy W]

Philippine boats breach a Chinese coast guard blockade in a faceoff near a disputed shoal

A Philippine supply boat, center, maneuvers around Chinese coast guard ships near Second Thomas Shoal at the disputed South China Sea on Aug. 22, 2023. Two Philippine supply boats breached a Chinese coast guard blockade in the South China Sea on Oct. 4. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)

from the AP News

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Two Philippine supply boats breached a Chinese coast guard blockade in the South China Sea on Wednesday in a recurring confrontation near a disputed shoal some fear could spark a larger security crisis that could draw in the United States.

Two Philippine coast guard ships escorted the smaller supply boats, but it wasn't immediately clear whether the ships were blocked by the Chinese coast guard from coming closer to the Second Thomas Shoal, where a small contingent of Filipino marines has stood guard for years aboard a long-marooned but still actively commissioned warship, the BRP Sierra Madre.

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"Despite attempts by a significant number of China coast guard and Chinese maritime militia vessels to block, harass, and interfere with the routine rotation and resupply mission," the two Philippine boats managed to deliver provisions to the Filipino forces at the shoal, a Philippine government body overseeing the disputed waters said in a statement late Wednesday.

"The Philippines' resupply missions and maintenance of BRP Sierra Madre are part of regular operations in line with domestic and international law and ensures safety and well-being of our stationed personnel," the inter-agency body said.

It didn't provide other details of the Chinese coast guard's actions, which it has condemned in the past as dangerous maneuvers that have nearly caused collisions. and violated international safety regulations at sea.

The Chinese coast guard said in a statement Wednesday night that the Philippine vessels entered the waters "without permission from the Chinese government" and that "China firmly opposes the Philippines illegally transporting building materials to the `grounded' military boat." It said it gave a stern warning to the Philippines vessels and monitored them throughout the process.

 

 

Edited October 5, 2023 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

What’s behind the Chinese nuclear submarine disaster in the Yellow Sea?

from Lei's Real Talk

The British media outlets recently confirmed the rumors about the PLA type-093 nuclear submarine disaster in the Yellow Sea in August. One Chinese source disclosed the same info with more details a few days after the incident happened. What details were omitted from the British reports? What has happened to the vessel? Why isn’t everyone convinced that the reports are credible?
1:07       What did the British media say
5:13       The details missing from the British media reports
17:49     Some people challenge the Chinese sources
32:38      What can we learn from the incident?
41:16      Q&A

 

Edited October 6, 2023 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

UK Media report claims, 55 Chinese sailors killed after nuclear submarine accident in August

from The Print

Representative Image. (Photo: Reuters)

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Following an unfortunate capture of their nuclear submarine in a trap meant to snare British as well as the US sub-surface vessels in the Yellow Sea, at least 55 Chinese sailors were killed in an accident in August in the Yellow Sea, according to a report by the UK based newspaper, Daily Mail Online.

The Daily Mail has cited a top-secret UK report. The report claims the crew members were poisoned by the oxygen system’s catastrophic failure which claimed sailors’ lives. The UK report, which is based on military intelligence, has a high level of secrecy.

 

 

 

 

[Randy W]

U.S. releases video of aircraft intercepts by Chinese planes
The 180 intercepts in the last two years are more than the total number over the previous decade, part of a trend that U.S. military officials called concerning.

from The Associated Press via NBCNews

A Chinese aircraft intercepting a U.S. warplane over the Pacific Ocean in June 2022. Department of Defense / AP

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Admiral John Acquilino, head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, said at a Pentagon news briefing Tuesday that despite the U.S. surging carrier strike groups and amphibious ships to support Israel, and now almost 20 months of war in Ukraine, the command has what it needs to deter China.

“I haven’t had one piece of equipment or force structure depart” his command, he said, referring to ships, aircraft and military units. “We have been taking a number of steps to strengthen our commitment to the region, strengthen our deterrence in the region and we will continue to do that.”

China has defended its interceptions and other military actions as necessary to protect its national security in the face of U.S. naval and aerial reconnaissance that it says raises tensions in the region.

 

 

[Randy W]

Philippines says its coast guard ship and supply boat are hit by Chinese vessels near disputed shoal

from the Associated Press

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A Chinese coast guard ship and one of its militia vessels separately bumped a Philippine coast guard ship and a military-run supply boat Sunday off a disputed shoal in the South China Sea “in dangerous, irresponsible and illegal actions,” Philippine officials said.

They did not say if there were injuries or damage from the two incidents off the Second Thomas Shoal that the United States, a longtime treaty ally of the Philippines, immediately condemned. The Philippine government also condemned the latest confrontation in “the strongest degree” and called it a violation of Manila’s sovereignty.

 

 

 

Edited October 22, 2023 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

Chinese warplane fired flares at Canadian chopper over South China Sea

• The helicopter was first buzzed by a Chinese aircraft flying overhead, then forced to swerve when another jet launched flares directly in front of it
• Defence Minister Bill Blair says the incident put the crew in danger, marking the second time in two weeks Canada has accused Chinese pilots of unsafe behaviour

Air detachment members attach a fueling hose on the hoist cable of a CH-148 Cyclone helicopter during an operation at sea in February 2020. Photo: Canadian Armed Forces via Reuters

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Later that day another plane launched flares directly in front of the helicopter, forcing it to swerve to avoid being hit.

“These manoeuvres put the safety of all personnel involved in unnecessary risk,” he told reporters, saying Ottawa considered the recent actions by Chinese aircraft to be “significantly unsafe”.

The helicopter and HMCS Ottawa were in the South China Sea as part of US and allied “freedom of navigation” crossings to reinforce the status of the body as an international waterway.

 

 

 

 

[Randy W]

Australia says divers injured by sonar pulses from Chinese navy
Sonar is used by military ships to get a picture of what is happening underwater and works by using sound pulses. When operated at high levels these can cause dizziness, and in some cases, organ damage.

from Sky News UK

Divers were repairing the propeller on the HMAS Toowoomba Pic: AP
 

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Mr Marles said the HMAS Toowoomba stopped while it was in international waters on Tuesday in Japan's exclusive economic zone after the fishing nets became caught on its propellers.

It had been helping the UN enforce sanctions in the region.

He said: "While diving operations were under way, a PLA-N destroyer (DDG-139) operating in the vicinity closed towards HMAS Toowoomba.

"Toowoomba again advised the PLA-N destroyer that diving operations were being conducted and requested the ship keep clear.

"Despite acknowledging Toowoomba's communications, the Chinese vessel approached at a closer range. Soon after, it was detected operating its hull-mounted sonar in a manner that posed a risk to the safety of the Australian divers who were forced to exit the water.

 

 

 

[Randy W]

A South China Sea Code of Conduct Cannot Be Built on a Foundation of Bad Faith
There’s an obvious reason CoC talks haven’t progressed: China isn’t interested.

from The Diplomat

Chinese Coast Guard members approach Filipino fishermen as they confront each other off Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on Sept. 23, 2015. Credit: AP Photo/Renato Etac,

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Like the initial 2002 DoC, last year’s reaffirmation was a soaring, aspirational document, filled with pledges of mutual respect, self-restraint, adherence to international law and the freedom of navigation under UNCLOS, and the peaceful resolution of disputes “without resorting to the threat or use of force.”

And yet, like the DoC itself, this reaffirmation carried with it an element of farce. Every nation gathered there in Phnom Penh knew very well that the South China Sea now exists under the persistent threat and occasional use of force. It is a place where many disputes are not resolved peacefully, but rather by the application and threat of violence by China, the Declaration’s most powerful signatory, which has set itself up as police officer, judge, jury, and jailer over all the others.