Philippine Pirates/Police

[Randy W]

Xinhua:

China urges Philippines to "immediately" release fishermen and boat: FM spokeswoman

 

 

China has demanded the Philippines "make rational explanations," said spokeswoman Hua Chunying at the daily press briefing, warning the Philippine side to "take no more provocative action."

 

Hua said Chinese maritime police boat has arrived at the sea area. Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines have already lodged representations with the Philippine side.

 

Hua reiterated that China has undisputable sovereign rights over the sea area, including the Half Moon Shoal of Nansha Islands, where the incident occurred.

 

China always urges Chinese fishermen to conduct fishing activities in accordance with the law, she said, urging relevant countries to properly handle relevant affairs and safeguard the legitimate rights of Chinese fishermen.

 

 

Shanghaiist:

 

BREAKING: 11 Chinese fishermen missing after 'armed men' boarded vessel in South China Sea

 

UPDATE 2:08PM:

It appears as though the attackers were Philippine police, and allege that the Chinese fishermen were hauling hundreds of turtles, presumably in (what is asserted as) Philippine waters:

 

[Greg.D.]

China uses historical claims to justify some of its actions that involve boundaries and sovereignty, but denies some other groups who use the same arguments. She probably isn't too different than other large and important countries in this regard. Right now, I think her belligerence plays well at home but dominates her increasingly tense relationships with her nearest neighbors. Probably some actions are justified, some are designed to ratchet citizens' emotions, and some is old-fashioned reaction from the Chinese-inferiority and persecution complex. Many questions are raised about how much international cooperation (U.S.?) will be invoked in response to the increasingly militaristic activities; also, any reasonably-scaled military action might expose incompetence on behalf of Chinese forces - which could be damaging.

 

Here is a pic of the Spratly's; most of them are pretty far away from the Chinese coast, maybe China starts with closest one and defines the int boundary as propagating from there. I don't know what to think about whose claim trumps.

Greg

[Randy W]

. . . and for an encore

 

South China Sea tensions rise as Vietnam says China rammed ships

 

Vietnam said on Wednesday a Chinese vessel intentionally rammed two of its ships in a part of the disputed South China Sea where Beijing has deployed a giant oil rig, sending tensions spiraling in the region.

 

 

 

The Xinhua version (no mention of the collisions)

 

China urges against Vietnamese interference in territorial water exploration

 

China said on Wednesday that operation of its drilling rig 981 near the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea is legal and urged Vietnam to stop disturbing China's exploration activities in its territorial waters.

 

. . .

 

 

China's State Councilor Yang Jiechi had a phone conversation with Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh on Tuesday, demanding that the Vietnamese side stop disturbing Chinese companies' normal work in the Xisha Islands.

 

 

[Greg.D.]

Somebody has to resolve this (these) diplomatically -- Putin?

 

I wonder how they built that platform ...

Greg

[warpedbored]

China increasingly becomes the neighborhood bully. I don't see how any of this can end well.

[Randy W]

Somebody has to resolve this (these) diplomatically -- Putin?

 

I wonder how they built that platform ...

 

Greg

 

 

They're not built on site - they're simply towed into place and then anchored. Most (if not all) are re-useable.