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美国军机未进入中国岛礁12海里范围
送交者:  2015年05月24日06:17:16 于 [世界军事论坛] 发送悄悄话

Phl, US assert rights, ignore China warning

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Composite photo shows a US Navy P8-A Poseidon surveillance aircraft which was asked to leave the area by the Chinese navy as it approached contested islands in the South China Sea. Photo also shows construction on Fiery Cross Reef, from where the warning could have been issued.

WASHINGTON – The United States military will continue air and sea patrols in international waters even after the Chinese navy repeatedly warned a US surveillance plane to leave the airspace over artificial islands China is creating in the disputed South China Sea.

The Philippine government also declared it would continue activities in the region, calling on China to respect freedom of navigation and aviation.

“Our position on the importance of letting freedom of navigation, freedom of aviation and international law prevail in the area we are talking about does not change. That is why this is not affected by the new development,” Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. told a press briefing yesterday.

“Our position on this matter is consistent and resolute. While we recognize that there is tension, we will remain assertive and determined to push for our position by adhering to international law,” Coloma said.

US State Department spokesperson Marie Harf said it was unclear on what basis the Chinese navy issued the warning to a US military plane that was flying over the Spratlys in the South China Sea.

Harf said the verbal warnings aired by the Chinese to the US plane could not be classified as a confrontation.

Headlines ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1

The incident, along with recent Chinese warnings to Philippine military aircraft to leave areas around the Spratly archipelago in the South China Sea, suggested Beijing is trying to enforce a military exclusion zone above its new islands there.

Recent satellite images suggest China has made rapid progress in filling in land in contested territory in the Spratly islands and in building an airstrip suitable for military use and that it may be planning another.

Although the US does not recognize China’s claims of sovereignty around the man-made structures, American P-8 surveillance planes and naval vessels patrolling the area have not ventured within 12 nautical miles of the artificial islands – the standard territorial zone around natural land.

“That would be the next step,” Pentagon spokesman Col. Steven Warren said.

Asked if the military would move to within that sensitive zone, he said: “We don’t have any announcement to make on next steps. We are going to continue our routine flights.”

US officials have said they are weighing sending warships and surveillance aircraft within 12 nautical miles of the man-made islands in the South China Sea to test Beijing’s controversial territorial claims.

While there was no official statement yet on the deployment of USS Ronald Reagan in the region, Philippine defense sources said the aircraft carrier is headed to Japan deployment for unspecified mission from her homeport in San Diego, California.

“That’s what we’ve learned from our counterparts. We don’t have any official confirmation yet,” a Philippine defense official said.

The move, however, could raise tensions and lead to a standoff on the high seas, in an area vital to global shipping lanes.

Beijing regards almost the whole of the South China Sea as its own.

 

‘Entirely appropriate’

The senior US diplomat for East Asia, Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel, told a media briefing in Washington that the US reconnaissance flight was “entirely appropriate” and that US naval forces and military aircraft would “continue to fully exercise” the right to operate in international waters and airspace.

Russel said the US would go further to preserve the ability of all countries to move in international waters and airspace.

“Nobody in their right mind is going to try to stop the US Navy from operating – that would not be a good bet,” Russel said.

“But it’s not enough that a US military plane can overfly international waters, even if there is challenge or hailing query... We believe that every country and all civilian actors should have unfettered access to international waters and international airspace.”

A former Philippine senator said the US is sending a strong message to China about the possible political and security implications of its aggressive actions over the region.

“The US is sending a strong signal to China and the international community that these new developments have serious geopolitical and security implications,” former senator Panfilo Lacson said.

“The fact that the US conducted patrol over the contested islands which China is claiming to be exclusively their own and thereafter, releasing the incident through international media says a lot already,” he added.

Lacson said there is a high possibility of dangerous confrontation after China’s warning to all foreign vessels and aircraft against entering the disputed seas.

“It only takes an aggressive action from any party in interest, no matter how insignificant, to spark a dangerous armed confrontation that could lead to war,” Lacson said.

On Thursday, US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken said China’s land reclamation in the South China Sea was undermining freedom and stability and risked provoking tension that could lead to conflict.

China claims 90 percent of the South China Sea, which is believed to be rich in oil and gas, its claims overlapping with those of Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan.

Recent satellite images suggest China has made rapid progress in filling in land in contested territory in the Spratly islands and in building an airstrip suitable for military use and that it may be planning another.

 

The end game

Footage taken by the P8-A Poseidon over the new islands, and aired by CNN, showed a hive of construction and dredging activity, as well as Chinese navy ships nearby.

CNN said it was the first time the Pentagon had declassified video of China’s building activity and audio of challenges to a US aircraft.

“We were just challenged 30 minutes ago and the challenge came from the Chinese navy,” Capt. Mike Parker, commander of US surveillance aircraft deployed to Asia, told CNN on the flight.

“I’m highly confident it came from ashore, this facility here,” Parker said, pointing to an early warning radar station on Fiery Cross Reef (Kagitingan Reef) located near the Kalayaan Island occupied by the Philippines in the Spratlys.

The Chinese warnings to the US aircraft are typical and occur frequently, a US navy official said.

“It’s not uncommon,” the official said.

And sometimes the Chinese send military aircraft to visually identify American planes in the area, the official added.

The Philippine Defense department said the series of “ground to air encounters” in the region only showed China is out to bully everybody in line with its long-range plan to have total control of the entire South China Sea.

“The incident shows the extent to which China is willing to disregard international laws and freedom of flight and navigation. It is highly regrettable that they are imposing their self-serving rules even in clearly established international airspace,” Defense spokesman Peter Paul Galvez said.

A US commander recently said the military facilities on Fiery Cross Reef, including a 3,000-meter runway, could be operational by year’s end.

He said Washington is concerned China will use it to press its extensive territorial claims at the expense of weaker rivals.

China claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also have overlapping claims.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi last week asserted Beijing’s right to reclaim the reefs and said China’s determination to protect its interests was “as hard as a rock.”

China has also said it had every right to set up an air defense identification zone (ADIZ) in the South China Sea but that current conditions did not warrant one.

ADIZs are used by some nations to extend control beyond national borders, requiring civilian and military aircraft to identify themselves or face possible military interception. – Aurea Calica, Jaime Laude, Christina Mendez

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