Page 30: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (September 2016)

MARITIME SECURITY

But, according to Xinhua News Agen- What does it mean for the ments in the Washington Post and other selective, based on self-interests.

cy, Adm. Wu Shengli, head of the PLA- maritime world? media to claim their peaceful and benev- From a naval point of view, the South

N, said China won’t stop construction. Back to Asia, there is a lot at stake sur- olent use of those claimed islands. Why, China Sea nations and their navies are “The Nansha Islands [Spratly] are Chi- rounding a small island. A huge volume they argue, would anyone not want the sailing on a dif? cult course. They want na’s inherent territory, and our necessary of world trade passes through the South advantages of China’s benign and mu- to avoid further antagonizing China and construction on the islands is reasonable, China Sea and East China Sea. Control ni? cent leadership of this territory, with its economic might. But they look to the justi? ed and lawful.” of those seas effectively can serve to such bene? ts as research opportunities, U.S. to stand with them as China ? exes

Putin has employed subterfuge mixed control commerce. Unlike a land bor- navigational aids, and search and rescue its muscles. The Philippines and Viet- with brinksmanship to execute some der, a chunk of land at sea comes with capabilities of value to all? And, besides nam, for example, have drawn them- dramatic moves that makes him even a bonus—a 200-mile EEZ that extends all that, the faux journalistic accounts selves closer to the U.S., and American more popular at home, and undermines around it on all sides. There are sig- continue, the International court has no ships, aircraft and ground forces have the West and make the high ground oc- ni? cant resources involved, from ? sh jurisdiction. conducted more and bigger exercises to cupied by America, NATO and the EU to oil and gas. True, the EEZ’s can be China and the Philippines are both sig- build capability and create interoperabil- appear unstable. He has sought to frac- hemmed in by other EEZ and territorial natories to the UNCLOS treaty, which ity to Asian partners. These exercises, ture the solidarity of the west—Brexit, areas, but China has been more than lib- establishes the mechanisms to adjudicate the largest of which is the Rim of the Pa- and an unstable Turkey, weakens that eral in claiming their share of an adja- such disputes. But stating that the arbi- ci? c (RIMPAC) exercises in and around solidarity—and those nations sitting cent EEZ. Claiming the entire sea not tration is not legitimate places China is a Hawaii and the U.S. California coast, along the fault line are puzzled as to who only strengthens them, but denies those dif? cult position of being unable to use also create solidarity, and send a mes- they should trust, or at least turn to for bene? ts to other nations. such judicial remedies in the future. For sage that “we stand together.” In fact, leadership. China has published special supple- China, adherence to international law is China has been invited to participate in

Construction of ? ghter-jet hangars appears complete at the southern end of the runway and is well-advanced along the middle of the airstrip. At the northern end, construction on a ? nal set of han- gars is still in the early stages. Two medium hangars and one large hangar are being constructed toward the southern end of the runway.

(Image courtesy: “CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative/DigitalGlobe”) 30 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • SEPTEMBER 2016

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