By Richard Dudley
Defence Update
the island of Sansha City, The State Council has approved the set China plans to establish a prefecture-level city called Sansha at the Island of Yongxing (also known as Woody Island), to manage the Xisha, Zhongsha and Nansha islands and their surrounding areas in the South China Sea.
The 12th Chinese naval escort flotilla prepare to set sail at a port in Zhoushan, east China’s Zhejiang Province, July 3, 2012. The 12th Chinese naval escort flotilla, consisting of frigate “Yiyang”, frigate “Changzhou” and comprehensive supply ship “Qiandaohu”, departed from Zhoushan on Tuesday for the escort mission in the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters to protect commercial ships from pirate attacks. (Xinhua/Hu Sheyou)
On 22 July China’s official state-run Xinhua News Agency announced that the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Central Military Commission approved plans to establish a permanent military garrison in the disputed South China Sea. China is known to have positioned military vessels in the region on a routine and recurring basis in the recent past and this announcement appears to be a continuation of China’s determination to strengthen its claims of sovereignty over the area.
On 21 June, the Vietnamese National Assembly passed the “Vietnamese Law of the Sea” that formally categorized the Spratly and Paracel Islands as lying within the boundaries of Vietnam’s sovereignty and jurisdictional control. China was quick to condemn this action and responded with an announcement of its own to lay claim to the region.
The 12th Chinese naval escort flotilla prepare to set sail at a port in Zhoushan, east China’s Zhejiang Province, July 3, 2012. The 12th Chinese naval escort flotilla, consisting of frigate “Yiyang”, frigate “Changzhou” and comprehensive supply ship “Qiandaohu”, departed from Zhoushan on Tuesday for the escort mission in the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters to protect commercial ships from pirate attacks. (Xinhua/Hu Sheyou)
Later on 21 June, in response to Hanoi’s legislative move, the Chinese State Council (governing cabinet) administratively raised the status of the small town of Sansha, located on Woody Island in the Paracel chain, to that of a prefectural-level city with administrative authority over the Spratly Islands, the Paracel Islands, and the Zhongsha Islands.
Sansha City, occupying little more than 5 kilometers of land area, is tasked with exercising administrative control over a vast expanse of the South China Sea, portions of which are also claimed by the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Brunei.
the island of Sansha City, The State Council has approved the set China plans to establish a prefecture-level city called Sansha at the Island of Yongxing (also known as Woody Island), to manage the Xisha, Zhongsha and Nansha islands and their surrounding areas in the South China Sea.
The city of Sansha, boasting a population of only 1,100 inhabitants, announced on 22 July that a municipal people’s congress of 45 members had been elected and installed, igniting protests from nearly all of China’s Pacific neighbors. Both Vietnam and Taiwan lay claim to the Paracel Islands, home to the new city. China has exercised de facto control of the Paracels since forcing Vietnam to withdraw following a naval showdown in 1974.
China claims that they were the first to discover and name the Spratly, Paracel, and Zhongsha island groups in the South China Sea – the Chinese names for the island chains are Xisha, Zhongsha, and Nansha. The Chinese also claim they established an administrative apparatus to manage the islands back in 1959 and therefore, have absolute sovereignty throughout the area.
Earlier in July, mass demonstrations were organized in Hanoi to protest China’s establishment of Sansha City and an invitation sent by the Chinese to oil companies announcing the solicitation of bids for drilling rights in offshore locations Vietnam claims to have sovereignty over. The drilling rights being offered up for bidding encompass areas well within Vietnam’s internationally-recognized 200-mile exclusive economic zone. Both Vietnam and the Philippines have filed diplomatic protests over the establishment of Sansha City.
his People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) flotilla is lead by the latest LPD 998 Kunlunshan amphibious landing dock vessel, escorted by the guided missile destroyer DDG 170 Lanzhou and Type 054 guided missile frigate FFG 568 Chaohu. The support ship is AO 885 Qinghaihu, an ex-Russian Komandarm class oiler. Photo: PLAN
China began sending combat-ready naval patrols throughout the disputed area following Vietnam’s 21 June passage of legislation claiming sovereignty over the disputed islands and the surrounding waters.
The Xinhua News Agency’s announcement went on to say that the new Sansha military garrison would have responsibility over “national defense mobilization” while also “guarding the city and supporting local emergency rescue and disaster relief.” The garrison would also, it was announced, conduct “military missions” although the extent and purpose of such missions was not addressed.
The news announcement also reported that the Sansha “garrison command will be a division-level command under the PLA’s Hainan provincial sub-command, responsible for managing the city’s national defense mobilization, military reserves, and carrying out military operations.”
An independent report filed by Reuters stated that Beijing also plans to begin construction of communication facilities, buoy tenders, supply installations, and light stations in Sansha City in the near future.
Sansha City, located on Woody Island (Yongxing in Chinese), is currently serviced by an airfield completed in 1990 that boasts a 2,700-meter long runway capable of supporting all the third-generation fighter aircraft in China’s existing air fleet. The island also has a small coast guard facility and a police station to support the city.
The South China Sea is a waterway of critical importance to the global economy with more than one-third of the world’s trade passing through the expanse. It is also a rich fishing ground and is believed to be, based on preliminary exploration, home to immensely valuable deposits of natural gas, petroleum, and rare-earth materials.
We citizen of the world of democracy has to stand-up against the bullying of CHINA. China and its leader wanted to have world domination and it is very dangerous for all citizens of the world. AMERICA AND ITS ALLIES SHOULD DO SOMETHING TO PREVENT THIS KIND OF PROVOCATIVE ADVENTURE BEING CONDUCTED BY THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA.
THE U.S. IS QUITE COOL BUT NOT AFRAID OF CHINA. CHINA HAVE NUCLEAR WEAPONS LIKE THE U.S. CHINA IS NOW STRONG, THEY CANNOT BE BULLIED BY ANYONE. AS FAR AS CONVENTIONAL WARFARE IS CONCERN CHINA IS NO MATCH. BUT IF CHINA IS LOSING SHE WILL NOT HESITATE TO USE NUCLEAR WEAPONS AND THAT WILL BE THE END OF ASIA OR THE WORLD.
Alberto, remember the cold war? That show of force between the US and the USSR lasted for over five decades, I think, and luckily, for the rest of the world, none of those WMD’s were ever deployed or we would’nt even be around. We all know that China also has nuclear capability, so does India and Pakistan. To tell you the truth, I doubt that any of these country would dare use any of these weapons. They knew darn well what the consequences will be if any of these weapons were to be unleashed, so in a sense we are having another cold war. But China’s daring move to dominate the contested areas in the South China sea will probably be best brought to the UN since the Chinese seems to be hell bent in not abiding with any kind of diplomatic resolution. Like I said, they will do everything they can just to see how far they can push the Philippines and the other countries. Militarily, we’re screwed. Heck, we can’t even do away with that small group of terrorist in Basilan, let alone the Chinese military.
What do I need to do to live there?
The US fought directly against China in the Korean War and lost. It fought North Vietnam which was supported by China, in the Vietnam War, and lost. Back then China had a very small air force which participated very little in the 2 wars.
Now China has a much much bigger air force with a few thousand aircrafts including Su-27, Su-30, Su-33, J-11, J-15, J-16 which are roughly equivalent to F-15 in capabilities, and are better than F-16, F-18, etc. It has an air defence much bigger than the US’s consisting of thousands of SAM and ABM missiles.
Can someone tell me how the US can beat China despite the the outcome of the last 2 wars and the much bigger and better armed China ?
Hi Lisa,
The US did not lose the Korean War. There is a truce that is still in place. Officially the Korean War is not yet finished. Had Pres. Truman allowed Gen. MacArthur to bomb — including the possible use of atomic bomb — the Chinese forces north of the Yalu River, the Korean War would have ended in an American victory. Instead, Truman fired MacArthur!
In regard to the Vietnam War, the politicians in Washington, DC ran the war. Barry Goldwater had a plan on how to win the Vietnam War but instead LBJ sent Kissinger to negotiate with Hanoi.
Obama is different from Truman and LBJ. China depends on foreign oil, which accounts for 60% of China’s oil consumption. Foreign oil mostly comes from the Middle East and Central Africa. The US has strategic control of several choke points — Straits of Hormuz and Malacca and several others including the strait near Darwin, Australia — where foreign passes through to get to China.
China has only 10 days of strategic oil reserves. If the US blocked the flow of foreign oil to China, China would be starved of oil and her military rendered useless. So, do you think China would dare go to war with the US?
Perry